The Battle at Hastings

The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II. It took place at Senlac Hill, approximately 10 km northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.

Harold II was killed in the battle—legend has it that he was shot through the eye with an arrow. The battle marked the last time a foreign invasion of the British Isles had been successful. Although there was further English resistance, this battle is seen as the point at which William gained control of England, becoming its first Norman ruler as King William I.

The battle also established the superiority of the combined arms attack over an army predominately composed of infantry, demonstrating the effectiveness of archers, cavalry and infantry working cooperatively together. The dominance of cavalry forces over infantry would continue until the emergence of the longbow, and battles such as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt in the Hundred Years War.

Feudal society in Britain

The medieval period in Europe was characterised by a form of social organisation known as "feudalism." This was a complex system of rights and obligations, under which land was held in return for service to the landowner. Under feudalism, medieval society formed a pyramid, with the King at the top. The King theoretically owned all the land in the country, parcelling it out to the lords, in exchange for support. As well as the land, the lord obtained rights to control its use and enforce the law within its boundaries. In turn, the lords delegated land to their subordinates, in exchange for the subordinates' promised service to the lord, and so on, until the level of the peasants, who actually worked the land. Typically, the peasant tenant's rent obligations involved working on the lord's demesne and/or giving part of their crop to the lord, with further obligation to fight for the lord when required. After the drastic fall in population due to the Black Death, money rents came to replace work on the lord's demesne.

The Norman Times

Once England had been conquered, the Normans faced many challenges in maintaining control. The Normans were few in number compared to the native English population. Historians estimate the number of Norman settlers at around 8,000. The Normans overcame this numerical deficit by adopting innovative methods of control.

First, unlike Cnut the Great, William's followers expected and received lands and titles in return for their service in the invasion. Even after active resistance to his rule had died down, William and his barons continued to use their positions to extend and consolidate Norman control of the country. For example, if an English landholder died without issue, the could designate the heir, and often chose a successor from Normandy. William and his barons also exercised tighter control over inheritance of property by widows and daughters, often forcing marriages to Normans. In this way the Normans displaced the native aristocracy and took control of the upper ranks of society.

Keeping the Norman lords together and loyal as a group was just as important. One way William accomplished this cohesion was by giving out land in a piecemeal fashion and punishing unauthorised holdings.