Celtic Heroes

If you were a teacher what would you give this? I am 12 years of age, and am trying to reach the highest English national curriculum level possible. Here it is:H/W
10/2/14 History: To what extent did William win the Battle of Hastings because of Harold’s mistake?
The Battle of Hastings was a turning point in English history; from a Saxon kingdom, ruled by King Harold, to a Norman province. Without the Normans invading, much of our modern would never have existed. We all know that William of Normandy (the Conqueror) captured England, but how? What factors caused William to win? Read on, to find out more...

The battle of Hastings was won by William, due to many reasons. One of which, was the fact that King Harold’s army was weak due to the long, bloody battle at Stamford bridge, against The Norse King Hardrada. On top of that, the Army had to do the long 187 mile trek to the battle, carrying chainmail and shields alike. After the tiresome battle, Harold’s men had to march back to the south coast to face an even more dangerous threat: William of Normandy.

Towards the end of the battle, the Normans retreated, and galloped away. Harold, who was overconfident because of his victory of Hardrada, let his men break ranks and charge down the hill after the (seemingly) fleeing Normans. This was good for the Normans, as it allowed their archers, to shoot at Harold and his bodyguard, killing The Saxon king at a crucial time in the combat. The death of Harold was essential as without a leader, to men would waver, and lose morale. The English were defenceless, with no shield wall, the remainder of the English were mauled by the knights who, the second the English broke ranks and followed, turned around, and mauled the Saxons.
As the Normans had superior training and men, they could strike the second the shield wall broke and when it did, the Norman archers, shot the uncovered Saxons. As Harold has no archers, the Normans were safe from return fire. The Normans plan to break the shield wall worked like a dream; this is because they had knights, without them, they wouldn't be able to gallop away from the pursuing Saxons, wheel around and kill them. If the Saxons had horses, or the Normans didn’t, William’s plan would not have succeeded, as the Saxons, who had the momentum of running down a steep hill, would have caught up.

William had another secret weapon, the Pope’s support. He had the Pope’s banner and ring, which spread an aura of good morale throughout the French side. The English however, would have been fearful, for even if they won the battle, they might be punished by God.

Although Harold make mistakes, he was unlucky, who knew William would land right after he took on the Vikings? The Normans struck before Harold had to rest, this led to a tired army, and Harold may not have had a clear head, tired after the long 187 mile march.
Overall, I think that it William won, mainly due to Harold’s mistakes. However, it wasn’t all Harold’s fault the Normans triumphed over him; he was unlucky, as he wasn’t able to rest. It was Harold’s mistake to over-confidently let his men break ranks and chase after the Normans, which ultimately cost him his life.

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Well i think that it is pretty well written. I have heard a different version of that story but if thats what your history book teaches then maybe im wrong. Good luck!

I was going to read this but better things like taking a unfathomable seemed cool

To me if you want to impress other teachers try bigger words and I would rate that a 8 out of 10

Also make sure your grammar is correct.

If you can use a thesaurus, use it.

Hi Deathbytray,

The Battle of Hastings was actually my chosen subject for A-level history. That's going back some time, but from what I remember, here are my thoughts:

- The Norman cavalry was a key factor, as you identified. Using cavalry in battle (as opposed to purely as a mode of transport to the battle) was not really a part of Saxon warfare, and they struggled to deal with the mobility, and thus flexibility, that it provided.
- The other issue, which you also bring up, was the collapse of the Saxon shieldwall. The Saxon army was a very effective defensive force that basically turtled up on top of a hill. If they'd stayed like that, they would probably have been impossible for the Norman army to shift.
- Don't forget the saying about 'history being written by the victors'. While it's certainly possible that the Norman cavalry fleeing and the Saxons pursuing was all part of William's plan, and while Harold may have been shot in the eye, and that may have caused the collapse of the Saxon army, those events also tie neatly into how the Normans - as victors - would like the battle to be remembered. It's even depicted on the Bayeaux Tapestry!

A good essay that I hope gets a high mark - best of luck!