James Baquet

The most famous year in English history is “1066.” On Oct. 14 of that year, William, Duke of Normandy — usually called William the Conqueror, but sometimes William the Bastard — led around 10,000 men against the 7,000 or so of Harold II of England.

Harold was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, and had reigned only since January. When his predecessor, King Edward the Confessor, died without issue, Harold was crowned almost immediately. But his throne was not secure. Aside from the challenge by William, he had to contend with King Harald Hardrada of Norway in league with the English Harold’s own brother Tostig, whom Harold had previously exiled for rebellion.

William’s claim was based on this: when he was a boy, Edward the Confessor’s family had escaped Viking raids in England by fleeing to Normandy. Once he became king, Edward depended heavily on his Norman allies to serve as courtiers, soldiers, and clerics. They became powerful, especially in the church, bolstering William’s claim that Edward had promised him the throne upon his death.

While Harald of Norway and Tostig were at first successful, Harold defeated them on Sept. 25, killing them both. But William landed on Sept. 28, while Harold was recovering from that battle. Harold marched south, attempting to surprise William. But Norman scouts spotted his force, and the armies clashed from 9 a.m. until dusk.

William used a rather clever, if underhanded, tactic. Unable to break through the English lines, William’s troops pretended to panic and run away. When they seemed to be in full rout, they turned on their pursuers; in the ensuing encounter, Harold was killed, and his army defeated. Resistance continued, with over 100,000 dying in the subsequent actions to confirm William’s position. Nevertheless, William was crowned King of England a little over two months after the Battle of Hastings, on Christmas Day.

The effects of the Norman conquest were far-reaching, not the least of them being the mingling of the languages of Norman French and Anglo-Saxon (Old English), which led to Middle English — the language of Chaucer, and the transitional form from old to modern English.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. offspring, children

2. priests, bishops, etc.

3. battle plan, technique

4. strengthening

5. resisting authority

6. one who is victorious

7. mixing, combining

8. ones who serve a king

9. safe, confirmed

10. sneaky