This battle lasted just one day—but forever changed England

It’s rare that a single event transforms a nation’s entire identity, but that’s what happened with the Battle of Hastings in 1066. At the end of this bloody, one-day battle, Anglo-Saxon England became Norman, a fact that would overhaul English nobility law, the church, and architecture. Even the English language was affected, as French and Latin were woven into its fabric. Here’s how it all unfurled.

The setting

At that time, there were many close ties between England and Normandy, a powerful dukedom just across the English Channel. Normandy had been settled by Vikings, and its dukes ruled virtually independent of the French crown. Anglo-Saxon kings had headed England since the fifth century, at the end of Roman Britain. Priests, nobles, and traders from both sides often traveled back and forth across the Channel. Anglo-Saxon and Norman nobles often were related.

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The problem

When Edward the Confessor, king of England, died in early 1066, the Normans claimed the childless Edward had promised his cousin, the Norman duke William, to be his heir.

There was another claim to the throne from Harold Godwinson, a powerful Anglo-Danish nobleman and an able general who had been Edward’s right-hand man. He was also the dead king’s brother-in-law. But even this claim was complicated because in 1064, Harold’s ship had blown ashore in Norman territory and he fell into William’s custody. According to Norman accounts, Harold swore an oath to uphold William’s claim to the English throne and thereby was returned safely to England. The Normans believed the kingship was William’s.

But upon Edward’s death, the witan—the council of Anglo-Saxon leaders—named Harold as the rightful king. William, to say the least, was furious. He immediately planned an invasion of England to claim his kingship. He gathered 400 ships and 7,000 soldiers, including archers and mounted warriors. After a several-week weather delay, they set off.

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Harold’s diversion

Harold knew William was coming and assembled an army of some 3,000 or so housecarls, elite guards equipped with two-handed battle-axes, and about 4,000 others, mostly part-time soldiers provided by his lords.

But with William’s troops making their way across the Channel, Harold faced a new threat. His brother and bitter enemy Tostig had joined forces with Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, to invade the north of England. Harold was forced to march his soldiers at speed to York to meet the invad­ers. The Norsemen attackers fought fiercely. At one point, a single Viking held off the English advance; he reputedly killed 40 English soldiers defending Stamford Bridge until one of Harold’s men floated under the bridge and stabbed him through a chink in the planks.

At last, Harold defeated the opposing forces, and he and his troops rushed south to fend off William.

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The Battle of Hastings

On September 28, 1066, William landed at Pevensey, on England’s southeast coast. He seized the town, then marched to Hastings.

When he learned of William’s arrival, Harold and his tired troops marched south. When they reached Hastings on October 13, they formed a shield wall on the hill of Senlac. At dawn the next day, before Harold could organize his troops, William attacked with both cavalry and infantry. Norman archers showered the English with arrows; the mighty English shield wall held them back. William’s cavalry then charged up the hill, but again could not break through the defensive line.

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Finally, William ordered his troops to pretend to retreat. Harold’s troops charged after them, losing their defensive position. Heavy casualties included Harold, who apparently was shot through the eye with an arrow. With the news of his death, most of the remaining English soldiers fled. By the end of the day, the Nor­mans had won the field.

William faced little opposition after Hastings. On Christmas Day 1066, he was crowned William I of England in Westminster Abbey, ending England’s Anglo-Saxon phase of history. The Norman Conquest was in full swing.

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Long-lasting impacts

The Norman Conquest, which created a united England and Normandy under a single ruler for 88 years—a succession of four Norman kings—had many deep-rooted effects.

William introduced feudalism to England, a medieval system that provided his closest supporters and trusted advisors—including the clergy, lords, and barons—with land in exchange for military support. The famous Domesday Book, Britain’s earliest public record charting the impact of this enormous program, reveals that just five percent of wealth remained with English nobles, as a Norman aristocracy replaced the old English aristocracy. Even now, many landed families trace their roots to Norman ancestors. With the power and wealth being held in the hands of a few Norman families, the government become more centralized.

As William put French-speaking Normans in nearly all positions of power throughout the country, the English language virtually disappeared. English didn’t reappear until

the 14th-century reign of Edward III—and in legal reporting until the 17th century. Nevertheless, French and Latin words worked their way into the English language still used today; the words “judge,” “jury,” and “evidence” are examples.

The Normans also introduced the Romanesque style of architecture, inspired by the Romans, in an attempt to create a mighty empire. Among their massive buildings, using rounded arches and massive cylindrical pillars, were between 500 and 1,000 castles, virtually nonexistent in pre-Conquest England and a vital element in the Norman’s efforts to maintain control. Striking buildings enduring to this day include cathedrals (Durham and Winchester), abbeys (St. John’s in Colchester), castles (Rochester, Norwich, Colchester), and fortifications (Tower of London’s White Tower).

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End of an era

After William died in 1087, his children disagreed on how the kingdom should be divided. One son, Henry I, managed to secure all the power and keep the kingdom united. He named his son, William Adelin, his official heir. Then, William’s boat sank in 1120 and the prince died. William named his daughter, Matilda, as his successor, an unpopular decision. Henry I died in 1135, setting off a succession crisis as his nephew, Stephen of Blois, seized the throne and named himself king. Matilda fought back, and law and order broke down in England, a time referred to as the “period of anarchy.”

In the end, a new English monarch was installed in 1154, King Henry II, officially marking the end of Norman rule.