Anglo Saxon History Home Background Landscape Changing Landscape and Language Sea Levels in AD400(Pevensey) Sea Levels in AD400(The Wash) Sea level changes last 2000 years Andredsweald and Anderida Where are the Roman Roads History of the Romney Marsh The Great Storm 1287AD List of Landscape Documents Local The Haestingas The Cinque Ports 914AD Alfred the Great's fort in Hastings Battle Museum Battle History Society Villagenet Local Gazeteer World War 2 Tank database Simon the Piman(Raspberry Pi) Romans First Invasion 55BC Second Invasion 43AD Roman roads in Britannia Ptolemy Geographica Tribes MAP-Margary Roman Roads MAP-Roman Roads South East MAP-Roman Roads South West MAP-Roman Roads Wales MAP-Roman Roads South Midlands MAP-Roman Roads South Yorkshire MAP-Roman Locations Norfolk MAP-Roman Locations Essex MAP-Wealden Roads/Bloomeries Wealden Bloomeries 1st Century Wealden Bloomeries 2nd Century Wealden Bloomeries 3rd Century Wealden Bloomeries 4th Century MAP-Antonine Itinery I Roman Industry in the Brede Valley Decline in Roman Wealden Ironworking The Gallic Empire 260AD - 274AD Types of Roman Fortification List of Roman Documents Saxon Chronicles 449AD Hengest & Horsa arrive 455AD Hengest & Horsa defeat Wurtgern 457AD Hengest & Horsa take over Kent 460AD Hæstinga Saxons arrive 477AD Cymensora 485AD Suth Saxons Mercredesburnan 491AD Suth Saxons Pevensey 914AD Burghal Hideage Locations - 449AD Ebbsfleet Locations - 455AD Agelesþrep Locations - 485AD Mearcredesburnan Stede Locations - 914AD Eorpeburnan 1066 Battle Documentary Evidence Available Documents 1 Anglo Saxon Chronicles 2 Battle Abbey Chronicles 3 Bayeux Tapestry 4 Carmen Guy d'Amiens 5 Florence of Worcester 6 Henry of Huntingdon 7 Master Wace 8 Orderic Vitalis(Gesta) 9 William of Jumièges(Gesta) 10 William of Malmesbury 11 Quedam Exceptiones Reference to Locations Phases of the Events Phases 1066AD 1 Background 1066AD 2 In Normandy 1066AD 3 Channel Crossing 1066AD 4 The Landing 1066AD 5 Feast after Landing 1066AD 6 Building the Forts 1066AD 7 Raiding the Area 1066AD 8 Warning to Harold 1066AD 9 Stamford Bridge 1066AD 10 Harold returns to London 1066AD 11 William is Alerted 1066AD 12 Exchange of Messages 1066AD 13 Defenses 1066AD 14 Harold Reconnoitres 1066AD 15 Preparations 1066AD 16 The Night Before 1066AD 17 The Battle 1066AD 18 Harold is Killed 1066AD 19 The English Rout 1066AD 20 After the Battle 1066AD 21 The Malfosse Warriors, Weapons & Snippets Saxon - Huscarl Saxon - Fyrd(Fyrð) Senlac Hill The Malfosse The Hoar Apple Tree The Shield Wall Salt Production near Hastings The Battle of Jengland 851AD William's Ship List Norman/Viking Ships and stuff Norman bows and crossbows Harold was NOT killed by an arrow The Time Team view of the Battle 1066AD Landscape Details 1066AD Sailing from Normandy 1066AD Norman Landing 1066AD Possible Fort 1066AD to Pevensey and Hastings 1066AD Manors Wasted 1066AD Manors All 1066AD Warning to Harold 1066AD Harold to Hastings List of 1066AD Documents List of 1066AD Weapons 1086AD Domesday Boundary of Anderida Domesday Hursts Post Domesday Hursts Domesday Manors Wasted UK Norfolk Salt Production Salt Production near Hastings The Wash at 1086 The Humber estuary at 1086 Domesday County details B Bedfordshire Domesday Population Berkshire Domesday Population Buckinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details C Cambridgeshire Domesday Population Cheshire Domesday Population Cornwall Domesday Population Domesday County details D Derbyshire Domesday Population Devon Domesday Population Dorset Domesday Population Domesday County details E Essex Domesday Population Domesday County details G Gloucestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details H Hampshire Domesday Population Herefordshire Domesday Population Hertfordshire Domesday Population Huntingdonshire Domesday Population Domesday County details K Kent Domesday Population Domesday County details L Leicestershire Domesday Population Lincolnshire Domesday Population Domesday County details M Middlesex Domesday Population Domesday County details N Norfolk Domesday Population Northamptonshire Domesday Population Nottinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details O Oxfordshire Domesday Population Domesday County details R Rutland Domesday Population Domesday County details S Shropshire Domesday Population Somerset Domesday Population Staffordshire Domesday Population Suffolk Domesday Population Surrey Domesday Population Sussex Domesday Population Domesday County details W Warwickshire Domesday Population Wiltshire Domesday Population Worcestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details Y Yorkshire Domesday Population Place names Translate my Location Celtic name snippets Jutish name snippets Roman name snippets Saxon name snippets Viking name snippets Norman name snippets Modern name snippets Villages containing EY/EYE/SEA Villages containing HAM Villages containing TON Villages containing CASTLE Sussex Locations with ING Domesday Sussex with ING Kent Locations with ING Sussex Locations with HURST Loads of Village Translations Res Battle of Hastings 