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William the Conqueror

Invasion

On 18 September, Harold Hardraada landed on the Humber River with a huge fleet and a large army, only ten days after Harold had been forced to disband the better part of his own forces. On 20 September, the Vikings won a victory over the northern earls and occupied the city of York.

Harold immediately re-gathered his army and marched north to meet the invaders. On 25 September, the Saxons and the Norwegians met at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. It was a hard-fought, day-long battle with heavy losses on both sides. Neither side had won decisively, but the Viking invasion depended on resounding victories and Hardraada had not achieved this. The following day, a second battle at Fulford destroyed the Vikings utterly. This marks the last major Viking invasion of England.

It was a brilliant victory for Harold. He had marched the length of England in record time, going into battle at Stamford Bridge with scarcely any rest. The Saxon infantry had won a decisive victory, and Hardraada himself had been killed. It seemed certain that the earl would remain king.

Then, on 27 September, the wind turned and William sailed, landing near the town of Hastings the next day.

The fact that William still had an army is a testament to his abilities as an organizer and a leader. He had managed to keep his vassals by his side, and even kept the sailors in hand, for long weeks of frustration. When the opportunity finally came, he was ready. This was most unusual for medieval armies.

William immediately built some defensive works around his position at Hastings and gained control of the surrounding countryside. He knew Harold would be coming for him.

On 6 October, Harold Godwinson returned to London and sent out a call to raise more troops. His forces had suffered cruelly at Stamford Bridge and he needed all the soldiers he could raise.

But he could not wait long, for every day that passed made William stronger. On 11 October, Harold marched to Hastings, arriving the night of 13-14 October. The next morning, he gave battle.