Editing Battle of Hastings (section)

==Aftermath==
{{See also|Norman conquest of England#Consequences}}
[[File:Battleabbey-wyrdlight-0190.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins of the monks' dormitory at Battle Abbey]]
The day after the battle, Harold's body was identified, either by his armour or by marks on his body.{{efn|A 12th-century tradition stated that Harold's face could not be recognised and [[Edith the Fair]], Harold's [[Common-law marriage|common-law wife]], was brought to the battlefield to identify his body from marks that only she knew.<ref name="Gravett80" />}}  His personal standard was presented to William<ref name=Rex253>Rex ''Harold II'' p. 253</ref> and later sent to the papacy.<ref name=Gravett76/> The bodies of the English dead, including some of Harold's brothers and housecarls, were left on the battlefield,<ref name=Huscroft131/> although some were removed by relatives later.<ref name=Gravett81>Gravett ''Hastings'' p. 81</ref> The Norman dead were buried in a large communal grave, which has not been found.<ref name=Marren146/>{{efn|It is possible the grave site was located where the abbey now stands.<ref name=Marren146/>}} Casualty figures are unknown. Of the Englishmen known to be at the battle, the number of dead implies that the death rate was about 50 per cent of those engaged, although this may be too high. Of the named Normans who fought at Hastings, one in seven is stated to have died, but these were all noblemen, and the death rate among the common soldiers was probably higher. Although Orderic Vitalis's figures are highly exaggerated,{{efn|He states that there were 15,000 casualties out of 60,000 who fought on William's side at the battle.<ref name=Marren147/>}} his ratio of one in four casualties may be accurate. Marren speculates that perhaps 2,000 Normans and 4,000 Englishmen were killed at Hastings.<ref name=Marren147>Marren ''1066'' pp. 147–149</ref> Reports stated that some of the English dead were still being found on the hillside years later. Although scholars thought for a long time that remains would not be recoverable, due to the acidic soil, recent finds have changed this view.<ref name=past6>Livesay "Skeleton 180 Shock Dating Result" ''Sussex Past and Present'' p. 6</ref> One skeleton that was found in a medieval cemetery, and originally was thought to be associated with the 13th century [[Battle of Lewes]], now is thought to be associated with Hastings instead.<ref name=sac148>Barber and Sibun "Medieval Hospital of St Nicholas" ''Sussex Archaeological Collections'' pp. 79–109</ref>{{efn|This skeleton, numbered 180, sustained six fatal sword cuts to the back of the skull and was one of five skeletons that had suffered violent trauma. Analysis continues on the other remains to try to build up a more accurate picture of who the individuals are.<ref name="past6"/>}}

One story relates that [[Gytha Thorkelsdóttir|Gytha]], Harold's mother, offered the victorious duke the weight of her son's body in gold for its custody but was refused. William ordered that Harold's body be thrown into the sea, but whether that took place is unclear.<ref name=Huscroft131/> Another story relates that Harold was buried at the top of a cliff.<ref name=Marren146>Marren ''1066'' p. 146</ref> [[Waltham Abbey Church|Waltham Abbey]], which had been founded by Harold, later claimed that his body had been secretly buried there.<ref name=Huscroft131>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' p. 131</ref> Other legends claimed that Harold did not die at Hastings but escaped and became a hermit at Chester.<ref name=Gravett81/>

[[File:BattleNormannen.JPG|thumb|right|[[Battle of Hastings reenactment|Reenactment]] in front of [[Battle Abbey]]]]

William expected to receive the submission of the surviving English leaders after his victory, but instead [[Edgar Ætheling]]{{efn|Ætheling is the Anglo-Saxon term for a royal prince with some claim to the throne.<ref name=Bennett91>Bennett ''Campaigns of the Norman Conquest'' p. 91</ref>}} was proclaimed king by the Witenagemot, with the support of Earls Edwin and Morcar, Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and [[Ealdred (archbishop of York)|Ealdred]], the Archbishop of York.<ref name=Douglas204>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 204–205</ref> William therefore advanced on London, marching around the coast of [[Kent]]. He defeated an English force that attacked him at [[Southwark]] but was unable to storm [[London Bridge]], forcing him to reach the capital by a more circuitous route.<ref name=Douglas205>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 205–206</ref>

