Page "Norman conquest of England" Paragraph 15

The battle began at about 9 am on 14 October and lasted all day, but while a broad outline is known, the exact events are obscured by contradictory accounts in the sources.

Although the numbers on each side were about equal, William had both cavalry and infantry, including many archers, while Harold had only foot soldiers and few if any archers.

The English soldiers formed up as a shield wall along the ridge, and were at first so effective that William's army was thrown back with heavy casualties.

Some of William's Breton troops panicked and fled, and some of the English troops appear to have pursued the fleeing Bretons.

However, Norman cavalry then attacked the pursuing troops and killed them.

While the Bretons were fleeing, rumours swept the Norman forces that the duke had been killed, but William rallied his troops.

Twice more the Normans fled, these times feigned, and drew the English into pursuing them, allowing the Norman cavalry to attack them repeatedly.

The available sources are more confused about events in the afternoon, but it appears that the decisive event was the death of Harold, about which differing stories are told.

William of Jumieges claimed that Harold was killed by the duke.

The Bayeux Tapestry has been claimed to show Harold's death by an arrow to the eye, but this may be a later reworking of the tapestry to conform to 12th-century stories that Harold had died from an arrow wound to the head.