Watch Battlefield Britain online: Episode 2 The Battle of Hastings

The story starts in January of 1066. Following the death of King Edward the Confessor, Harold seized control of England.The move enraged William who saw himself as the rightful holder of the crown. He immediately prepared an army to invade. Harold readied his troops along the south coast but as he awaited the onslaught from across the Channel another came from an entirely unexpected direction:Vikings had landed in Yorkshire. Harold rushed his army to Stamford Bridge and successfully fought off the Norse invaders, but this was precisely the moment William made his move.The Norman army was in England and heading towards Hastings. What followed was a battle for the survival of Anglo-Saxon rule in this country but, in one of the most famous incidents of British history, Harold was killed when an arrow struck him in the eye.The Saxon defence crumpled and Norman rule in Britain was assured.The consequences of this were far-reaching – it brought about a change of ruling class, dynasty, language and culture.

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