The English army led by King Harold scored a decisive victory over the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge on 25th September 1066.

Meanwhile William, according to contemporary writers, was constantly praying for a change in the weather, and gazing at a weather vane on the church tower of Saint-Valery.

 Finally on 27th September the wind veered to the south, and that evening the fleet sailed led by William's galley carrying a lantern at its mast head.

The army landed at Pevensey on the south coast of England the next morning, almost unopposed.

William decided to dig into a defensive position at Hastings. The town was then at the end of a peninsula, and could be easily fortified.

The Normans then waited for fourteen days for Harold who was rushing south towards them. (I wonder if the same ‘chivalric’ attitude would be shown nowadays)?

Harold's plan was probably to contain William, cut off his line of retreat using the fleet, and then move in to destroy him.

 William knew his only chance was to attack immediately. He told his men the truth, that they were alone in a foreign country and fighting for their lives. If they wanted to live they had to win.

 At dawn on 14th October William moved towards Harold's army, which had reached the area of Senlac Ridge near Hastings the day before.

The English were not prepared for such a sudden move by the Normans, but they still managed to quickly form an effective defensive position on the ridge.

 Fighting began at about 9am and continued all day, fortune moving one way and then the other.

This made little difference and the battle continued on as before, with the Normans attacking a stubborn English line.

 With evening coming on, victory was in sight for the English. If the Normans could be held until nightfall, then William would have to fall back.On the following day fresh English troops would arrive, to face exhausted and beleaguered invaders.William would be finished. Knowing they were in acute danger the Normans launched one last frenzied attack.

The English stood firm, until a stray arrow suddenly hit Harold in the face.

 Once news of this spread through the English army there was a sudden collapse in morale.

 The Normans broke through, and English ranks fell apart - and that is probably all that the battle turned on, one stray arrow!

On Christmas day 1066 at Westminster Abbey, William Duke of Normandy, was crowned King William of England.

The Normans were in control.