The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14, 1066. The armies of William, Duke of Normandy, crushed the armies of Harold, the King of England. Thus, William conquered England and was crowned king on December 25, 1066.
For a century and a half, until 1204, the Dukes of Normandy were also kings of England. They brought with them their Norman language, their political organization, their art of building cathedrals and fortified castles…
Today in England you can still admire cathedrals and castles from the Norman era. The English language has preserved thousands of words which come directly from Normandy. The Queen of England herself kept the Norman motto “Dieu et mon droit” written in French!
More than 950 years later, this battle continues to be celebrated: each year, on October 14, extras reconstitute it. And for good reason: this battle marked the history of England, France and, more particularly, Normandy.
The reasons for the war
January 5, 1066 : Edward the Confessor, King of England, dies. He has no heir. Several years earlier, he had chosen his little cousin Guillaume, duke of Normandy, to become king after him. But patatras…
January 6, 1066 : Harold, the most important lord of England, is crowned king of England. William the Conqueror is furious when he hears the news. Especially since Harold had sworn to William that he accepted the choice of Edward the Confessor. Immediately, William decides to raise an army, to cross the Channel Sea with his drakkars (traditional Vikings ship, with flat bottom, square sail and oars), and to go to drive Harold from the throne of England.
October 14, 1066 : Harold and William’s armies battle Hastings, in the south of England. Harold is killed. Guillaume wins.
December 25, 1066 : William is crowned king of England. He is still Duke of Normandy and thus becomes one of the most important characters of his time.
To access other files and games, you can go to the Classroom website. Connect yourself with this code (to be entered in the username and password fields): OF2020
Classroom news also has a Youtube channel !
You can find the other mini-series on ouest-france.fr.
– .
