The Battle of Hastings - 2006 Re-enactment

[Scoav1]

Not quite as simple as that! But great video, looking forward to the full scale reeanctment next year. God bless godwinson. The last true king of england.

[H4XoR13371]

u should have put....THIS IS ENGLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA­AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =]

[LegendOfOlwood]

Nice video! Where does this take place and how often is it?

[MegaCamel7]

What song is that

[spitandfire]

do you know what horsemen are meant to do if they are "killed"? cus i always wondered

[fsbritney]

@MrLeCro Sadly yes, although in a blaze of glory as the remaining Saxon left flank formed a boarsnout and hammered through the advancing Norman right!

[Tryfing94]

Harold should have won. I would have loved to see England today had the anglo-saxons won. Long live Harold Godwineson! Long live the Anglo-Saxons!

[sirstarwars]

would the shields have been that brightly coloured

[misternnomo]

i would love to do reeinacting like this but i do english civil war living history and trying to become a musketter :D. all i have to do is be 18 and since my dad is a armourer theres no problems :D

[fsbritney]

I'm in this video. At 1:15 I'm the guy with a yellow kite shield with a red wyvern on the extreme far right of the shot.

[RoninDave]

@fsbritney wow! good spotting! You might also want to check my other vid on the battle as well entitled Roving Ronin Presents The Battle of Hastings 1066. It has a few more scenes:

watch?v=QgJ79JL-HBs

and Death of a Minstrel:

watch?v=C-wLv7t9XgQ

[KingsofSparta]

@fsbritney how do you get into these reinactments?

[fsbritney]

@KingsofSparta Join an early medieval re-enactment society, I recommend Regia Anglorum, but I've heard good things about The Vikings also.

[staryjaszczur]

Why English does not celebrate Harold rightful Anglo -Saxon king,instead  of Willem The Bastard, French invader?

[AdmiralStickney]

@staryjaszczur True!

[lakliha]

Who won the 100 year war? I cant remember if this was the only war france has ever won or if it was another

[RoninDave]

@lakliha the 100 year war is just a name historians came up with to categorize the numerous individual campaigns between England and France that was primarily fought in France over succession to the French throne and the control of French land. Sometimes the English won, sometimes the French won but in the end France succeeded in removing English control from their country

[joeyka12]

@lakliha

The english crippled the french multiple times. They gave them large beatings at Agincourt, Crecy and Poitiers (where the king became a POW). But the french reformed. gained new allies like Castilia, thanks to one of the greatest men ever alive. Bertrand Du Guesclin. They formed a new front, and when the Castilian/french fleet routed the english they where finally able to turn the tide. so eventually the french won. And they won world wars as wel. (in the end). hope this answer helps

[AdmiralStickney]

@lakliha english wins

[ELSKYO]

@lakliha the british have allways beaten the french

[Gracchi]

great vid, but a black day for the saxons this was, william the bastard,took us a few 100years to reclaim the language back too,many mass killings of the locals,in my area ,the midlands

[RoninDave]

@Gracchi yeah historians tend to or they used to tend to gloss over the aftermath of Hastings and try desperately to jump over the next century or two of what was basically a foreign occupation of the country to the Magna Carta and all the milestones of British history many of which really were set down in pre-1066 England

[forthehorde47]

what song is this?



[forthehorde47]

GO HAROLD HADRAADE!!!!!!! The Vikings wore the enemy down before William came.

[LeeyroyJenkins]

24 Saxons were killed in the Battle of Hastings (The dislikes)

[aceholepictures]

Some people seem to totally underestimate the awesome power of Norman warriors. These were elite fighters descended from elite fighters, raised from childhood to be professional soldiers. Norse fire tempering Continental steel, you'd be hard pushed to find an army in that time period to match them

[RoninDave]

@aceholepictures yeah but it still took them all day to beat an army that wasn't even fully assembled which was also tired from a forced march from London and some had come all the way from York where they had beaten an army only 2 weeks earlier.

Had Hardrada not landed or came later than William, Harold probably would have beaten him the same way he beat Hardrada - a fast march then hit William while he was still on or near the beach

[AdmiralStickney]

@RoninDave Theredore, the main European superpower at the time England

[krazeyhorse70]

I love the English history and the way you preserve it. Keep going and keep your culture alive!

