Describe
what happened at the Battle of Hastings. Explain why William of Normandy
was able to defeat King Harold. You will need the following materials
when answering this question:
H1
Arms and Armour, H2 Accounts of the
Battle, H3 The Battle of Hastings,
H4 English & Norman Historians,
H5 Norman Victory and the H6
Map of the Battlefield.
You are going to write
an essay on the Battle of Hastings. The first paragraph and the beginning
of each of the other paragraphs have been done for you (red type).
The text in the light type suggests the type of information that you
should include in this paragraph. The numbers in bold refers to the
material where you will find the information. Always try to use your
own words. If you
copy directly from the material you must use quotation marks.
(1) On 25th September, 1066, King Harold defeated
King Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge. Harold was celebrating his
victory at a banquet in York when he heard that William of Normandy
had landed at Pevensey Bay. King Harold and his soldiers now marched
south to meet William's invading army.
(2) King
Harold's army arrived in Sussex on the 13th October.
Explain where Harold positioned
his troops. Explain why he did this. (H3
2nd paragraph; H6 map of the battlefield)
Describe the men in Harold's army (H3
1st and 5th paragraphs)
(3) The
English housecarls carried large battle-axes.
Describe the weapons used
by the English (H3 3rd and 4th paragraphs;
H1 entry for 'Battle-Axe')
(4) William's
army reached Senlac Hill on the evening of the 13th October, 1066.
Describe the number of
soldiers in William's army. (H3 5th
paragraph) Describe the weapons and armour used by the Normans. (H1
entries for Hauberk, Coif, Kite Shield, Lance, Spangenhelm, Swords)
(5) On
the morning of 14th October 1066, William spoke to his soldiers.
Explain what William said
to his men. (H3 5th paragraph; 08 source
A)
(6) At
nine in the morning the Normans began blowing their trumpets.
Describe the Norman's first
attack (H5 4th paragraph)
(7) The
author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reported that Harold and his army
"resisted with the utmost courage".
Describe who wrote this
passage.
Explain why the evidence
about Harold provided by the author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle might
not be completely accurate (H4 Anglo
Saxon Chronicle; H2 source D)
(8) The
Normans began to retreat.
Describe the Norman retreat
(H3 7th paragraph; H5
5th paragraph)
(9) At
about 12 noon the two sides stopped fighting.
Describe what happened
when the fighting stopped (H3 8th paragraph)
(10) William
decided to change his tactics.
Describe the action of
the archers (H3 8th and 9th paragraph)
Describe the cavalry charge
and retreat (H3 10th paragraph; H5
6th, 7th and 8th paragraphs)
(11) William
of Poitiers claims that "William was a noble general, inspiring
courage, sharing danger, more often commanding men to follow than
urging them on from the rear."
Describe William's behaviour
on the battlefield (H3 8th 10th and
llth paragraphs; H5 9th paragraph)
Describe William of Poitiers'
background. Explain
why the evidence about William provided by William of Poitiers might
not be completely accurate (H4 William
of Poitiers)
(12) At
four in the afternoon the Normans attacked again.
Describe this final attack
(H3 12th and 13th paragraphs; H2
sources B and C)
(13) There
are several reasons why William defeated Harold at Hastings.
Explain why some people
believed that God had wanted William to win the battle (H2
sources A and D).
Explain why some people
believed it was because Harold's army was exhausted after the long
march from Stamford Bridge (see 1st paragraph of your essay)
Explain why some people
believed the most important reason was the tactics William used (H3
8th, 9th, 10th and llth paragraphs)
Explain why some people
believed it was because the Normans had more experience at fighting
on horseback and had better weapons than the English (H3
4th & 5th paragraphs)
The
Normans: Classroom Activities
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