How did Harold Godwinson die in the battle of Hastings?

Answer 1

Harold had extremely tough soldiers who had just marched 250 miles in 4 days with full gear having just defeated the Vikings at the the battle of Stamford Bridge. They were the fastest marching troops in recorded history. They fought two major battles in a few days.

The battle all came down to which side was the most disciplined. The Saxon army was made up of mainly farmer/warriors who joined up at the request of the king (Harold). A large number of William's forces were full time cavalry troops with the bulk of the army made up from the ranks of the populus, which came from a warrior ancestry (the Vikings). At the battle the Saxons occupied the high ground at Hastings and formed a impenetrable defensive wall, providing the Saxon warriors did not leave the line. The Norman cavalry tried time and time again to break through but failed. It looked like the Saxons had won but a section in the line spotted William, who was in amongst his cavalry trying to raise morale. This section of the Saxon line went chasing after him (this is where discipline comes in) leaving a vulnerable opening in the Saxon line which the Normans exploited and broke down the Saxon army.

this is right

Answer 2

Harold king of England was shot in the eye by an arrow at The Battle of Hastings.

Answer

A Norman archer, shooting high into the air so that the arrows would fall straight to the ground, felled the greatest Saxon leader of all time when an ill-fated arrow struck his eye and he died instantly.

Answer

There are lots of answers to this question but the most believed one, evidence taken from the Bayeux tapestry, was that he was shot in the eye with an arrow and then cut to pieces by William, Duke of Normandy's, army during the battle of Hastings in 1066.

Yes that is true the arrow did not kill him but he was later hacked to death at the hands of a knight.

The answer above is not true, a shot to the eye by any type of arrow would kill the strongest of men. Harold was not the strongest of men. It is more likely he was shot in the eye and died. end of story.

We do not know the complete truth about the way king Harold died, as the Bayeux tapestry shows that he might of died by an arrow in the eye or, a night on a horse stabing Harold in the stomach

Answer

That is a good answer but you left out that he was disemboweled, probably but the Norman's for punishment.

This answer was writen by julyjanabde

Answer 3

Hose to the Right, Eyes to the LeftDifficult question on the face of it. But we've been misled for 1000 years on this and other questions of that period. If we take a look at the Bayeux Tapestry the answer should hit us in the eye.

1/ Harold with an axe

Smitten on the thigh felled by Norman knight. Contemporary accounts say that Harold was first felled by such a blow and 3 others moved in to hack at Harold. Why should the Normans say so when it diminishes their 'glory' in his slaying? In addition an arrow has been unpicked from this Harold high on his head. This Harold bears close resemblance to the Harold throughout the Tapestry ie slighter and shorter than his contemporaries. Also this H is the only English warrior with finely embroidered hose (stockings). This H can be seen and distinguished from other Anglo warriors by this hose in earlier battle scene.

2/Harold with an arrow

Accoutrements of a shield bearer. No resemblance to Harold in previous scenes. Bisects name HARO LD but narrative added after scenes. HAROLD 'written' over an obvious William in earlier Norman court scene yet no confusion. Look at this guys legs. He is the only figure in the Tapestry with odd socks on. (believed to unlucky). Either that or this H has only one leg and the adjoining horse 3 rear legs. This figure has arrow in the eye. Later taken to be heaven sent, divine intervention. But as there are three other arrows in this figures shield is god a bad shot ,fourth time lucky.

Conclusion

Harold the Arrow is a joke figure. He is Cor Blimey (God blind me) pull the other one. Nor do I think that the embroiderers dropped gaffes - it was a deliberate attempt to put pay to current lies and Propaganda. The other example is of course the deliberate out of sequence scenes of the Confessors funeral, followed by Edwards last will that Harold should be king and a reluctant H being offered the crown by the Witan. So much for him seizing the crown. And to top it all we have in the narrative not Harold the usurper, breaker of oaths and all round bad egg but HAROLD REX.

