Battle of Hastings - Part 1

Thousands of soldiers died in the longest battle of medieval history, fought near Hastings, in 1066.  Why did it take place?

King Harold II (of Britain) - who stood 6'2" and was well-liked by his countrymen - had been rescued two years earlier by William, Duke of Normandy.  It was that rescue which led to later trouble between the two men and their soldiers.

At the end of the fighting, William (now known as "The Conqueror") won.  King Harold, dead in battle, was thus replaced by a Norman who ascended the English throne.

How did that happen?

For more videos on this topic, see also:

Battle of Hastings, Part 2

Battle of Hastings, Part 3

Battle of Hastings, Part 4

Battle of Hastings, Part 5

Credits

Clip from the series Battlefied Detectives (Season 1), episode "Who Got Lucky at Hastings?" 

Originally aired on the History Channel, 4 October 2003 – 19 November 2006.

Clip online, courtesy YouTube.