The Battle of Hastings was fought between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and the English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson in 1066. The battle ended when King Harold was shot in the eye by an arrow and subsequently slaughtered to death. This marked the victory of King William and the beginning of a new chapter in England’s history. Aftermath There was immense bloodshed on both sides and the battlefield was red with mutilated corpses. The Saxons and the Normans prepared graves to bury the dead while they mourned. The Saxons felt the pain of losing their king as well the battle. King Harold’s body had been severely mutilated and his mistress, Edith had to be sent for to identify the body. Duke William was reluctant to give the corpse to her …show more content…
Finally, King Harold’s remains were buried with regal honours in Waltham Abbey. Impact The end of the Battle of Hastings had a significant impact on the social, political as well as on the cultural realm in England, effectively marking 1066 as the start of a new age in English history. Duke William had lured his men into the battle with the promise of foreign lands and titles. After the battle he kept his promise at the expense of the native English aristocracy. Anglo-Saxon elites who were the largest landholders in England were