Divide and conquer

On the 28 September 1066, around 7,000 soldiers from Northern France landed on the Sussex coast.

Led by William, the Duke of Normandy, they were soon to launch a battle that would become one of the most famous in all of English History – the Battle of Hastings.

The bloody day of fighting on the 14 October proved to be a cataclysmic event in English history: a decisive turning point which transformed England forever.

The legacy of this brutal conquest – the last time England was successfully invaded – pervades many aspects of our language and culture today.

1066: A picture of the battle

A bitter struggle for the English throne and a fatal arrow to the eye. The events of the Battle of Hastings are recorded in the Bayeux Tapestry.

Thought to have been commissioned in the 1070s by William’s half brother, Bishop Odo, the Bayeux Tapestry is a 70m-long embroidered cloth and vital historical source.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/history-ks3-ks4-1066/zm3m382