1066AD - King Harold was NOT killed by an arrow in the eye To set things straight King Harold was Not Killed by an arrow in his eye The myth of King Harold being killed by an arrow in the eye was created in the 1800's by historians who had vested interests in interpreting an individual chronicle as the truth, for their own advancement. So lets look at the Chronicles and take a holistic view of all that reported this incident. Details from the Chronicles Anglo Saxon Chronicles: There was slain King Harold, and Leofwin his brother, and Earl Girth his brother, with many good men: and the Frenchmen gained the field of battle, as God granted them for the sins of the nation. Nothing about an arrow Battle Abbey Chronicles: The miserable English, feeble and on foot, are scattered abroad. Pressed upon, they fall; they are slaughtered, and killed ; and their king being overthrown by a chance blow, they fly in all directions, and seek their hiding places. Nothing about an arrow The Carmen: When the duke spies the king above on the steep hill His hard pressed men are being torn to pieces Harold is forced to go the way of all flesh The first shatters his breast through the shield by a lance The second by sword severs the head below the helmet The third by spears pours out the belly’s entrails The fourth cuts off the leg at the hip Nothing about an arrow Florence of Worcester: When, however, numbers had fallen on both sides, he, alas ! fell at twilight. There fell, also, his brothers, the earls Gurth and Leofric, and almost all the English nobles. Nothing about an arrow Henry of Huntingdon: Meanwhile, a shower of arrows fell round King Harold, and he himself was pierced in the eye. A crowd of horsemen now burst in, and the king, already wounded, was slain. With him fell Earl Gurth and Earl Leofric, his brothers. At last an arrow, but Harold was injured by it not killed Master Wace: The arrows now flew thicker than rain before the wind ; fast sped the shafts that the English call 'wibetes' Then it was that an arrow, that had been thus shot upwards, struck Harold above his right eye, and put it out. In his agony he drew the arrow and threw it away, breaking it with his hands : and the pain to his head was so great, that he leaned upon his shield. And now the Normans had pressed on so far, that at last they reached the standard. There Harold had remained, defending himself to the utmost ; but he was sorely wounded in his eye by the arrow, and suffered grievous pain from the blow. An armed man came in the throng of the battle, and struck him on the ventaille of his helmet, and beat him to the ground ; and as he sought to recover himself, a knight beat him down again, striking him on the thick of his thigh, down to the bone. The arrow again, but Harold was injured by it not killed Orderic Vitalis: Although the battle was fought with the greatest fury from nine o'clock in the morning, King Harold was slain in the first onset, and his brother Earl Leofwin fell some time afterwards, with many thousands of the royal army. Nothing about an arrow William of Malmsbury: Very little on the battle at all Nothing about an arrow The Bayeux Tapestry: The tapestry appears to show a figure either holding a spear or with an arrow in his eye, this may not be Harold, and may also be a bit of fake news, as it there is a weight of opinion that says the first copy of the Tapestry by Stothard in the early 1800's doesn't show this arrow. So lets look at a copy of the Stothard and compare this with the actual Bayeux. Arrow in the Eye - Bayeux vs the Stothard print It has been claimed that the Stothard print of the Bayeux Tapestry commissioned by Society of Antiquaries and printed in 1821 shows that the arrow in Harold's eye was a spear or javelin being thrown by the soldier, and was not an arrow in their eye, and that this was modified in Victorian times. This image shows a comparison between the Stothard print from 1821 and the modern Bayeux, both show the arrow in the soldier's eye or face, hence the above statement is just an urban legend and is incorrect. If there were changes made to the Bayeux then this would have had to be prior to 1821. The death of Harold - Stothard print vs Bayeux The Bayeux Tapestry shows two events, before and during Harold's death, the arrow in the eye is depicted to the left, and then his death by a sword blow to his leg. The Stothard shows the same details as the Bayeux which implies the events occurred in this order. These events from the Bayeux seem to agree with Master Wace's chronicle and also that of Henry of Huntingdon. Conclusion It would seem from Master Wace , Henry of Huntingdon and the Bayeux Tapestry that the events recorded shows that that Harold was injured by an arrow in his eye, and later was killed by multiple Norman Knights. So in my mind the weight of evidence shows that Harold was NOT killed by an arrow in the eye, and that these chronicles show a consistent story which is most likely to be correct. Copyright saxonhistory.co.uk 2013 - 2024Contact SimonAuthor Simon M - Last updated - 2024-05-06 15:44:41All pages on our site (Sitemap)