battle of hastings
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The Battle of Hastings was fought on October 14 1066. It is one of the most daring and fateful military engagements ever fought in English History. It was fought between Harold the Second, Saxon King of England and an invasion force led by William the First, Duke of Normandy.
Edward the Confessor, a dying English king first supposedly designated William, a cousin as his heir, but on his deathbed (Jan. 5. 1066) granted the crown to Harold, the Earl of Wessex and Edward's half brother. William, outraged at this relegation set out to invade Harold in England.
On September 27 William crossed to England by sea unopposed, with an army of 4000 to 7000 cavalry and infantry, landed at Pevensey in Sussex and started moving eastward along the coast to Hastings. Harold learnt of William's landing on October 2 and had to march south from Yorkshire, where he had just defeated and slain his rebellious brother, Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, in the battle of Stanford Bridge. Harold was approaching Hastings by October 13 with an army of infantry of about 7000, many of whom were half-armed peasants because of the shortage of soldiers from the battle with Tostig...