Theme Five – Military/Warfare From the very beginning of civilization, wars and battles have had an enormous impact on our society and history. Although every conflict changes history to some extent, I am going to look at two wars that I feel had an important impact on the history of early civilization. I think that the Battle of Hastings had an enormous impact on history. This created a legacy as the Norman invasion of England started a new chapter in England’s history. In 1066, William of Normandy defeated King Harold II to win the English throne. This example shows how our history was changed through the political, cultural, and religious structure and had a long-lasting effect. Many concur as “few battles have had as significant