Peggy's 16 1066 AD was a momentous year in British history the battle of Hastings and the Norman invasion of Britain closed the book on the Anglo-Saxon era forever And began a new chapter in the formation of England as we know it today Before the Normans came to England however the British Isles had endured three centuries of ceaseless turmoil at the hands of the Vikings In 865 AD a coalition army of Danish, Norwegian and Swedish warriors set sail with the singular intention of subjugating Britannia Over the next 13 years they would conquer many settlements around the mainland The impact of the Viking invasions of the eight sixties in terms of English history Convalued is it is very significant the most important thing it does is it clears away Every Anglo-Saxon kingdom except west six after many defeats a young King Alfred faced the great Viking army in 878 AD near the town of Eddington in Wiltshire Forming his men into a densely packed shield wall formation Alfred observed as the Vikings crashed against the impregnable Anglo-Saxon line The shield wall was the epitome of Anglo-Saxon warfare a strong line of troops Always with the house cars were front in their finest male armor. It was an impenetrable force that was the key to winning battles Staining heavy losses the Viking leader Guthram realized his forces were outmatched and his army retreated to nearby fortifications Alfred's men gave chase and laid siege After two weeks of dwindling supplies the starving Scandinavians finally surrendered The Viking invasion of Britain was over even if England's troubles were not For a time it seemed like peace would rain Alfred the great showed mercy to the invaders allowing them to settle peacefully in the east of England Which would come to be known as the Danelor that peace, however, would not last the Danes continued to pursue their designs on England But England pushed back by the events of 1066 the Danelor had been completely overtaken by the Anglo-Saxon After centuries of struggle the Anglo-Saxons finally held dominion over all England 1066 was the year that changed everything and it started with the death of a king Edward the confessor fell gravely ill and there were several claimants who professed to be next in line to the throne of England The first was Harold Godwinston of Wessex He was close to Edward and popular with the people next was William Duke of Normandy He was a distant cousin of Edwards and claimed that Edward had promised him the throne a claim the English naturally refuted The claim that that were in the conqueror house to England is very very weak This obviously the family connection with Emma of Normandy the real cause of the invasion is the opportunity Last was Harold Hadrada the king of Norway and a descendant of King Canute who would rule England from 1016 to 1035 AD Harold Hadrada had big but very weak genealogical claims to the death of England Edward chose Harold Godwinston to succeed him and died on the 5th of January 1066 Harold was crowned the very next day spurring Duke William and Harold Hadrada to immediate action Harold Godwinston succeeded Edward the confessor shaped that succession The Godwinston family of which Harold was a leader was already the most powerful family in England William began by touring Normandy, carrying favour with the nobles using promises of lands and titles With their support he began assembling an invasion force However catching wind of this Harold Godwinston began building a defence force of his own Some are passed into autumn and the invasion never came In September of 1066 however word came from the north While Harold Godwinston's attention was so firmly fixed on the Norman threat Harold Hadrada had sailed from Norway to invade Northumbria Harold marshalled his troops immediately In a breathtaking feat of stamina his army marched 185 miles in four days and directly into battle with the Norwegians at Stamford Rich in New York The invaders were taken utterly by surprise Harold Hadrada fell in battle his forces destroyed or scattered But Harold Godwinston's decisive victory was short-lived The Norman invasion force landed at Phevncy Beach and marched to Hastings to erect its fortifications William even burned his own ships as a symbol of his commitment to victory Hearing the news Harold and his now ragged army raced south once again pausing only in London to bolster their forces and resupply On his way south how to could eat or via London to first gather more troops and secondly to reassure his nobles that you know everything was fine He was going to win this battle he was going to be king Pressing south until he approached the Norman encampment Harold arrayed his near-exhausted forces on Senlac rich Just outside the town now known as battle 10 miles from Hastings As the Norman army approached the encumbered king it became clear that Harold was hopelessly outnumbered Worse still Williams army also contained cavalry and many arches making it far more versatile Harold's army had no choice but to adopt the tried and tested shield wall formation and hope to weather the coming storm It began to look as if the battle might swing in Harold's favour In the face of such a stout defence the entire Norman left flank began to waver Worse still rumours spread amongst the ranks the William himself had been slain The juke's entire battle line fell back from the defiant Anglo-Saxon shield wall and with a great roar the defenders saw the retreat and broke ranks to pursue the routers William was alive and well however riding before his men he urged them forward and with renewed courage the Norman soldiers turned to countercharge the Anglo-Saxons in open battle But the shield wall had broken and the exhausted English army was no match for the fresh troops and combined punch of Williams more versatile army The Bayo tapestry vividly depicts King Harold's gruesome end struck in the eye by a Norman arrow before being ridden down by one of William the conquerors cavalry men The battle of Hastings was over and with it the age of the Anglo-Saxons The Bayo tapestry vividly depicts King Harold's gruesome end struck in the eye