[m60a3ttsmilwaukee]

5-stars wow!...someone call hollywood ! this could be an excellent subject for a huge movie...1066 a. d. stamsford bridge and hastings (just add c.g.i . in the backround!)...wow!

[wolfman19892]

@m60a3ttsmilwaukee hollywood would fuck it up , call an english film company instead , oh wait they already did and now its an awesome movie called 1066 , that gripped my heart :)

[MrStankarp2010]

Wondering if any of this footage is available as stock footage for sale?

[richmond450]

There ought to be a law against any film-maker using Carmina Burana as musical accompaniment for medieval battle scenes.

[MrNayl0r]

Awsome death at 2:05. :)

great battle.

[StueyLestrange]

Cant wait til I get to join the saxons at the next event..only done Vikingr before getting my arse handed to me at stamford bridge haha..i broke a fella's shield, had a red/white pattern. my belated apologies lol

[RoninDave]

when is the Stamford re-enactment? While I was in the UK I visited the area and used some photos of it in my blog entry

[wolfman19892]

@StueyLestrange I would like to join the saxons this year , could you please tell me details or a link at how to enlist , i'm not that far away living in kent :) Wöden guard you friend!

[StueyLestrange]

@wolfman19892 course i can! please join me as a viking merc. I am always on my own and company is good haha

[wolfman19892]

@StueyLestrange you have my axe and sword , but I have to say I am not of scandinavian blood that I know of ,i'm flemish and frisian :) , but you still need to explain to me how I can join I didn't find that much information

[Saxonsoldiers]

@wolfman19892 With regards to you being frisian my friend....its the closest language to old English still in exsistance. The Frisians came to Britain with the Angles,Saxons and Jutes.along with Geats (from sweden) they are some of the Germanic tribes that dont really get a mention when compared to the above three.

[wolfman19892]

@Saxonsoldiers tank myn freon , or in my flemish dialect , you are my friend ,, ge synt mine frynd , anyway , have you seen 1066 the battle for middle earth , in the beginning , at the wedding , they speak anglo saxon , and there aren't always subtitles , but me and my mother could just understand what they were saying , we were awed , its like they speak some really flat dutch dialect , also us knowing a variety of dialects helps in recognising words . hail saxon!

[wolfman19892]

@Saxonsoldiers yeah I think some franks aswel , I mean true franks , not the romanised empire that everyone knows about

[Saxonsoldiers]

@wolfman19892 Yh i know what you mean, the Germanic Franks, before they became low latin speakers and intermingled with the Gauls to become French. And yes, i brought 1066 the very next day after the last part aired on tv i know the bit you are talking about very well. Its the marriage at the start and yes, as an English speaker i could pick out certain words that are used. In fact by picking out the ones i did understand i knew what the rest of the sentance was without the subtitles.

[wolfman19892]

@Saxonsoldiers its great isn't it ? , are you going to fight at hastings this year?

[StueyLestrange]

@wolfman19892 e-mail sent ;)

[torqueup74]

My God!! I thought I really seen King William ridin...Greetings to everybody, you in UK only can do such perfect reenactments!

[LevSwat]

It was a great battle at 2006.

Vive la Normandie !

Thanks to alle who was fighting there !

franco flams forever

alain de bavent !

[Saxonsoldiers]

@LevSwat You got lucky thats all! No stamford Bridge-no Norman victory! We'd beaten more capable armies than the Normans before.

[jedsonbass73]

@Saxonsoldiers I agree, we...I mean the Anglo-Saxons were unlucky, but Harold and his army also made mistakes which cost them the battle. If they had been more disciplined they could have even advanced steadily on masse, with the shield wall intact, when the Normans appeared to be in disarray, then they might have caused a mass panic in the Norman Army and won. Just a theory! The saxons also lacked significant numbers of archers to grind down an enemy.

[RoninDave]

@jedsonbass73 you have to keep in mind the saxon army was composed of professionals and citizen soldiers (fyrd) particularly untried ones from the local area. Harold and his professionals arrived from York and gathered troops from London and along the way so there wasn't time for proper coordination hence the reason he chose a defensive position that would compensate for this.

It was the fyrd who got too eager and broke their positions several times. Still the battle was a close call

[wolfman19892]

@Saxonsoldiers Spoken like only ason of Wöden would!

