Hawkwood, John 331Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate(Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1997); L. Vecchia Vaglieri,
“(al)-Hasan b. Alı ̄ b. Abi Talib,” Encyclopedia of Islam
3.240–243.
Hastings, Battle ofThis was the decisive victory of
the NORMANS in their conquest of ANGLO-SAXONS in
ENGLAND. The Battle of Hastings was fought at a place
now called Battle, in Sussex, on Saturday, October 14,
- On that day WILLIAMI the Conqueror, duke of
NORMANDY, killed HAROLDII Godwineson and most of
the fighting aristocracy of England. On the following
Christmas Day, William was crowned king. The Normans
disputed the accused perjuror Harold’s coronation as
EDWARD THE CONFESSOR’Ssuccessor because Harold had
previously sworn to support William, in 1051 and 1064. A
perjured ruler was a tyrant whom one could attack. Pope
Alexander II’s (r. 1061–73) backing gave William the
moral justification. After his victory, as a token of
penance, William built Battle Abbey near the site.
See alsoBAYEUXTAPESTRY.
Further reading:Frank Barlow, ed., The Carmen de
Hastingae Proelio of Guy Bishop of Amiens (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1999); Jim Bradbury, The Battle
of Hastings(Stroud, England: Sutton Publishing, 1998);
M. K. Lawson, The Battle of Hastings(London: Tempus,
2002); Stephen Morillo, ed. The Battle of Hastings: Sources
and Interpretations(Woodbridge, England: Boydell Press,
1996).
Hattin, Battle of Horns of (Hittin) Near a hill in
eastern Galilee, near Tiberias, the Muslims inflicted a
great defeat on the crusader forces of the kingdom of
JERUSALEMon July 4, 1187. The Muslims, led by SALADIN,
defeated the crusaders, led by Guy of Lusignan
(1129–94), king of Jerusalem. Most of the crusaders were
killed or taken prisoner, so the kingdom of Jerusalem,
now defenseless, including the capital, Jerusalem, and its
major city, ACRE, quickly fell to Saladin and his army. As
soon as the news of the defeat at Hattin reached western
Europe, the Third Crusade was proclaimed.
Further reading:Benjamin Z. Kedar, ed., The Horns
of Hattin(London: Variorum, 1992).
Havelock the Dane He was the central character of
the folkloric Lay of Havelock the Dane,an Anglo-French
lay and English romance written in the 13th century in
Lincolnshire, a part of eastern ENGLANDsettled by Danes
in the ninth century. Havelock was the rightful king of
DENMARKbut was robbed of his inheritance by a usurper.
He was supposed to drown at sea but escaped and went
into exile in England. After many adventures, he married
the heiress to the English throne, Goldeboru, and
regained his own kingdom, eventually uniting a portion
of England and Denmark under his rule. The story had
no basis in fact but was linked with the establishment of
the DANELAWand the union of England and Denmark
under CANUTE. An entertaining tale for the common peo-
ple, but not a great work of literature, the Laywas one of
the few works of vernacular English literature to survive
from the period.
See alsoANGLO-NORMAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE.
Further reading:Walter W. Skeat, ed., The Lay of
Havelok the Dane,2d ed. (1915; reprint, Oxford: Claren-
don Press, 1967).hawking and falconry SeeHUNTING AND FOWLINGHawkwood, John(Giovanni Acuto) (ca. 1320–1394)
English military adventurer
Born in Essex in England about 1320 and a veteran of the
battles of the HUNDREDYEARS’WARfor EDWARDIII in
FRANCE, John Hawkwood arrived in ITA LY in 1360 and
became captain of a private army, selling his and its ser-
vices to the cities for almost 35 years. In 1361, he was the
condottiereor mercenary captain of PISAand participated
in its wars with other Tuscan cities, among them FLO-
RENCE. Despite a defeat in 1364, he gained great reputa-
tion and, through an alliance with MILAN, became one ofJohn Hawkwood, an equestrian portrait by Paolo Uccello
(1397–1475) in the cathedral of Florence, Italy(Erich Lessing /
Art Resource)