Reasons for William's victory in 1066
I can explain the reasons for William’s victory.
Reasons for William's victory in 1066
I can explain the reasons for William’s victory.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- William was an experienced and organised military leader who held his army together in the summer of 1066.
- Harold was an experienced military leader who was weakened by fighting at Stamford Bridge.
- The English troops had a varied skill level which held an effective shield wall that eventually broke.
- The Norman troops had a mix of professional skills which used a retreat tactic to break the English line.
- Historians recognise there were multiple reasons for William's victory at Hastings.
Keywords
Turning point - a turning point is the time at which a situation starts to change in an important way
Logistically - the term logistically is used to describe the effective organisation of a complicated activity or event
Strategic - being strategic is doing things which help to achieve a wider plan, for example, in war or politics
Tactic - a tactic is a planned way of doing something, or a specific action intended to achieve a wider strategy/plan
Common misconception
Sending the fyrd defences home in September is evidence of Harold's poor decision making.
In fact, Anglo-Saxon leaders had always struggled with the 60-day limit for the fyrd. Harold had actually kept the fyrd out for twice as long as usual: evidence of his impressive influence as a leader.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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