Battle of Hastings. The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. The battle is portrayed in art primarily through the Bayeux Tapestry, a remarkable 70-meter-long embroidered cloth created in the 11th century. This tapestry vividly depicts the events leading up to, during, and following the battle, showcasing scenes of preparation, combat, and the death of King Harold. Through a series of detailed narrative panels, the tapestry presents the battle as a dramatic, heroic struggle between Harold Godwinson and William the Conqueror, using stylized figures, horses, and weapons to illustrate key moments such as Harold being struck in the eye with an arrow. Other artistic representations of the battle appear in illuminated manuscripts, paintings, and modern re-creations, often emphasizing its decisive and violent nature, as well as its historical significance in the Norman conquest of England. The battle took place approximately 7 mi 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. 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.
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