Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between Harold Godwinson and William, Duke of Normandy. After a hard-fought day, Harold was killed and the English army was defeated. William went on to secure London and become king of England.

Hastings matters because it opened the way for the Norman conquest and the replacement of much of England’s ruling class. The battle connected England more closely with Normandy and continental politics. It also became one of the most famous single-day turning points in medieval history.

Hastings appears across historical fiction on 1066, from novels centred on Harold and William to stories of Saxon families dispossessed by Norman rule. Elizabeth Chadwick and other medieval novelists have explored the aftermath as much as the battle itself. The setting supports shield-wall drama, dynastic legitimacy, personal ambition, and the trauma of conquest.