Tuesday 19 January 2016

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR Battle of Hastings 1066

Nearly 1000 years later this is still seen as one of the most important events in English/British history - although the huge Bayeaux Tapestry, which kept a record of the events, perhaps helps to explain that!

There are many great resources online to help you investigate this event.

KEY BATTLES + EVENTS BEFORE + AFTER HASTINGS



YOUR NEWS REPORT WOULD FEATURE...
THE MAJOR PLAYERS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT FOLK:

  • Harold Godwinson - the home team?! Maybe some of his fyrd or housecarls?
  • Harald Hardrada - the naughty nautical Norwegian who swiftly seized York. 
  • Hardrada defeated Edwin the Earl of Mercia and Morcar the Earl of Northumbria
  • William the Conqueror (as he became) - genius or very lucky man?
  • Edward the Confessor - the man who caused all this mess?
There might be a weather forecast; the winds across the English Channel were very important.
A military strategist to comment on the tactics and weapons used (archers v axemen; shields v calvary and knights...) and why the high ground failed to work.
Did Harold make a mistake by joining his army?
What logistics issues were there for each army?
Who had the best claim for the throne?



I'll start with 3 videos:

VIDEO 1; AUSTRALIAN TEACHER'S ANIMATED GUIDE (11:29)
Designed for his primary students, but still a good, quite detailed overview. (skip 0-0:23)


VIDEO 2: HORRIBLE HISTORIES (4:48)
This might give the impression that William was lucky to win ... and luck did play a huge part in this! The video doesn't cover this, but William didn't set sail until a huge storm, which would prove a key factor in the outcome of the battle...


VIDEO 3: BBC DOCUMENTARY (7:26)
Yes, its less fun, but it features recreations and provides a useful overview.


WEBSITES

battle1066.com - not so well presented, but you can find guides to specific aspects of the history - the screenshot below shows how some of this is laid out

The Wiki

BBC Game!
You can choose to play as either Harold or William.
Avoid bad decisions...

BBC Detailed Guide
Lots of useful information!!!