How Did William Win Hastings
Why did William win the battle of Hastings? There are 4 reasons for William's victory in the battle of Hastings. First, there was his preparation, the next, William's leadership. Then, Harold's weaknesses: and finally, luck. I think that luck was the main reason for William's victory because, without the wind changing at the precise moment when Harold was still at Stamford Bridge, William would not have been able to accomplish an amphibious landing unnoticed to invade the southern side of England before Harold arrived, ultimately crowning William king of England. William had spent nine months preparing for battle, training troops, building ships and waiting for the right moment to strike. They even had time to relax and eat before the
battle! William had split his army into three groups, archers, infantry and cavalry, giving him a massive advantage against the English. William had a vast army of seven thousand troops and seven hundred ships, all highly trained with their designated weapons. William had also advanced in weapon technology over the English. Crossbows were one of the advancements made as they were easier and more reliable than traditional bows and arrows. He also had mounted cavalry (knights on horses) which the English did not know existed until the battle of Hastings. During the battle a rumour spread that William had been killed, William had noticed that his troops were retreating so he took off his helmet and rode amongst his men, this I found a real sign of leadership. William carried the Papal Banner into battle after Harold had defied an oath to god. William had revised on battle tactics, such as the feigned retreat, which he used to break the English Shield wall. William was a brave and fearsome leader, at one point in the battle, he pushed his men up a steep hill to fight the English. William had promised land to those who supported him in Hastings, as he was so confident that he would win.
It wasn't just about how well William prepared, Harold also had weaknesses that contributed to William’s victory at Hastings. One of Harold’s issues was that his troops were only infantry and only had one tactical manoeuvre: the shield wall. The shield wall was a very good defensive strategy but did not give a lot of room for offence. It was overused and could be compensated for after being able to find a weakness.
battle! William had split his army into three groups, archers, infantry and cavalry, giving him a massive advantage against the English. William had a vast army of seven thousand troops and seven hundred ships, all highly trained with their designated weapons. William had also advanced in weapon technology over the English. Crossbows were one of the advancements made as they were easier and more reliable than traditional bows and arrows. He also had mounted cavalry (knights on horses) which the English did not know existed until the battle of Hastings. During the battle a rumour spread that William had been killed, William had noticed that his troops were retreating so he took off his helmet and rode amongst his men, this I found a real sign of leadership. William carried the Papal Banner into battle after Harold had defied an oath to god. William had revised on battle tactics, such as the feigned retreat, which he used to break the English Shield wall. William was a brave and fearsome leader, at one point in the battle, he pushed his men up a steep hill to fight the English. William had promised land to those who supported him in Hastings, as he was so confident that he would win.
It wasn't just about how well William prepared, Harold also had weaknesses that contributed to William’s victory at Hastings. One of Harold’s issues was that his troops were only infantry and only had one tactical manoeuvre: the shield wall. The shield wall was a very good defensive strategy but did not give a lot of room for offence. It was overused and could be compensated for after being able to find a weakness.