Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

The Vikings were sea-borne warriors and by the 11th century Normans, Anglo-Saxons and Danes regarded the transportation of troops and even cavalry by ship as quite normal. William the Bastard assembled a large fleet at Dives-sur-Mer which probably numbered something between 650 and 750 vessels. Meanwhile, during the summer of 1066, the English fleet, the ship fyrd, raised by the ship-sokes, was assembled and lay off the Isle of Wight, perhaps making a foray into the Channel in search of the Norman convoy. While this watch was undertaken in the south, Harald Hardrada was sailing to attack the coast of and York.

See also: Anglo-Saxons; Danes; fyrd; Harald Hardrada; Normans; Vikings; William the Bastard; York

Related Reading:

• Hastings 1066 (Revised Edition)- The Fall of Saxon England
  (Campaign 13 )
• Viking Longship
  (New Vanguard 47)
• The Normans
  (Elite 9)