14 October 2016

It was 950 years ago today....

...that the Battle of Hastings occurred, and good king Harold Godwinson took an arrow to the eye.



Poor Harold had the misfortune of being invaded twice in about a month's time.  He headed north and defeated the Vikings under Harald Hadrada  at Stamford Bridge, and then and then turned south to be defeated at Hastings.  William the Bastard of Normandy won the battle and the English crown.  In fact, he is regarded as the first English kind, even though there was a long line of kings before him, and the man he defeated was himself a king. But, for most historians.  England began here.

Among other results of this battle is the language in which I am writing this post- English.  Were it not for this battle, the language of England would be much closer to its Germanic roots.

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