[wolfman19892]

@Saxonsoldiers Spoken like only ason of Wöden would ! hail my saxon friend

[swollower]

So tell me if am wrong but I was always led to believe that the word "Battle" comes from this fight because it was fought just outside the village of Battle about 4 miles from Hastings and so "Battle of Hastings" and the word "Battle" was then used ever after to mean a big fight

[ppitm]

According to etymology dictionary:

word is cerca1300, from Old French bataille "battle, single combat," also "inner turmoil, harsh circumstances; army, body of soldiers," from L.L. battualia "exercise of soldiers and gladiators in fighting and fencing," from L. battuere "to beat, to strike"

[rapier17]

Now that was a grand fight (even if at the time I was incredibly hungover). Fortunatly I spent near the entire battle not fighting as I was with Regia Anglorum in the Third Division, ones who didn't go chasing after the Normans, and were last to be cut down.

Grand day :D (and pretty savage in the spear fights!)

[Birchofmine]

i was there...4 months pregnant...

3 hours of non stop battle did it though.... AMAZING

[hoppuss44]

bloody hell they were really going for it at one point XD

[boyrichboy]

hahaha, the guy at 2:06 got owned... brilliant video too!

[1971joann0]

fuck william if i was around at the time i would have punched is gay norman head off,

[Miru20]

well, he was quite tall and muscular.. are you sure about that? :)

[1971joann0]

yes pal i am sure ov it, and how the fuck do you know whot king knob head of normandy was like or me for that matter by all accounts he was that fat when the died the fat cunt bust lol

[Miru20]

cool it bro it was a joke, I guess you won't punch him because he's dead for like 900 years so be cool

[1971joann0]

LOL OK THEN M8 UR RIGHT. ;)

[GustavJorgensen]

The guy in the ending´s shield is the danish flag... xD

[wilburforce83]

some of the Vikngr fought as mercenaries for english, so perhaps that is a loose homage to the northmen?

[GustavJorgensen]

Nah don´t think so. The danish flag did´nt look like that back then. It had a red background like the modern one, but it had a white bird, not a cross.

[rexmonster66]

It's the flag of Wessex - a white stag on a red field.

Harold was the last of the Wessex kings.

[Lizard2176]

There is a french, american, and mexican guy on a plane, they have too much stuff so they throw out stuff they have a lot of, The french throws out a croissant. The mexican throws out marajuana, and the american throws out the mexican. :)

[Kaarle15]

how old

[KooKas2oo8]

And the rest of the world throws out the American :)

[Veence1987]

I lol'd.

[jamieishungry]

i was there :DD

[moep]

you are lucky!

[Ethmanss]

i was there too :D

[Kromlek666]

dont say everthing about the FFC

[1stMDcav]

that is the most bad ass reenactment I have ever seen, I've been reenacting cavalry for 7 years, and now I so have to go to England.

[graemefield01]

I have read that the Normans feigned a retreat which led Harolds men to believe they had the advantage in the battle, Harolds men then began to break their shield wall and chase the Normans down the hill, which was ultimately their downfall. Had they remained behind the shield wall which up until then had remained more or less impregnable, things may now be very different in England. A very sad day for England.

[llanffayyr]

I was there, that day of October..2006

[Ginko26]

first of all why was harold holding a greek banner and did anyone actually die cuz it looked really convincing

[LitaniesOfFaith]

And yet Harald's huscarls fought unto their deaths. Great stuff, but typically disordered. It looked almost as bad as larp. Is it really that bad in dark age re-enactment? Should I even bother? If so, I think I'll just have to settle for civil war.

[82gil82]

If you think there was anything wrong with the authenticity of that re-enactment, formations or lack thereof, then please don't. Stick to Games workshop.

[LitaniesOfFaith]

It's not the only interest I have. I'd go in for re-enactment myself, but my brother in-law was almost killed by a ram-rod in the 90's and it put me off.

[82gil82]

Not a bad reason to avoid it. There's obviously no gun powder in dark-age, not even byzantine incendiaries. It's all rather safe. The only fatalities in British re-enactment I've heard of in the last few years have been in jousting and medieval. Broken bones is about as bad as it gets.

[LitaniesOfFaith]

It's more an idiot thing. Anyone who hasn't the presence of mind to remove their ramrod... let's leave it at that eh?

