The Battle of Hastings is probably the best-known and perhaps the most significant battle in English history. Its effects were deeply felt at the time, causing a lasting shift in cultural identity and national pride. Jim Bradbury explores the full military background to the battle and investigates both the sources for our knowledge of what actually happened in 1066 and the role that the battle plays in national myth. The Battle of Hastings starts by looking at the Normans - who they were, where they came from - and the career of William before 1066. Next, Jim Bradbury turns to the Saxons in England, and to Harold Godwineson, successor to Edward the Confessor, and his attempts to create unity in the divided kingdom. The core of the book is a move-by-move reconstruction of the battle, including the advance planning, the site, the composition of the two armies and the use of archers, feigned fights and the death of Harold. This is a book that anyone interested in England's most famous battle will find indispensable.
Chapter 1. Anglo-Saxon England: Alfred to the Confessor
Chapter 2. The Reign of Edward the Confessor
Chapter 3. Normandy before 1066
Chapter 6. The Sources for the Battle