William the Conqueror landed in England
On this day · 28 September 1066
On September 28, 1066, William of Normandy stepped ashore at Pevensey, launching the conquest that remade England.
On 28 September 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, landed unopposed at Pevensey on the Sussex coast with a fleet of hundreds of ships and an army of Norman, French, Flemish, and Breton troops. Within days he had thrown up fortifications at Hastings and begun ravaging the surrounding land.
His timing was ruthless. The English king, Harold II, was far to the north, having just destroyed a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge on 25 September. Harold marched his exhausted army south to meet the new threat.
With a favourable wind, William landed unopposed at Pevensey and, within a few days, raised fortifications at Hastings.
The two forces met at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October, where Harold was killed and his army broke. Crowned king on Christmas Day, William imposed a new Norman ruling class, a wave of castle-building, and lasting changes to English land, law, and language.
Sources & references
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