Battle of Hastings

October 14, 1066

On a ridge above Hastings, William of Normandy's mounted knights and archers shattered the Anglo-Saxon shield wall and killed King Harold, possibly with an arrow to the eye. The Norman conquest reshaped England's language, law, and aristocracy for centuries. Within days William was marching on London. The battle lasted from morning until dusk, one of the longest pitched engagements of the entire medieval period.