Nor can we have 2 Harolds ie dropping his spear and shield with an arrow in his eye then picking up a battleaxe.

The Bayeux Tapestry is not just a story of a battle. It tells us of another battle going on in the scenes and Behind the Scenes. The eternal fight, bishop fights king, king fights knight, knight fights bishop etc. All wanted and got a big chunk of England and fought each other down the centuries for bigger chunks. Williams puppet pope, the former Norman monk Alexander 2, got nearly a third. Same with the tapestry. Who gets credit for slaying Harold. To show Harold been slain by party of Norman knights does not enhance Norman prowess. Neither does felling a wounded Harold(by arrow) by a solitary knight, hence removal of arrow. But the Norman church wants some of the action, if not the main part, hence all minds focused wonderfully on show me another leg Arold, with arrow in the eye which presumably came from the direction of Halleys comet. ie heaven. Accounts,probably relgious propoganda say that Harold was slain by an arrow which pierced eye and brain. In that case he would be on the deck dead or dying which means that the knights would have to dispose of the remaining housecarls before dismounting, locating and dismembering Harolds corpse.

I think therefore that the tapestry shows something of the truth, and some of truth for the foregoing reasons has been removed. Harold the axeman was wounded in the head, not eye, and felled by a blow to the thigh as depicted, by one of several knights who targetted Harold and that the party of knights was larger than assumed to breach the shield wall and swamp the attendant housecarls.

Aftermath

A bloody shambles. The normans butchered the English slain to such an exent that William had to found over a hundred religious houses to appease his pope and quell his queasy stomach. No need to ask where he found the money. In the fading light of an October evening we are told that Edith Swaneck wandered amongst the blood and and gore and bits of bodies looking for Harold and identifying it by secret tattoos. No, part of Harold, his hacked off thigh, would be identified by that special hose which denotes Harold in the tapestry.

Coincidently, there is an interred Anglo/Saxon thigh bone in Harolds Bosham church. Thigh bone of a short man (even for those days) 5' 6" tall but sturdily built.

Answer 4

There is no evidence as to exactly how Harold died. It could have been an arrow, in his eye or another part of his body or a sword or knife. The one thing it could not have been was a gunshot as guns had not been invented. The Bayeux Tapestry was made some years later under orders from supporters of William the conqueror, and tells the story of the run up to the Norman invasion and the battle. There is a scene in the tapestry showing someone with an arrow in his eye but it is not clear that this is Harold, and this is probably where the idea came from. The arrow through the eye might be a Norman invention but it is logical. The normans and Harold were christians and blinding was said to be a punishment from god for breaking a promise. Edward had made a promise to William that he could have the throne. There was also a few other rumours but I don't think anyone will ever find out unless the Human Race finally perfect time travel!

Answer 5

There are two versions of his death. The first one is that he was killed and then dismembered by four Norman knights, with William likely among them. The second and more well-known version states that he took an arrow to the eye at the end of the battle.

Answer 6

he got shot in the eye with an arrow.

Actually, no he was not. That is "myth".

Harold Godwinsson (King Harold II) was hacked to pieces, disemboweled castrated and decapitated by four of Duke William's men.

No experienced soldier would look upwards when arrows were flying, there were very few arrows being used at this point in the battle (the battle lasted from 9 a.m. to dusk) and the shape of Harold's helmet and nasal guard would have made it very difficult for an arrow to pierce his eye.

Plus, we know he fought "until death" not easy continuing to fight with a traumatic arrow-wound to the eye. Which probably would have killed him outright by piercing the brain.

The picture depicting a man with an arrow in the eye on the Bayeux Tapestry in fact should show a man throwing a spear - but the shaft stitch marks are missing.

Helen Hollick

author "Harold the King" (UK title)

I Am The Chosen King (US Title)

co-screenplaywriter 1066 the movie

Answer 7

he was stabbed just under his eye!

Answer 8

Yes

Answer 9

nope