"Battle of Hastings Essay sheet".>

1066:The Battle of Hastings

Why did Harold lose the Battle of Hastings?

There are often many reasons why something happens. Think about a time you were late for school, perhaps your alarm failed or you got stuck in traffic or both! In History there are many reasons why things happened. In 1066 England was successfully invaded by the Normans. It changed the course of British history. It was the last successful invasion of Britian. So "Why did Harold lose the Battle?" Your task is to examine as many reasons as you can to explain "Why Harold lost the battle of Hastings." You must try to put the reasons into different catogories and explain which ones you think are the most important and why!

In 1066 many people may have thought that the "longhaired star in the sky" was the reason for the English defeat. In your history lessons you have studied many other reasons for the Harold’s failure. This list should remind you of most of them. William and the Normans believed God was on their side. The English were tired and depleted due to the Battle of Stamford Bridge. William and the Normans were well prepared. The Normans had built a Castle The Normans had more horsemen, chain mail and used spurs. William encouraged his troops to keep going when they thought he was dead. He bravely took off his Helmet and said " LOOK AT ME I AM STILL ALIVE AND WITH GODS HELP WE SHALL WIN." The English fell for the trick and lost the advantage of the hill. Many English men and King Harold were killed. Look carefully at the reasons and add any others from your own research (use the websites below). You have to do some thinking!!! Ø Which reason do you consider to be the most important? Ø What order would you put them in? Ø Which way do you think is the best way to organise them? Ø Imagine you can go back in time and change the result of the Battle of Hastings. Ø Which one or two things would you changed from the list above? Arrange the reasons in different groups such as:- a) Before the battle / During the battle b) Williams skill / Harold’s badluck c) Your own idea? USE the links below to help you find any extra information. Writing Your Essay You must plan it carefully before you start. You need an introduction, to give the background briefly to the Battle of Hastings (4-5lines) Then each main reason requires one paragraph to explain how it contributed to Harolds defeat. Use the formula STATEMENT + EVIDENCE + ANALYSIS = GOOD MARKS Statement = "The English were tired .... Evidence = They had walked about 500 miles ... Analysis =This meant that.... Finally you must have a conclusion. This is the most important part of your essay so think about it carefully. Try to explain which reasons you think are linked together. Then decide which one is the most important and explain why.

Websites to visit and use intelligently!

Click here for a copy of your homework sheet. 1066: This is a cleverly designed interesting site to use. "William I" This is all about William and his relatives. "Secrets of the Norman Invasion" This is not really a Year 7 friendly site but you might find informative maps and pictures. "The Invasion of England" This site concentrates on the story through the Bayeux tapestry. The pictures are good but remember to look up and record any difficult words! "Battle of Hastings" This is a huge site, perfect for Year 7 interested in gathering information about the Normans and the Saxons.> "Click here to view a power point presentation on the Bayuex Tapestry. The pictures are not in order so down load them, re-order them and add a comment to each of them. There are 50 housepoints up for grabs for the best one.".>