Chapter VII - England Under Harold the Second, and Conquered by the Normans

by Charles Dickens

　　Harold was crowned King of England on the very day of the maudlinConfessor's funeral. He had good need to be quick about it. Whenthe news reached Norman William, hunting in his park at Rouen, hedropped his bow, returned to his palace, called his nobles tocouncil, and presently sent ambassadors to Harold, calling on himto keep his oath and resign the Crown. Harold would do no suchthing. The barons of France leagued together round Duke Williamfor the invasion of England. Duke William promised freely todistribute English wealth and English lands among them. The Popesent to Normandy a consecrated banner, and a ring containing a hairwhich he warranted to have grown on the head of Saint Peter. Heblessed the enterprise; and cursed Harold; and requested that theNormans would pay 'Peter's Pence' - or a tax to himself of a pennya year on every house - a little more regularly in future, if theycould make it convenient.

　　King Harold had a rebel brother in Flanders, who was a vassal ofHarold Hardrada, King of Norway. This brother, and this NorwegianKing, joining their forces against England, with Duke William'shelp, won a fight in which the English were commanded by twonobles; and then besieged York. Harold, who was waiting for theNormans on the coast at Hastings, with his army, marched toStamford Bridge upon the river Derwent to give them instant battle.

　　He found them drawn up in a hollow circle, marked out by theirshining spears. Riding round this circle at a distance, to surveyit, he saw a brave figure on horseback, in a blue mantle and abright helmet, whose horse suddenly stumbled and threw him.

　　'Who is that man who has fallen?' Harold asked of one of hiscaptains.

　　'The King of Norway,' he replied.

　　'He is a tall and stately king,' said Harold, 'but his end isnear.'

　　He added, in a little while, 'Go yonder to my brother, and tellhim, if he withdraw his troops, he shall be Earl of Northumberland,and rich and powerful in England.'

　　The captain rode away and gave the message.

　　'What will he give to my friend the King of Norway?' asked thebrother.

　　'Seven feet of earth for a grave,' replied the captain.

　　'No more?' returned the brother, with a smile.

　　'The King of Norway being a tall man, perhaps a little more,'replied the captain.

　　'Ride back!' said the brother, 'and tell King Harold to make readyfor the fight!'

　　He did so, very soon. And such a fight King Harold led againstthat force, that his brother, and the Norwegian King, and everychief of note in all their host, except the Norwegian King's son,Olave, to whom he gave honourable dismissal, were left dead uponthe field. The victorious army marched to York. As King Haroldsat there at the feast, in the midst of all his company, a stir washeard at the doors; and messengers all covered with mire fromriding far and fast through broken ground came hurrying in, toreport that the Normans had landed in England.

　　The intelligence was true. They had been tossed about by contrarywinds, and some of their ships had been wrecked. A part of theirown shore, to which they had been driven back, was strewn withNorman bodies. But they had once more made sail, led by the Duke'sown galley, a present from his wife, upon the prow whereof thefigure of a golden boy stood pointing towards England. By day, thebanner of the three Lions of Normandy, the diverse coloured sails,the gilded vans, the many decorations of this gorgeous ship, hadglittered in the sun and sunny water; by night, a light hadsparkled like a star at her mast-head. And now, encamped nearHastings, with their leader lying in the old Roman castle ofPevensey, the English retiring in all directions, the land formiles around scorched and smoking, fired and pillaged, was thewhole Norman power, hopeful and strong on English ground.

　　Harold broke up the feast and hurried to London. Within a week,his army was ready. He sent out spies to ascertain the Normanstrength. William took them, caused them to be led through hiswhole camp, and then dismissed. 'The Normans,' said these spies toHarold, 'are not bearded on the upper lip as we English are, butare shorn. They are priests.' 'My men,' replied Harold, with alaugh, 'will find those priests good soldiers!'

　　'The Saxons,' reported Duke William's outposts of Norman soldiers,who were instructed to retire as King Harold's army advanced, 'rushon us through their pillaged country with the fury of madmen.'

　　'Let them come, and come soon!' said Duke William.

　　Some proposals for a reconciliation were made, but were soonabandoned. In the middle of the month of October, in the year onethousand and sixty-six, the Normans and the English came front tofront. All night the armies lay encamped before each other, in apart of the country then called Senlac, now called (in remembranceof them) Battle. With the first dawn of day, they arose. There,in the faint light, were the English on a hill; a wood behind them;in their midst, the Royal banner, representing a fighting warrior,woven in gold thread, adorned with precious stones; beneath thebanner, as it rustled in the wind, stood King Harold on foot, withtwo of his remaining brothers by his side; around them, still andsilent as the dead, clustered the whole English army - everysoldier covered by his shield, and bearing in his hand his dreadedEnglish battle-axe.

　　On an opposite hill, in three lines, archers, foot-soldiers,horsemen, was the Norman force. Of a sudden, a great battle-cry,'God help us!' burst from the Norman lines. The English answeredwith their own battle-cry, 'God's Rood! Holy Rood!' The Normansthen came sweeping down the hill to attack the English.

　　There was one tall Norman Knight who rode before the Norman army ona prancing horse, throwing up his heavy sword and catching it, andsinging of the bravery of his countrymen. An English Knight, whorode out from the English force to meet him, fell by this Knight'shand. Another English Knight rode out, and he fell too. But thena third rode out, and killed the Norman. This was in the firstbeginning of the fight. It soon raged everywhere.

　　The English, keeping side by side in a great mass, cared no morefor the showers of Norman arrows than if they had been showers ofNorman rain. When the Norman horsemen rode against them, withtheir battle-axes they cut men and horses down. The Normans gaveway. The English pressed forward. A cry went forth among theNorman troops that Duke William was killed. Duke William took offhis helmet, in order that his face might be distinctly seen, androde along the line before his men. This gave them courage. Asthey turned again to face the English, some of their Norman horsedivided the pursuing body of the English from the rest, and thusall that foremost portion of the English army fell, fightingbravely. The main body still remaining firm, heedless of theNorman arrows, and with their battle-axes cutting down the crowdsof horsemen when they rode up, like forests of young trees, DukeWilliam pretended to retreat. The eager English followed. TheNorman army closed again, and fell upon them with great slaughter.

　　'Still,' said Duke William, 'there are thousands of the English,firms as rocks around their King. Shoot upward, Norman archers,that your arrows may fall down upon their faces!'

　　The sun rose high, and sank, and the battle still raged. Throughall the wild October day, the clash and din resounded in the air.In the red sunset, and in the white moonlight, heaps upon heaps ofdead men lay strewn, a dreadful spectacle, all over the ground.

　　King Harold, wounded with an arrow in the eye, was nearly blind.His brothers were already killed. Twenty Norman Knights, whosebattered armour had flashed fiery and golden in the sunshine allday long, and now looked silvery in the moonlight, dashed forwardto seize the Royal banner from the English Knights and soldiers,still faithfully collected round their blinded King. The Kingreceived a mortal wound, and dropped. The English broke and fled.The Normans rallied, and the day was lost.

　　O what a sight beneath the moon and stars, when lights were shiningin the tent of the victorious Duke William, which was pitched nearthe spot where Harold fell - and he and his knights were carousing,within - and soldiers with torches, going slowly to and fro,without, sought for the corpse of Harold among piles of dead - andthe Warrior, worked in golden thread and precious stones, lay low,all torn and soiled with blood - and the three Norman Lions keptwatch over the field!