x A few days later, word came that William had taken advantage of
Harold’s absence to cross the channel and land his army, organizing
his forces on a road that led to London in the peninsula near
Hastings, where his army could be resupplied by sea.x +DUROGPDUFKHGVRXWKUHDFKLQJ/RQGRQLQ¿YHGD\VZKHUHKH
paused for several days to assemble more troops. On October 13,
Harold camped within a few miles of William, and both armies
prepared to do battle the next day.The Armies and Their Technology
x The arms, tactics, and equipment of Harold’s Anglo-Saxon army
and William’s Norman army shared much in common:
o The wealthier warriors on both sides would have worn long
shirts of chain mail or scale armor with long vertical slits
extending up from the bottom edge to allow horseback riding,
often augmented by a
mail coif that went over
the head.
o Both sides carried
wooden shields with
a metal boss and rim
that were either circular
or round on top, then
tapered to a point at
the bottom, a design
especially handy for
cavalry use.o Both sides favored
straight, long, double-
edged swords, designed
for slashing attacks.
Javelins and thrusting
spears were also popular
weapons.7KH%D\HX[7DSHVWU\LVRQHRI
our best sources of information
regarding the arms and armor
used by both sides at the Battle
of Hastings.© Getty Images/Photos.com/Thinkstock.