Conquest

Throughout history, there can have been few gatherings of men as fearsome as the group that stood before Duke William at his noble conclave. Robert of Mortain, William Fitzborn, Odo of Bayeux, Richard of Evreux, Roger of Beaumont, Hugh of Grandmesnil, Roger of Montgomery, Walter Gifford, Hugh of Montfort and William of Warrene were the most prominent members of a warrior elite based on rigid rules of hierarchy and military prowess. The mood was as solemn as the faces of the assembled warlords. They listened, seething, as William spat out his disdain for Harold — a usurper who had defied the wishes of his predecessor, a liar who had broken his holy oath and a fraud who had misled a weak and frightened people.

As William described his plan for an audacious invasion of England and outlined the massive resources he needed, some murmurings of dismay could be heard.

William identified the doubters and addressed them directly. ‘My noble friend, Richard, Count of Evreux, you seem disconcerted by the task.’ His sarcasm was not in any way disguised.

‘My Lord Duke, I fear no man, nor do I flinch in the face of any army, but Harold is not a weakling and his army is a match for any in Europe. We would need to put many thousands of men on to the battlefield to best him. More importantly, we have no fleet to carry such a force to England.’

William could see that the Count of Evreux’s doubts were shared by many.

‘Your battle-axe is across your shoulder, my friend. Sharpen it; many mighty oaks shall soon fall across this land. We shall build a grand fleet, the like of which has never been seen before!’

Cheering replaced whispers of discontent, as William’s single-mindedness began to rouse his nobles.

‘Helmsmen are easily bought, as are ship’s constables for our war horses. I need two thousand vessels by Midsummer’s Day. We shall sail with eight thousand infantry and bowmen, and two thousand knights and their destriers.’

There were looks of amazement around the room at the scale of William’s ambition.

‘Remember our Viking ancestors — they feared nothing, least of all the sea. They crossed oceans far bigger than the Sleeve to win legendary victories and vast wealth. Glorious conquest and hordes of treasure await us in England. Go to your lands and prepare for war! Prepare for victory!’

The proposed size of William’s armada astonished everyone, but they all knew that such a force would be necessary to defeat Harold. They also knew that nothing on earth would thwart the Duke’s determination.

The cry ‘Hail William, rightful King of England and Duke of Normandy’ rose in unison from the nobles.

Across the Channel, England stood alone. Previous forays into the lands of its Celtic neighbours had created anger and bitterness. It also had long-standing enemies in Scandinavia, in both Norway and Denmark. Other European powers were either allies of Normandy or were embroiled in their own local disputes. The Pope, Alexander II, who had succeeded Nicholas II in 1061, needed Norman support in southern Italy and readily sanctified William’s claim to the English throne.

Harold had only one significant bulwark: the English Channel, which could be capriciously dangerous for even the most experienced seafarer. If nothing else, it would buy him crucial time to prepare while the Normans built their fleet. If the Channel could not keep William at bay, it would fall to the sturdiness of England’s backbone to save the day — the redoubtable English housecarls.

Day after day and long into the nights of early spring 1066, Hereward and Harold talked tactics and strategy. They concluded that a dual invasion was possible, even a triple one, especially after news arrived that Tostig was travelling from his base in Flanders to court favour not only with William in Normandy, but also with Hardrada in Norway and even Svein Estrithson, King of Denmark.

Much of their discussions focused on the use of cavalry in battle and whether, if attacked on different fronts, the army should use horses to move around the country. They decided to eschew the use of horses, concluding that the great strength of the housecarl was his ability as an infantryman and that the powerful bulwark of the army was its shield wall. Speed would be of the essence to confront a two-pronged or three-pronged attack, and therefore the army should travel as lightly as possible. Horses needed much more care than men, and their fodder was more onerous to transport.

With Hereward setting their tasks and the King at their head, the English housecarls spent the long months of spring 1066 crossing vast tracks of southern England on forced marches, each one culminating in the army assembling in full battle order. Special lightweight baggage trains were prepared, which would keep pace with the rapid movement of the infantry and offer rest and treatment for any stragglers.

With careful planning and preparation, the English infantry could be made all but indestructible.