William 's later chroniclers claim (after the fact) that Edward the Confessor offered William the crown and sent Harold to pledge it to him in the Winter of 1064/5. In fact, reading between the lines we can see that Harold was shipwrecked in Normandy whilst trying to visit France, and took advantage of the situation by trying to secure the release of his brother & nephew who were held as hostages in…
When the two armies finally met at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Harold proves to be victorious. This was thought to be a huge victory and a defining moment for England until Harold discovers some interesting news. As Harold and his men were just enjoying a huge victory in battle, they learn of Duke William and his army coming in on the southern coast of England. This was important because right after a critical battle in the northern part of England, Harold must now navigate his troops back down to the southern coast in a desperate attempt to defend…
Months had gone by after volunteering to go to war with the English Saxons. Us soldiers have been working hard in the preparations of the ships we are going to use to sail across the Channel. Each day, more and more soldiers arrive to help in the preparations of this battle. Duke William has separated the men into groups to help the process of building the ships, the weapons and gathering the supplies needed in this battle. The smell of fresh wood being cut and the sounds of the ships being put together makes me more anxious to go to battle. The days seem to becoming warmer and longer and the ships are almost done being built. Finally, the day had come, Duke William had announced that the Norman soldiers were going to move out. We set sail on a hot day in July with Mora, the head ship ahead of the fleet. She was a beauty to look at, she was given a carved dragon figurehead on the prow, and a trumpeter sounding signal at its stern (BBC, 2011). The fleet, consisting of almost 700 ships, moved north to Dives before we crossed the Channel. Duke William was waiting for the news of King Harold's…
William did not know it yet, but by allowing this to happen he had already lost the battle before it began. All William had to do was put more guards…
Another reason Richard lost was because of the support Henry had from the King of France. In 1485, the King of France wanted to distract Richard from invading France, so he gave Henry an army to invade England. When Henry landed in Wales with these extra men, many people joined him on his march through Wales to Bosworth, increasing the size of his army greatly.…
4. William increased the royal power in England by Granting fiefs to the church and barons, keeping large amounts of land for himself, monitoring who and where castles were built, and requiring every vassal to swear first allegiance to him.…
After William was free he wanted to become a priest, but instead he joined the Union Army because they were trying to…
He lost the battle of Hastings because he was not as prepared as William. William had the idea of building a wall of shields and Harold just wasn't as prepared also Harold’s men had just fought a battle before and was rushing in to fight another. Some of Harold’s men were killed and…
William was well prepared for the battle because he had more men as well as having more time to prepare. Also, King Harold did not have time to prepare properly for the battle because he had to fight Harold Hadraada and his brother Tostig at Stamford Bridge. Harold had to march his men south fast, exhausting his army.…
I was just writing you to let you know that we will be able to come home soon because the Battle of Hastings is over and the enemy is retreating. The battle was called the Battle of Hasting because it was fought in Hastings, England. As a Norman soldier the Battle of Hastings was one of the most successful and memorable battles that I ever participated in. Duke William has always had a reputation of being a success on the battle field, but this victory has branded him as a victorious military leader. Harold the king of England at the time of the battle had murdered his brother and his kingship was disputed. As we all know the throne should have been Williams Duke of Normandy but that Harold cheated his way into it. Duke William had prepared for a battle with Harold months in advanced. The whole dispute started after the death of King Edward. King Edward died on January 5, 1066 and he didn’t have an official heir to his throne. The day after King Edwards death, Harold self-proclaimed himself the king of England illegally and took the throne as Harold the second. Once Duke William heard this new it outraged him and he began gathering his army and went to seek the approval of the pope to become England’s new king.…
Amazingly, after becoming Duke of Normandy at very young age of eight, William grew to become know as William the Conqueror because of his learned ability to battle and take whatever he set his mind to. Being one of the most influential men in history, William left a legacy that would forever affect the English…
Many still believed James the II was the rightful king and before this time it was unheard of for Parliament to make someone king, usually the king was seen as a holy figure, whose rule was chosen by God and as such only God could take that power away. William claimed he would let his army bring no harm upon the English citizens and that they were only there to insure a free and fair parliament ruled. William…
Thanks to the friendly winds which guided us across the channel, we arrive unopposed on English shores. Defenses are built and fortified as the men, motivated by my words feast on food and wine as we await the moment of truth. We have the advantage over the enemy, for the horses we ride provide us strength and quickness. We are truly blessed that the English have turned back Harald Hadrada and the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge. Now there is one less opponent to fight for my crown. Though battle tested and weary, Harold of Wessex will not easily relinquish what is rightfully mine. Remember, it is Harold who swore allegiance to me after I freed him from Count Guy of Ponthieu. I gave him arms and armor as he swore the sacred oath upon saintly relics. That oath, a pledge to support my claim to the English throne was broken (New World Encyclopedia, 2009).…
Another reason why he got involved with William was because the borders between England and Wales were an issue. The borders between the two countries kept shifting which led to disputes between the Welsh and the English over the land. This would have created tension and William would have had to intervene. This is why he built castles along the border so he could establish the line between his country and Wales. Also, why he wanted this line to be established was because Wales was having a power struggle itself. Because there were multiple princes in Wales there were many disputes going on and William did not want this ‘spilling over’ into his country.…
Edward , over two years, had increased the number of Normans who advised him at court. This angered the Witan which consisted of most important noblemen in England. Earl Godwin returned to England with an army, commanded by his two…