Most Important Battles Challenge (3 Redo)

I know we said no refutations, but perhaps just a reminder of the rule that sieges are not to be included in this debate is in order. Stalingrad was not a pitched land or naval battle but a siege of a city (just because it has "battle" in the name does not mean it is not a "siege"). I would have used it several rounds ago otherwise, or maybe the Ottoman capture of Istanbul, or the battle of Baghdad I alluded to last round. In any event I thank my opponent for what has been a fun debate. Now for my final battle. Battle of HastingsI would give a full account of this battle, but it's more fun to look at this tapestry: . http://www.hs-augsburg.de...Apparently that's how they used to do cartoons ages ago. For those of you who have trouble reading the Latin inscriptions, you can read an English translation here: . http://www.aemma.org...On the 14th of October, 1066, William the Conqueror conquered something no foreigner has been able to do since - England. Many have tried to replicate William's success at Hastings and attack England. None have succeeded. William's Norman army met the old predominantly Viking culture, commanded by King Harold II (who died in action). OK, I can't resist. I'll tell you what happened at the battle. Basically, the English forces had just won another major battle, beating back some jealous Vikings who had tried to plunder England at Stamford Bridge (Vikings weren't much of a unified empire). Wanting to decisively destroy all invaders and strike fear in the hearts of all his enemies, King Harold II immediately marched off the meet William's Normans who were also attacking, despite the advice of his advisers to wait until his army had rested. William had equally many troubles - a storm had destroyed many of his ships as he crossed the English Channel, killing many of his men. Each side deployed roughly 30,000 troops. Harold's strategy was incredibly - line up the forces and jeer at the enemy. His entire army was infantry, most of them stereotypical ax-wielding Viking-like soldiers. William, however, was a little more careful. He used a mix of archers, infantry and archers. The Normans also used the newer crossbow technology to decimate the English army, although at first they had little effect because Harold had big shields. As the infantry lines clashed, William charged with his heavy cavalry, which were at the time the strongest in Europe by a mile. However, Harold's army was fierce. Despite William's vastly superior strategy, the English still routed the Norman infantry. Unable to resist the temptation, they broke ranks and charged at the fleeing troops. However, breaking ranks allowed the cavalry to gain the upper hand. At this, he also ordered his archers to fire up into the air towards the rear of the Norman lines to create confusion. King Harold looked up at the sky to check out what was going on, and an arrow hit him in the eye socket. He was slain shortly thereafter. The arrows rained down above the soldiers making their shields increasingly useless. Still the English fought bravely to the bitter end, keeping their oath of loyalty to the king. On Christmas that same year, William was crowned the king of all England. A memorial was created by William on the battlefield that stands there to this day, as William repented for the bloodshed he had caused at Hastings much like Ashoka the Great had over a thousand years earlier. Every year since then, the battle has been reenacted at the site to remember the courage of those who were there and honor the immense importance of the battle. Why was this battle important? Obviously for the British, this is the battle that created the greatest part of the present English culture. No other foreign influence has been quite so influential as the Normans. This matters for two reasons - firstly because the products of this culture, such as the Magna Carta, have had a huge influence on the rest of the world, for instance in the case of the Magna Carta by challenging the absolute power of kings. Secondly, because much of the world was then colonized by the British, they took on elements of this. Had the battle swung the other way, Britain would probably have advanced little more than Iceland for centuries, and be about as important to the world today as Norway. It probably is the single battle that has had the greatest influence on the English language, if not the single event of any sort, as French words mixed with the Norse ones. It made Britain into a European society. Secondly, the battle had huge ramifications for warfare. It challenged the idea that an army should use one "primary" unit. Except for the Mongols during their invasions, European armies after Hastings always made sure to use a mix of different kinds of soldiers, working together to destroy their enemies. This continues into modern military theory with the idea of combined arms, the clear superiority of which was first demonstrated (in any battle we have a record of) at Hastings. Third, with the arrival of Norman support, the need to keep slaves declined. Hastings marked the beginning of a general trend towards there being fewer slaves in England, and more slowly in Europe generally. Although the English proved massive hypocrites with their later massive slave-trading empire, England itself never really gained a significant population of slaves after Hastings, which is naturally a huge step forward for the civil rights of any society. Fourth, the power of the elite in England was challenged as a direct result of William's reforms. This provided a model for change all throughout Europe, empowering the church and the people, bringing the dark ages well and truly to an end. William ordered the Domesday census, which is perhaps the most historically significant census in history. This battle is the one responsible for more law than any other. Fifth, the Norman basis for England's modern existence later proved to be the catalyst for the Hundred Years War, a very significant series of engagements between England and France. These wars would change history. Joan of Arc would be nothing were it not for Hastings.