Norman Conquest Encyclopedia
William of Poitiers
A contemporary chronicler of William the Conqueror's invasion of England, William of Poitiers is a useful authority on such matters as feigned flight as a tactic used at Senlac Hill on 14 October 1066. He reports, having it from men who actually fought in the battle, that the first flight was real, and, seeing that the effect was to draw men down from Senlac Hill into the open, a second and truly feigned flight was organised to break up the English shield-wall. Poitiers, who can scarcely be expected to be objective in his history, also reports that Harold Godwinsson journeyed to Normandy in 1064 to confirm William, duke of Normandy in the succession to the throne of England.
See also: feigned flight; Harold Godwinsson; Normandy; Senlac Hill; shield-wall; succession; William the Conqueror
Related Reading:
- Hastings 1066 (Revised Edition)- The Fall of Saxon England
(Campaign 13 )