What happened
On 14 October 1066, near Battle, East Sussex, William’s Norman-French army defeated Harold Godwinson’s English army in a single-day engagement lasting from about 9 am to dusk. Harold died near the end; most of his army then retreated or collapsed. William founded a monastery at the site, placing its high altar where Harold fell.
How we know it
The record comes from a single source: the Wikipedia article ‘Battle of Hastings’, which synthesises medieval chronicles including the Bayeux Tapestry and accounts by William of Poitiers and Orderic Vitalis. It gives explicit, unambiguous statements about date, location, belligerents, tactics, sequence, and outcome — all cited directly in the verified claims.
Why it went that way
Tactical asymmetry decided it. The English army had almost no cavalry or archers and relied on dense infantry formations. The Normans combined archers, cavalry, and infantry — and used feigned flight to break the English line. Harold’s attempt at surprise failed when Norman scouts detected his approach, forcing him to fight on ground chosen by William.
What is still contested
The exact cause of Harold’s death is not stated in the source — only that it occurred near the end and triggered collapse. The source does not specify whether he was killed by an arrow, a cavalry charge, or something else. Nor does it say how many men fought, how many died, or whether the English shield wall broke before or after his death.
What it changed
It established Norman rule over England. Within months, William was crowned king in Westminster Abbey. Within two decades, Anglo-Saxon aristocrats were dispossessed, French became the language of court and law, and the Church was restructured under Norman bishops. The conquest reshaped land tenure, military organisation, and written record-keeping — all visible in post-1066 charters and surveys.
Is it worth your time
Yes. It is the only battle in English history whose immediate political consequence — the replacement of the ruling dynasty and landholding class — is both fully documented and irreversible within a generation. Its institutional effects are legible in Domesday Book, law codes, and church records within 20 years.