Battle Story: Hastings 1066

The battle in which the destruction of the shield wall changed Western Europe forever In 1066 a foreign invader won the throne of England in a single battle and changed not only the history of the British Isles but of Christendom, for ever. Harold Godwinson's army, exhausted from their victory against an invading Norwegian Viking army at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in the north, and his navy, scattered by storms, could not hold back William of Normandy. But would the invasion have succeeded if the two armies had met on equal terms? Author and ex-Captain in the Royal Anglian Regiment Jonathan Trigg brings a soldier's eye to the story to explain the precise circumstances of the conflict and the reasons for the outcome. The Battle of Hastings is in fact a tactical lesson in the use of all arms: Harold's forces consisted entirely of infantry. William had the best cavalry in Europe, perhaps the world, heavily armored and armed with lance and shield. He also had crossbowmen, never before seen in England.