[Vicksburg63]

My Family was Granted land because of their "Distinguished Assistance" at the battle of Hastings, It's Ironic also because my Familys Surname which is originally from the Greek language is Nikaloas. Nika means "to conquer" and Loas means "people"

[wilb6657]

Cool re-enactment,and video! This stuff always interested me!

[kosmoandreas]

...the nations of "today" play the battles of middle age or even some Americans play "second world war" on the both side.What will play the children of our childerns???Battle of Tora Bora in Afganistan or battle for Sarajewo in Yugoslavia???We think those midddle-age battles are a kind romantic but what about the wars of 20 century...are they also so romantic?Atomic-bomb on Hiroshima..how You want to play this??Regards to all history-fans from Germany.

[NoOdL3z21]

this battle is on medieval 2 total war, i think you have to draw them off their flanks, i wear them out with my cavalry, and draw them withing range of my archers, sometimes if i do that, the Normans just do a full, incredibly powerful charge. its a tough battle.

[RoninDave]

I'll have to check that game out then. It's good to hear that the game designers make the battle more difficult than academics have been doing for centuries which it really was. It was not a cakewalk for William and the Normans and they were fighting a foe composed of tired troops come from London and even York!

[NoOdL3z21]

sorry, i meant the Saxons have an insane charge in this battle, i like games like medieval 2, where you have to outwit and outflank your opponent, draw them in and close the jaws behind them, strategically take out their captains and generals, draw them into a canyon, where their numbers are near useless, use trees to ambush and cause some enemy troops to rout, its a really great game and has intense game play, you use everything you have to obtain victory, or die trying.

[SPIRITOFODIN]

Had King Harold's army not been forced to deal with the Vikings prior to Hastings, they would have been victorious.

I like Anglo-Saxon England better than Norman England.

[RoninDave]

yeah my sympathies tend to lie with Harold and the Anglo-Saxons.

Had William landed first or Vikings not at all, chances are the Normans probably would have lost.

[spartanwarrior1]

@SPIRITOFODIN that s just an assumption. the normans woul have crushed them sooner or later. i like celtic britain much better.

[wolfman19892]

@SPIRITOFODIN So do I , the anglo saxons managed to preserve the spirit of old europe in their island like the scandinavians had , the roman speaking franks had evolved in what would be the true middle ages before their time , and brought this plague upon england , the only ones amoung the norman army that resembled the saxons were the flemish , and (we still speak germanic , the french haven't gotten the best of us yet)

[slideharp1]

@SPIRITOFODIN Yeah, the English didn't need anything from the Normans or their French hangers-on. Hardrada's invasion was a carefully co-ordinated and vital part of William the bastard's invasion (I don't know why it's constantly projected as a coincidence!!) William knew he'd have a very hard time trying to beat the English - if he was able to do it at all. Hardrada's invasion, advised by King Harold's brother Tostig, was essential for any chance of defeating the English.

[AdmiralStickney]

@SPIRITOFODIN True, damned normans destroyed the kingdom

[criztu]

great editing, great footage

[Langobarde88]

o no! the russian invaders^^

[FascistFrenchman]

I probably just missed it in the text of the samuraidave wordpress com/category/uk/ page (period marks excluded because YouTube will block the ref), but I don't recall any reference to Duke William ordering his archers to fire just over the top of the shield wall as history and the Bayeux Tapestry records.

As for the video, though I enjoyed it some, I would rather have had the sound of steel on steel and cries of pain than the music. I would like to watch the video in full.

[RoninDave]

this was a re-enactment that had its own score and sports-like commentary so I left out the audio as it seriously detracted from the video.

[samdung91]

It's one of englands werst battle's may we never have one as herific as this again

[P0rphyro]

THE HERRER! THE HERRER!

[JBradenChancellor]

Oh my God, that was fantastic!

[BrandirHuscarl]

Excellent- I loved that battle- got caught in the open by cavalry and had a horse jump clean over me!

[kroshkamaster]

A little short but very nice

[DrCHUD666]

Very nicely done....I love a lot of re-enactments and I think that this is a little bit better due to what went into it. Very well made.

[RoninDave]

They were pretty serious. No eye glasses, cellphones, etc... that I've seen elsewhere. They had people going around making sure no one wore anything that was out of the time period.