William moved up the [[River Thames|Thames]] valley to cross the river at [[Wallingford, Oxfordshire|Wallingford]], where he received the submission of Stigand. He then travelled north-east along the [[Chilterns]], before advancing towards London from the north-west,{{efn|William appears to have taken this route to meet up with reinforcements that had landed by Portsmouth and met him between London and Winchester. By swinging around to the north, William cut off London from reinforcements.<ref name=Bennett45>Bennett ''Campaigns of the Norman Conquest'' p. 45</ref>}} fighting further engagements against forces from the city. The English leaders surrendered to William at [[Berkhamsted]], Hertfordshire. William was acclaimed King of England and crowned by Ealdred on 25 December 1066, in [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref name=Douglas205/>

Despite the submission of the English nobles, resistance continued for several years.<ref name=Douglas212>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' p. 212</ref> There were rebellions in Exeter in late 1067, an invasion by Harold's sons in mid-1068, and an uprising in Northumbria in 1068.<ref name=Bennett49>Bennett ''Campaigns of the Norman Conquest'' pp. 49–50</ref> In 1069 William faced more troubles from Northumbrian rebels, an invading Danish fleet, and rebellions in the south and west of England. He ruthlessly put down the various risings, culminating in the [[Harrying of the North]] in late 1069 and early 1070 that devastated parts of northern England.<ref name=Bennett51>Bennett, ''Campaigns of the Norman Conquest'', pp. 51–53</ref> A further rebellion in 1070 by [[Hereward the Wake]] was also defeated by the king, at Ely.<ref name=Bennett57>Bennett ''Campaigns of the Norman Conquest'' pp. 57–60</ref>

[[Battle Abbey]] was founded by William at the site of the battle. According to 12th-century sources, William made a vow to found the abbey, and the high altar of the church was placed at the site where Harold had died.<ref name=Bennett43/> More likely, the foundation was imposed on William by [[papal legate]]s in 1070.<ref name=Coad32>Coad ''Battle Abbey and Battlefield'' p. 32</ref> The topography of the battlefield has been altered by subsequent construction work for the abbey, and the slope defended by the English is now much less steep than it was at the time of the battle; the top of the ridge has also been built up and levelled.<ref name=Gravett91/> After the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]], the abbey's lands passed to secular landowners who used it as a residence or country house.<ref name=Coad42>Coad ''Battle Abbey and Battlefield'' pp. 42–46</ref> In 1976 the estate was put up for sale and purchased by the government with the aid of some American donors who wished to honour the 200th anniversary of American independence.<ref name=Coad48>Coad ''Battle Abbey and Battlefield'' p. 48</ref> The battlefield and abbey grounds are currently owned and administered by [[English Heritage]] and are open to the public.<ref name=Marren165>Marren ''1066'' p. 165</ref>

The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidered narrative of the events leading up to Hastings probably commissioned by [[Odo of Bayeux]] soon after the battle, perhaps to hang at the bishop's palace at Bayeux.<ref name=Coad31>Coad ''Battle Abbey and Battlefield'' p. 31</ref>{{efn|The first recorded mention of the tapestry is from 1476, but it is similar in style to late Anglo-Saxon manuscript illustrations and may have been composed and executed in England.<ref name=Coad31/> The Tapestry now is displayed at the former Bishop's Palace at [[Bayeux]] in France.<ref name=Gravett99>Gravett ''Hastings'' p. 99</ref>}} In modern times annual [[Battle of Hastings reenactment|reenactments]] of the battle have drawn thousands of participants and spectators to the site of the original battle.<ref>{{cite news|title=Normans fight Saxons... and the rain|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/970522.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=22 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=King Harold and William square up|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/6050986.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=22 August 2013|date=14 October 2006}}</ref> Some English veterans of the battle left England and joined the [[Varangian Guard]] in Constantinople. They fought the Normans again at the [[Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081)|Battle of Dyrrhachium]] in 1081, and were defeated again in similar circumstances.<ref>Norwich ''Byzantium'' p. 19</ref>