Battle of Hastings and 1066
The events of 1066: the death of Edward the Confessor, three claimants to the throne, the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror, and the Bayeux Tapestry as a historical source
What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain why there was a crisis when Edward the Confessor died in 1066
- Describe the Battle of Hastings and its outcome
- Explain what the Bayeux Tapestry is and why it is important as a historical source
The lesson
When King Edward the Confessor died in 1066, he left no son behind. Suddenly nobody was sure who should be the next king of England. That started a crisis, and three men were ready to fight for the crown.
An English earl called Harold Godwinson was crowned king straight away. But Harald Hardrada, a Viking king from Norway, sailed over and said the throne should be his. Harold marched north and beat him at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, William, Duke of Normandy, said Edward had promised the crown to him, and he landed his own army on the south coast.
Harold's tired soldiers marched south to meet William near Hastings. On 14 October 1066, the two armies fought a long, brutal battle. Harold was killed, and William's side won. On Christmas Day, William was crowned king. People began calling him William the Conqueror.
We know so much about 1066 because of the Bayeux Tapestry, a strip of embroidered cloth over 70 metres long. It was stitched soon after the battle and shows the whole story in pictures, so historians treat it as real evidence from that time.
In 1066, three men wanted England's crown, William won at the Battle of Hastings, and the Bayeux Tapestry still shows us how it happened.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.