What caused the Battle of Hastings to happen?

Answer 1

Edward the Confessor did not have any children to one day become future kings, so three people fought for the throne:

William the Conqueror

Harald Hardrada

Harold Godwinson

Before Edward died he promised William, who was from Normandy, he would be king, however the English people wanted Harold Godwinson as their future king. Harald Hadrada was from Norway, and the throne was rightfully his because of his ancestors.

Harold did not know what to do; protect England from the Vikings (Harald) in the north, or from the Normans (William) from the south. Harold fought the vikings in the Battle of Stanford Bridge and was victorious. Harald was shot in the eye with an arow and died in the battle.

Meanwhile, the Normans marched into England from the south. Harold led his tired army to repell the attackers. Harold fought William in the Battle of Hastings, probably the most important battle in Medieval history. William was victorious and became king of England. It started beacause three people got angry with eachother:)

Answer 2

Hastings, battle of (1066). Fought on 14 October 1066, between the forces of William 'the Conqueror', Duke of Normandy and King Harold (Godwinson) II of England, Hastings was one of the most decisive battles in the history of Western Europe. William had a claim to the English throne and Harold expected him to invade, but William fortuitously landed on the Sussex coast when Harold was preoccupied with an invasion in the north. On hearing of William's arrival, Harold immediately began a forced march south from York, refusing to wait in London for reinforcements, and arriving in the vicinity of Hastings on the night of 13 October. Less than three weeks earlier, at Stamford Bridge, he had defeated the army of Norwegian King Haraldr Har

Answer 3

The Battle of Hastings started when Edward the Confessor died and there was no one to pass the throne onto, immediately everyone jumped to the chance of becoming king. Edward the Confessor had promised William the throne however everyone in England wanted Harold Godwinson but the throne was rightfully Haralds because of his ancestors. However, the Witan chose Harold Godwineson to be the king. The other two contenders were certainly not happy about this, so William and the Normans were determined to fight with King Harold for the throne.

Answer 4

It first started back to when King Edward I reigned and William of Normandy visited the king. The king told William in private that should he die, William were to become King. Meanwhile, a man named Godwin came back from exile and reclaimed his rights as Earl, but he died shortly after while feasting. His son, Harold succeeded him and his brothers eventually became Earls as well.

In 1063, Harold became shipwrecked on the Norman coast, and sought the help of the Normans. He was then taken to the Duke of Normandy, William. William forced Harold to help him with his plan to take the throne once Edward passed away.

Nothing happened for three years, when Harold's brother Tostig was exiled. The old king Edward, loved Tostig and soon fell ill and died. Harold was announced King in 1066.

Once William heard of this, he told Harold to keep his oath and give him the crown, but Harold refused. So, William gathered a fleet of ships and an army and sailed on their way to England.

In October of 1066, William and Harold's army met in a town close to Hastings, called Senlac, and started what is now known as the Battle of Hastings.

Harold lost and died in battle as result from an arrow through his eye. William was crowned in Westminster Abbey, December 25th, 1066 and became known as both William the I and William the Conquerer.

Answer 5

The battle of Hastings happened because it all started off when King Edward died however he had no sons to rule the country. There is great confusion over who wants to be the next king. It was between King Harold the most powerful man in England or William King Edwards friend from Normandy.

However King Harold gets crowned in Westminster Abbey. Across the English Channel, William is not surprised that Harold is king but he is angry.H e says the English crown is promised to him by King Edward. So he ordered his army to go to invade England and fight Harold.

In Norway there is yet another person who wants to become king, Harold Hardrada his reason for being King was that his ancestors were king so he should be king so consequently he went over to England to battle also.

King Harold knew an invasion would come so he sent his earls Edwin and Morcar to raise and army to defend the North against the Norwegians. Harold himself raises an army to defend the south.

Harold's army waited all summer however nothing happened so consequently his amry had to start leaving as they were running out of food supplies and they needed help back on the farms.

Williams army is ready also however he cant land in England because the wind is against him.

Five hundred Norwegian ships land in the North of England. On the 20th of September the Norwegians beat the English in the Battle of Fulford.

A messenger races to Yorkshire to give news to the King Harold. He immediately sets off to the north and takes the Norwegians by surprise and defeats them at the battle of Stamford Bridge.

Later the Normans land but Harolds army are still recovering. Then Harold sets of with his army to the south again to battle the Normans.

14th October The Battle of Hastings the Normans face the English on a hillside near Hastings. The battle lasted all day however the battle finished when King Harold died.

On Christmas Day William marches on London where the surviving English earls accept him as King. He is then crowned King of England.

Answer 6

Hastings, battle of (1066). Fought on 14 October 1066, between the forces of William 'the Conqueror', Duke of Normandy and King Harold (Godwinson) II of England, Hastings was one of the most decisive battles in the history of western Europe. William had a claim to the English throne and Harold expected him to invade, but William fortuitously landed on the Sussex coast when Harold was preoccupied with an invasion in the north. On hearing of William's arrival, Harold immediately began a forced march south from York, refusing to wait in London for reinforcements, and arriving in the vicinity of Hastings on the night of 13 October. Less than three weeks earlier, at Stamford Bridge, he had defeated the army of Norwegian King Haraldr Harðraða, which he had caught completely by surprise. Now he hoped to repeat this successful strategy against William, but the latter was forewarned by his scouts and attacked Harold's force before a third of it was drawn up, forcing him into a strong but confined defensive position on Senlac ridge. Harold, moreover, had lost some of his best men in the earlier battles of Fulford Gate and Stamford Bridge on 20 and 25 September.

The Norman archers, supported by heavy infantry, began the battle, but made little headway against the close infantry formations of the Anglo-Saxons, so densely arrayed, noted Duke William's biographer William of Poitiers, that the dead could not even fall. Assaults by the Norman cavalry initially fared little better, and the well-equipped housecarls did terrible execution with their great two-handed axes. William's left, comprised of Bretons, broke in panic amidst rumours that the duke was slain, and William narrowly avoided catastrophe by rallying his fleeing men and removing his helmet to show he was still alive. Launching a counter-attack, the Normans cut down those Saxons who had broken ranks in pursuit, and, exploiting the efficacy of this manoeuvre, they executed several 'feigned flights' with considerable success. Renewed assaults by Norman archers and knights gradually thinned the remaining English formation, which lacked sufficient archers to neutralize the Norman missilemen. Harold's death effectively ended the battle; wounded first in the eye by an arrow, he was then cut down by Norman knights.

Hastings was by no means the inevitable triumph of feudal heavy cavalry over 'outmoded' Germanic infantry; the battle raged from dawn to dusk, the Normans came close to complete disaster, and it was chance alone that Harold, not William, was slain. Contemporaries regarded the battle as so closely fought that only divine intervention could explain William's eventual victory.

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Answer 7

Because three people both wanted the crown and claimed they were told they could have it. One of them became king which resolved in the other two attacking ( Battle of stamford bridge- King Harald Hadrada and King Harold Godwinson. Was the first attack) And then William the Conqueror fought King Harold Godwinson,Hastings hence the name. William won and therefore became king!

Answer 8

because King Edward died and they couldn't decide who would be king

Answer 9

the battle of hastings