On this hillside on Saturday 14th of October 1066 a single battle between a few thousand men permanently changed the course of history in England and beyond. It was said to have taken place at the Grey Apple Tree. Nowadays the site is simply known as Battle. ibid.
Two early accounts of the battle say that an arrow struck the King in the eye. The King was dead. And a world was coming to an end. ibid.
The future belonged to the Normans. ibid.
William the Conqueror established the Normans as a formidable force in history. He dominated Normandy for fifty-two years. But his greatest achievement was the conquest of England in 1066. The years that followed saw one of the most fundamental transformations in British history. Professor Robert Bartlett, The Normans II
The coronation of William the Conqueror marks one of the sharpest breaks there has ever been in English history. Anglo-Saxon England was dead. ibid.
This was a complete militarisation of England. ibid.
This systematic slaughter and destruction is known as the Harrying of the North. ibid.
Alongside hundreds of castles they built abbeys and cathedrals on a scale never seen before in England. ibid.
The monks attempted to force William’s corpse into the space. According to Audrick his swollen belly burst and an intolerable stench filled the noses of the crowd. ibid.
Savagery and piety. Conquest and colonisation. The Normans used every weapon in their armoury to re-shape Norman France and the British Isles. They were powerful rulers and state builders. And their legacy can be seen all around us. Professor Robert Bartlett, The Normans III: Normans of the South
In 1099 an international force of 10,000 soldiers stormed through the streets of Jerusalem. This would be the most divisive part of the Norman inheritance: the first Crusade. Among the leaders were Norman knights, including the son of William the Conqueror. As the Crusaders tore through the Holy City they cut down thousands of Muslims. According to one chronicler the slaughter was so great men waded in blood up to their ankles. ibid.
But what the Normans were really hungry for was territory and the fertile plains of southern Italy must have presented a tempting site. Southern Italy was a promised land ripe for the picking. ibid.
Muslim Sicily was a difficult island to conquer. ibid.
On their way to Jerusalem the Crusaders arrived at the capital of the Byzantine Empire – Constantinople was one of the greatest cities of the medieval world. ibid.
Bohemond established a new Norman state – the principality of Antioch. ibid.
On the night of 10th July 1099 the Crusaders attacked in force from both north and south using battering rams and siege towers. For two days the conflict hung in the balance. Then the Crusaders broke into the city. Tancred was amongst the leaders. Pillage and massacre followed. The Crusaders rampaged through the city seizing gold and silver as they went. The slaughter of the Muslims was savage. Chroniclers record that thousands were killed. ibid.
The Normans had taken part in a slaughter that would never be forgiven. ibid.
For three hundred years the Normans were among the most dynamic forces in Europe. They colonised countries and created new states and kingdoms. They became patrons of art and learning. And they transformed the landscape with magnificent castles and cathedrals. But the age of the Normans wouldn’t last for ever. In England the Norman dynasty founded by Norman the Conqueror gave way to the Plantagenets. ibid.
A thousand years ago on this patch of land in England two great armies clashed. Over 15,000 soldiers from England and France fought a bloody struggle over one of the greatest prizes in Europe: the throne of England. The battle lasted only one day, but it was to change the face of Britain for ever … A fight to the death between Harold the Saxon and William the Norman, and it led to a cultural revolution in Britain. Peter and Dan Snow, Battlefield Britain: Hastings, BBC 2004
Together with his brothers, Harold ran most of the country. He wasn’t just a politician, he was also a warrior … Harold thought he was the obvious successor to the throne of England. ibid.
William was outraged: he saw Harold’s coronation as a declaration of war. He decided to invade. ibid.
Horses were at the heart of the Norman battle plan ... William’s 2,000 mounted knights gave him an awesome fighting machine. ibid.
Late afternoon, Saturday 14th October, the year is 1066 and this is the Battle of Hastings. A vast Norman battle-force is bent on the destruction of Anglo-Saxon England. But 1066 was about far more than just one battle. This is the story of three kings, three battles and three invasions. Dan Snow, 1066: A Year to Conquer England I, BBC 2017
Three warriors all lusting for Edward’s Crown and the English throne. ibid.
Harold was well placed and had support … He had no direct blood link with the Crown. ibid.
April 1066: 12 weeks since Harold Godwinson was crowned King of England. Already two powerful warlords are planning to rip the crown from his head. Dan Snow, 1066: A Year to Conquer England II
Tostig is too angry to wait for his new allies; he decides to go it alone. Two weeks later and England is under attack: Friday 5th May 1066 … Landing unopposed, Tostig ran riot on the Isle of Wight. ibid.
York: the ancient Viking capital of England. For Hardrada his first target and a base from which he could conquer the whole country. ibid.
Now, William’s cavalry has the freedom to wreak terror. While on the ground vicious weapons are inflicting terrible carnage on both sides. Dan Snow, 1066: A Year to Conquer England III
William’s coronation was far from the end of of his fight for control of England. ibid.
The Norman Conquest was a defining, arguably the defining event, in English history … It’s left its mark on us right up to the present. Monarchy by David Starkey s1e3: Conquest, Channel 4 2007
The Norman army sliced through southern England … Submit or die. Within weeks William’s victory was complete. ibid.
He [William] marched his army to York, drove off the Danes and then perpetrated the most infamous event of his reign: the harrying of the north. ibid.
William’s violent rule also left a stench in the nostrils of his people. ibid.
William Rufus was a highly competent king … but he added nothing more. ibid.
If any women could pull off that challenge it was Matilda. ibid.
Within a year or two he [Stephen] had lost control of the barons. ibid.
Matilda v Stephen: Norman England’s first civil war was about to begin. ibid.