Fast forward a few hundred years and we arrive at a date every history student has etched in their brains, the date that the Normans arrived in Britain and defeated King Harold of England to begin their reign: 1066, at the bloody Battle of Hastings. It was the 14th of October to be even more precise, and the battle lasted nine long hours with William of Normandy eventually emerging victorious.
The battle shaped Britain as we know it, bringing much European influence to our Saxon cultire including the origins of the modern English we speak today. A hotly sought after country, King Harold had his work cut out defending the island and we were very nearly Norwegian before he defeated a different Harald (Hardrada, King of Norway) at Stamford Bridge a few weeks earlier.
How exactly King Harold was killed and where he was buried remains a hotly disputed topic, with many differing depictions of the battle itself existing; most famously the Bayeux Tapestry and the Carmen de Hostingae Proelio (Song of the Battle of Hastings).
"Battle Abbey itself was built by William of Normandy on his victory when Pope Alexander II ordered him to pay penance for killing so many people in his conquests. The high altar marks the spot of King Harold's death."
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