The Battle of Hastings: The Fall of Anglo-Saxon England

by Harriet Harvey Wood

1066 remains the most famous date in English history. Harriet Harvey Wood’s original and fascinating book tells a story that few of us know. She shows that, rather than bringing culture and enlightenment to England, the Normans’ aggressive and illegal invasion destroyed a long-established and highly developed civilization, far ahead of other European societies in the sophistication of its political institutions, art and literature. Harvey Wood explores the background and lead-up to the invasion and the motives of the leading players, the state of warfare in England and Normandy in 1066, and the battle itself. Judged before the event, King Harold ought to have won the Battle of Hastings without difficulty and to have enjoyed a peaceful and enlightened reign. That he did not was largely a matter of sheer bad luck. This gripping and entertaining book shows how he came to be defeated, and what England lost as a result of his defeat and death.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Anglo Saxon, Medieval History, Military Fiction, Historical

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most important thing first: Harriet Harvey Wood doesn’t set out to change the world in this account of the Battle of Hastings and the circumstances leading up to it. Instead, this is meant to be a readable, accessible account of the period and the academic debates surrounding it. The book’s strength lies in its simplicity: it’s laid out very well, and all of the (often contrasting) sources are dealt with in a way which is easy to understand.

Although none of the material here is fresh or new, I enjoyed reading the author’s account of the battle. I found it lively and interesting, and the inclusion of lots of snippets of information adds to the experience. Wood’s power is in making the complex simple, and she achieves that aim very well. I came away with a greater understanding of the 11th century as a whole, even if I didn’t learn anything ‘new’ so to speak. Rather, this helped cement my knowledge.

The book isn’t perfect. There are errors, such as misspellings, in the text, but as a whole these don’t detract too much. I liked what I read in the library copy I had enough to buy my own copy of this book.

[Avis Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got absolutely fed up with the author's lack of objectivity. She goes over the top with her prejudices.

[Gerald Sinstadt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh dear! I seem to have arrived at a conference of academic historians, or at least of Anglo-Saxon specialists. Whereas I am merely an eclectic reader who was given this book because I have enjoyed learning about other times, other events. But not to have read Beowulf seems to have left me at a disadvantage.

In one sense, it could be said that Harriet Harvey Wood makes allowances for dunces. She doesn't dive straight into the titular subject. There are nearly a hundred pages of background before there is consideration of the warring armies. Battle is then not joined until page 159. Therefore, I should have been more grateful for being led by the hand through the political and sociological scene in the years leading up to 1066.

My problem at the outset was trying to grasp the relative importance of a cast with unfamiliar names. On a single early page the reader encounters Edmund Ironside, Edward the Atheling, Cnut, AEthelred, Emma, Harthacnut, AElfgifu of Northampton, Sweyn, and Harold Harefoot. If I say that I seem to recall finding this easier to digest in the pages of Sellar and Yeatman that may well be seen as a shortcoming on my part.

From this book I did learn things I hadn't known before. but it was hard work. Probably it was not written for lay readers.

[Bettie]

Read By: Robin Rowan
Number of MP3s: 11
Total Duration: 6:53:43

blurb - A compelling and contrary account of the Battle of Hastings on October
14, 1066, the most famous day in English history.

Harriet Harvey Woods fascinating and accessible book will change forever
our view of the Norman conquest of England. Although the prevailing
view is that the invaders brought culture and enlightenment to England,
Harvey Wood argues that the Normans aggressive and illegal attack actually
destroyed a highly developed civilization with long-established political
institutions and sophisticated art forms.

The Battle of Hastings explores the background and lead-up to the invasion
as well as the motives of the leading players, the state of warfare
in England and Normandy in 1066, and the battle itself. King Harold
ought to have won the battle of Hastings and enjoyed a peaceful and
enlightened reign; The Battle of Hastings shows that the result could
just as easily have gone the other way. This gripping book reveals how
and why England came to be defeated on October 14, 1066, and what the
country lost as a result.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a former student of medieval history, this book enraged me. The base facts are accurate, but the author's treatment of the time period as a whole leaves much to be desired. She paints England as this idyllic landscape in a sea of barbarism and ignorance, referring to the time period as the Dark Ages and mentioning more than once how savage people were back then. The Middle Ages were violent, yes, but they were also a time of academic, religious, and political discovery. Nothing that occurred during the Renaissance and early modern period could have even begun without the foundations created in the Middle Ages. But Ms. Wood would like us all to believe that medieval Europeans were little more than bumbling fools swinging pointy sticks at each other.

[lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey! I just caught up with your story and really liked how immersive it feels. Some moments instantly played out in my head like illustrated panels.
I work as a commission-based comic/webtoon artist, and if you’d ever like to talk about a visual adaptation, I’m always open.
📩 Discord & Instagram: lizziedoesitall

[Joyce Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and readable book about an era that still interests those with a love of history.

[Ben Coyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Marks54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides the historical context and details of the Battle of Hastings, where William of Normandy began his conquest of England in 1066. I am planning a trip to that area of England, including the Battle Cathedral, and so thought some homework on the battle would be useful. While there is not much suspense regarding who won, the book is readable (although there are lots of Anglo-Saxon names to remember). The author also adopts a strongly pro-Anglo Saxon perspective, seemingly as a response to the widespread glorification of the Battle and the tendency to focus only on the winners. Wood, on the contrary, views the Normans as little better than thuggish gangsters and the Anglo-Saxons as a long lasting and noteworthy civilization. Another striking aspect of the book is how Wood places the battle in the context of the succession battle after the death of Edward the Confessor in January 1066. Another really illuminating aspect of the book is the treatment of how Harold had to fight a major battle against Danish invaders in late September, within three weeks of his battle with the Normans. Wood does a good job of comparing her explanations with those of other chroniclers of the battle. The book is a bit of a slog in parts but is not too long and worth the effort expended.

[Skuli Saeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Margt fróðlegt hér á ferð um sögu Engilsaxa og Bretlandseyja. Þetta er hins vegar mjög einhliða frásögn hjá Harriet Harvey Wood. Hún miklar mjög menningu og sögu eyjarskeggja um leið og hún gerir lítið úr Vilhjálmi bastarði í Normandí sem ræðst inn í Bretland 1066 og leggur eyjuna undir sig.
Það er alltaf gaman að kynnast svona frásögnum því þar er að finna efnivið sem er ekki að finna í almennari frásögnum. Hins vegar teygir Wood sig fullmikið eftir niðurstöðum rannsóknar sinnar og það má segja að hún reyni að túlka allt þannig að það henti málflutningi hennar og fyrir vikið rýrir það mjög sagnfræðilegt gildi ritsins.

[Timothy Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great piece of historical research. Generally historians like to side with either the Celts (as anachronistic, nature-loving hippies) or the Normans (because people like to side with the victors). Wood’s work is one which has a great deal of sympathy for the Anglo-Saxons, and which forcefully makes the case that they had greater personal freedoms, and more individual wealth, before the Conquest than for centuries after.

This review originally appeared on
book coasters

[djcb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty nice overview of the circumstances around the famous battle. The author interprets the (scarce) evidence about what exactly happened in her own way. There seems to be a small army of historians fiercely discussing certain aspects, all cherry-picking and/or extrapolating the evidence.

Nevertheless, I didn't know too much about this historical (and, for once, this battle actually *did* have long-lasting, historical consequences. Who knows, English might have sounded like Dutch or German if the Normans had lost...), and now I know a lot more.

[Paul Dodd]

Quite a tough read - it's hard to keep track of all the protagonists, and where they fit into the picture. However, the book is excellent in describing the Battle of Hastings in the context of the times - I had no idea that many Normans had already settled in England prior to the Battle, for example.

[Landon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic introduction to the build-up to, and the lasting consequences of, the Battle of Hastings. My only gripe with the book is that there was surprisingly little discussion of the battle itself, and for someone like me, who is learning about the battle for the first time, I was a little lost during the quick discussion of the battle.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview and analysis of the political situation leading up to Hastings, although the course of the battle itself is largely guesswork, due to the lack of eyewitness accounts. Excellent analysis of the historical records and their limitations and biases.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not certain what I was looking for in this book, but it was fairly disappointing. The background of each individual historical figure is dense and it is difficult to see the overarching story-line.

This book presupposes a depth of knowledge in pre-enlightenment British nobility.

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book takes the approach that Anglo-Saxon England was a cultural rich and literate society, that was brought down by the largely illiterate Normans, who spread war instead of learning and progress. Interesting, though not really a captivating read.

[Douglas]

A deliciously concise and acute history of the downfall of the rich culture of the Anglo-Saxons by the barbarian Normans led by the luck of William the Bastard. Tolkien would have loved it.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-balanced history. Great read

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extremely thorough examination of historical sources -- at the expense of a good story.

[Tom Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read if you've ever been sceptical about the positive things that are said about the Norman invasion - Harriet Harvey Wood does a great job of rubishing them all!