Battle of Hastings. Animated film.

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 mi (11 km) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.

The background to the battle was the death of the childless King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, which set up a succession struggle between several claimants to his throne. Harold was crowned king shortly after Edward's death, but faced invasions by William, his own brother Tostig, and the Norwegian King Harald Hardrada (Harold III of Norway). Hardrada and Tostig defeated a hastily gathered army of Englishmen at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September 1066, and were in turn defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge five days later. The deaths of Tostig and Hardrada at Stamford Bridge left William as Harold's only serious opponent. While Harold and his forces were recovering, William landed his invasion forces in the south of England at Pevensey on 28 September 1066 and established a beachhead for his conquest of the kingdom. Harold was forced to march south swiftly, gathering forces as he went.

The exact numbers present at the battle are unknown as even modern estimates vary considerably. The composition of the forces is clearer: the English army was composed almost entirely of infantry and had few archers, whereas only about half of the invading force was infantry, the rest split equally between cavalry and archers. Harold appears to have tried to surprise William, but scouts found his army and reported its arrival to William, who marched from Hastings to the battlefield to confront Harold. The battle lasted from about 9 am to dusk. Early efforts of the invaders to break the English battle lines had little effect. Therefore, the Normans adopted the tactic of pretending to flee in panic and then turning on their pursuers. Harold's death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army. After further marching and some skirmishes, William was crowned as king on Christmas Day 1066.

There continued to be rebellions and resistance to William's rule, but Hastings effectively marked the culmination of William's conquest of England. Casualty figures are hard to come by, but some historians estimate that 2,000 invaders died along with about twice that number of Englishmen. William founded a monastery at the site of the battle, the high altar of the abbey church supposedly placed at the spot where Harold died.

[thatguy-uzvq]

I will give Harold one thing, he had just defeated Vikings in the north of England and managed to get down to the south for the Normans in a matter of days. Put up a good fight and even had a high chance of winning. Respect.

[Anvilarm]

Note to self, when you are happy up on top of a hill, stay there. Interesting no one tried a flank maneuver.

[patrickkealy]

A battle that Harold had well in hand until his right flank broke rank and chased the Norman attack back down the hill. That huge mistake opened up a gap that William took full advantage of and eventually allowed him to defeat the Saxon army

[parinatorgaming]

I said it before and ill say it again. Please make many more of these; you have done such a great job so far.

[jakegreen]

it is rare that a video grabs my full undivided attention anymore. you have done it. this is amazing friend and i am glad to see a new flavor in the historical content community. hats off to you.

[Rrd]

It always strikes me how this period was tactically so backward compared to the classical era. In Roman times, leaders like Hannibal or Caesar were constantly trying to outsmart the enemy using surroundings. In medieval battles like Hastings, the tactics were reduced to 'run headlong into the enemy and try not to die, even if the enemy has the high ground.'

[agnostic]

The Normans had "previously used this tactic at the battle of Castle (Castille?) in 1071". So they previously used a tactic 5 years later? Hmmm.

[Cromwells_Wart]

One thing that people don't appreciate about history, mainly those who show little interest in the subject is the little details and the fine margins of historic turning points such as this.

Had Harold's flank not given way to temptation, or if Harald Hardrada had postponed or mistimed his own invasion, this country wouldve been a whole lot different. From castles and cathedrals, from place names to surnames, from the English language to our legal system, it is fascinating to think what might have been.

[pmurnion]

The description of one battle is fascinating. But the really interesting thing is how easily England fell to the Norman's. 200 years earlier the Vikings defeated English armies numerous times but every time the English rallied and came back. In 1066 one battle ended 700 years of Anglo Saxon England.

[robinsteeden]

"The Normans had previously used this tactic at the battle of Cassel in 1071". Wait, wouldn't that be five years after Hastings?

[steretsjaaj]

Awesome animation. This is a proper thing, not boring Total War vidoes which we've seen million times already..

Hope we get to see more historical battle tactis such as this in future.

Keep up the good job

[manfrombritain]

the thing i find most interesting about Hastings is how much chance was involved. William's invasion was very delayed due to weather preventing the crossing - if he had arrived when he intended, it might be that Harold's army would have been fresher and bigger and won the battle. If Harold had delayed a day or 2 on his march south after defeating the vikings, he may have won that way as well. i mean William even got lucky with the Saxons breaking rank to chase his cavalry who i assume were disordered, not deliberately making a ruse

next time your plans get hindered by something, think of William. that weather delay led to his success - he just kept on the course of action he had decided upon

[willo]

Really awesome channel! There are so many battles that I’d like to see in this format. Cannae, Agincourt, Marathon, etc.

[dieglhix]

I just came across with this important piece of history couple of nights ago... My respects to King Harold... from Chile

[MaryAmesMitchell]

Thank you. William the Conqueror and several of his "companions" are my ancestors. So this was really fun to see after reading so many text accounts,

[ronduptor]

Let it be known I was here before this blew up.
Having such greatly detailed visual could be the gimmick that would spread historical battle to a larger audience, and you do it well.
Great narration, accurate but clear and readable visuals.
I would maybe recommend 2 things : a bit less "epic" music, or more ominous/calm. That could suit this experience better, and make your commentary clearer.
And maybe some visuals aid when describing the forces : numbers of infantery/cavalry etc, visuals clue for terrain features or important characters etc.
Awesome work tho, loving every second !

[rkuzmic]

Please keep making these. This is becoming one of my favorite channels.

[toothpick]

A few years ago, I travelled to England to see the site of the battle a party of American tourists were there complaining that there was nothing to see only fields... I was just shaking my head.

[johnwright]

It is likely that the Fyrd at this battle were not the same as had fought at Stamford Bridge. Harold was impetuous in rushing from London to the South Coast without waiting even a few days to gather more Husscarls, but that's history.

[milanstojanovic]

Please do battles from Scotish wars for independence.. Great job with this, love it..