The Characteristics and Geographic Origins of King Harold Godwineson’s Army at the Battle of Hastings

Abstract

The Battle of Hastings is without question one of the more important conflicts in English history, representing the last time England was successfully invaded by a foreign power. Reflecting this fact, there are literally hundreds of accounts that seek to examine and explain precisely what happened when opposing English and Norman forces met in Sussex on 14 October 1066. Although much has been written about the men who actually fought there, surprisingly little has been written about where they originated from. To help address this anomaly, this article examines participation in the English army at the battle with the aid of geographic information systems (GIS) techniques. The analysis indicates that participation in the English army was spatially dependent and related to the amount of land per manor. It is also demonstrated that manors held by the local elites at the time (thegn) by and large did not participate in the battle. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the veracity of existing historical accounts of the Battle of Hastings, as well as options for and benefits of applying GIS analysis to other historical events.