An Alternate Future Analysis Of The Battle Of Hastings
Battle and Alternate Future Analysis of the Battle of Hastings
The Saxons saw the return of Halley’s Comet in 1066 as a perilous omen for the future of England and the newly crowned King Harold prayed that it did not foreshadow things to come. While King Harold prayed over Halley’s Comet, the Duke of Normandy, William the Bastard, prepared his army for an attack to claim the crown from King Harold, which William believed, was rightfully his. At the time, King Harold had no idea that his greatest fears would come to fruition, nor fathom that he would be the last Saxon King to rule England. The Battle of Hastings fought on October 14, 1066, between the Normans and Saxons would incredibly change the course of history for the Normans, but for the history and culture of England as well. This paper will contain an analysis of the Battle of Hastings in order to assess an alternate outcome based on the lack of intelligence used, how certain intelligence techniques could have benefited the English, and what that alternate future may …show more content…
have been.
Review of the Setting Although Edward the Confessor did not have any heirs, Edward planned for William, the Duke of Normandy and his cousin, to take over his throne as England’s King.
When Edward died in January of 1066, the English council crowned Harold Godwinsson, Edward’s brother-in-law, King of England (Weir 2001). After the death of Edward, there were two individuals vying to take England as their own; William, the Duke of Normandy, and Harald Hardrada, the Norwegian King who wished to reclaim Northumbria (Ibeji 2011). Harald Hardrada and Tostig, the brother of King Harold, attacked Northumbria on September 20, 1066, and fought with the forces of Earls Edwin and Morcar. The Earls’ forces could not hold off the Norwegians so King Harold gathered up his forces and marched 180 miles to Stamford Bridge to face the Norwegians on September 25, 1066. King Harold and his men defeated Harald Hardrada and his brother Tostig, but his men were severely tired and
wounded.
While King Harold was preoccupied in the north, William and his army comprised of Normans, Flemings, Frenchman, and Bretons made landfall on the southern shore of England. William strategically waited until Harald Hardrada attacked in the north to start his invasion in the south. Upon hearing the news that William landed in the South, King Harold immediately regrouped what forces he had left and made the trek south to face William in the town of Battle.
Comparison of the Normans and English Armies Accounts differ as to the exact numbers of William’s army, but they arrived to England with roughly 1,000 archers, 3,000 knights, and 4,000 infantry. William’s attack strategy was to first weaken the English with arrows, break the English ranks with the infantry, and finish off the rest of the English forces with the cavalry. King Harold had between 5,000 and 7,000 infantry soldiers equipped with swords, spears, axes, and battle shields. Harold’s army was made up of housecarls, noblemen, and militiamen that scrounged for what weapons they could find (Weir 2001). On top of Senlac Hill, King Harold’s men were split into three different formations each of which created a shield wall as a defensive position.
William motivated noblemen to join his ranks by promising land and titles after conquering England (Ibeji 2011). William also received the approval of the Pope to invade England, and many joined William for the mere fact that it was a crusade. A few days earlier, King Harold’s men fought the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge and made an almost 200-mile trek back to the south to the town of Battle. Harold’s men were weary from their journey and morale was probably not inherent in the ranks (Ibeji 2011). Terrain was a factor at first for William’s army because they were staged at the bottom of a hill while King Harold’s men were staged at the top of Senlac Hill. The position was not particularly advantageous for William and his men, and the marsh the cavalry had to cross almost made them useless.
The Saxons saw the return of Halley’s Comet in 1066 as a perilous omen for the future of England and the newly crowned King Harold prayed that it did not foreshadow things to come. While King Harold prayed over Halley’s Comet, the Duke of Normandy, William the Bastard, prepared his army for an attack to claim the crown from King Harold, which William believed, was rightfully his. At the time, King Harold had no idea that his greatest fears would come to fruition, nor fathom that he would be the last Saxon King to rule England. The Battle of Hastings fought on October 14, 1066, between the Normans and Saxons would incredibly change the course of history for the Normans, but for the history and culture of England as well. This paper will contain an analysis of the Battle of Hastings in order to assess an alternate outcome based on the lack of intelligence used, how certain intelligence techniques could have benefited the English, and what that alternate future may …show more content…
have been.
Review of the Setting Although Edward the Confessor did not have any heirs, Edward planned for William, the Duke of Normandy and his cousin, to take over his throne as England’s King.
When Edward died in January of 1066, the English council crowned Harold Godwinsson, Edward’s brother-in-law, King of England (Weir 2001). After the death of Edward, there were two individuals vying to take England as their own; William, the Duke of Normandy, and Harald Hardrada, the Norwegian King who wished to reclaim Northumbria (Ibeji 2011). Harald Hardrada and Tostig, the brother of King Harold, attacked Northumbria on September 20, 1066, and fought with the forces of Earls Edwin and Morcar. The Earls’ forces could not hold off the Norwegians so King Harold gathered up his forces and marched 180 miles to Stamford Bridge to face the Norwegians on September 25, 1066. King Harold and his men defeated Harald Hardrada and his brother Tostig, but his men were severely tired and
wounded.
While King Harold was preoccupied in the north, William and his army comprised of Normans, Flemings, Frenchman, and Bretons made landfall on the southern shore of England. William strategically waited until Harald Hardrada attacked in the north to start his invasion in the south. Upon hearing the news that William landed in the South, King Harold immediately regrouped what forces he had left and made the trek south to face William in the town of Battle.
Comparison of the Normans and English Armies Accounts differ as to the exact numbers of William’s army, but they arrived to England with roughly 1,000 archers, 3,000 knights, and 4,000 infantry. William’s attack strategy was to first weaken the English with arrows, break the English ranks with the infantry, and finish off the rest of the English forces with the cavalry. King Harold had between 5,000 and 7,000 infantry soldiers equipped with swords, spears, axes, and battle shields. Harold’s army was made up of housecarls, noblemen, and militiamen that scrounged for what weapons they could find (Weir 2001). On top of Senlac Hill, King Harold’s men were split into three different formations each of which created a shield wall as a defensive position.
William motivated noblemen to join his ranks by promising land and titles after conquering England (Ibeji 2011). William also received the approval of the Pope to invade England, and many joined William for the mere fact that it was a crusade. A few days earlier, King Harold’s men fought the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge and made an almost 200-mile trek back to the south to the town of Battle. Harold’s men were weary from their journey and morale was probably not inherent in the ranks (Ibeji 2011). Terrain was a factor at first for William’s army because they were staged at the bottom of a hill while King Harold’s men were staged at the top of Senlac Hill. The position was not particularly advantageous for William and his men, and the marsh the cavalry had to cross almost made them useless.