Editing Battle of Hastings (section)

==Harold moves south==
After defeating Tostig and Harald Hardrada in the north, Harold left much of his forces in the north, including Morcar and Edwin, and marched the rest of his army south to deal with the threatened Norman invasion.<ref name=Carpenter72>Carpenter ''Struggle for Mastery'' p. 72</ref> It is unclear when Harold learned of William's landing, but it was probably during the march. Harold stopped in London for about a week before Hastings, so he likely spent about a week on his march south, averaging about {{convert|27|mi|km|abbr=on}} per day,<ref name=Marren93>Marren ''1066'' p. 93</ref> for the approximately {{convert|200|mi|km|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Huscroft124>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' p. 124</ref> Harold camped at Caldbec Hill on the night of 13 October, near a "hoar-apple tree", about {{convert|8|mi|km|abbr=on}} from William's castle at Hastings.<ref name=Marren94>Marren ''1066'' pp. 94–95</ref>{{efn|"Hoar" means grey, and probably refers to a crab-apple tree covered with lichen that was likely a local landmark.<ref name=Marren94/>}} Some of the early contemporary French accounts mention an emissary or emissaries sent by Harold to William, which is likely, though nothing came of it.<ref name=Lawson180/>

Although Harold attempted to surprise the Normans, William's scouts reported the English arrival to the duke. The events preceding the battle are obscure, with contradictory accounts in the sources, but all agree that William's army advanced from his castle towards the enemy.<ref name=Lawson180>Lawson ''Battle of Hastings'' pp. 180–182</ref> Harold had taken a defensive position at the top of [[Senlac Hill]] (present-day Battle, East Sussex), about {{convert|6|mi|km|abbr=on}} from William's castle at Hastings.<ref name=Marren99>Marren ''1066'' pp. 99–100</ref>

===English forces at Hastings===
The number of soldiers in Harold's army at Hastings is unknown, as contemporary records do not give reliable figures. Some Norman sources give 400,000 to 1,200,000 on Harold's side,{{efn|The 400,000 figure is given in [[Wace]]'s ''Romance de Rou'' and the 1,200,000 figure coming from the ''[[Carmen de Hastingae Proelio]]''.<ref name=Lawson128fn>Lawson ''Battle of Hastings'' p. 128 footnote 32</ref>}} while English sources seem to underestimate Harold's army, perhaps to make the English defeat seem less devastating.<ref name=Lawson128>Lawson ''Battle of Hastings'' p. 128 and footnote 32</ref> Recent historians have suggested figures of between 5000 and 13,000,<ref name=Lawson130>Lawson ''Battle of Hastings'' pp. 130–133</ref> while most argue for a figure of 7000–8000 English troops.<ref name="Gravett28" /><ref name=Marren105>Marren ''1066'' p. 105</ref> These men would have been a mix of the ''fyrd'' and housecarls. Few individual Englishmen are known to have been present;<ref name="Gravett20" /> about 20 named individuals can reasonably be assumed to have fought with Harold at Hastings, including Harold's brothers [[Gyrth Godwinson|Gyrth]] and [[Leofwine Godwinson|Leofwine]] and two other relatives.<ref name="Marren107" />{{efn|Of these named persons, eight died in the battle&nbsp;– Harold, Gyrth, Leofwine, Godric the sheriff, Thurkill of Berkshire, Breme, and someone known only as "son of Helloc".<ref name="Marren107"/>}}

[[File:Bayeuxtapestryscene52.jpg|thumb|left|Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting mounted Norman soldiers attacking Anglo-Saxons who are fighting on foot in a shield wall]]

The English army consisted entirely of infantry. It is possible that some of the higher-class members of the army rode to battle but then dismounted when battle was joined to fight on foot.{{efn|Some historians have argued, based on comments by [[Snorri Sturlson]] made in the 13th century, that the English army did occasionally fight as [[cavalry]]. Contemporary accounts, such as in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' record that when English soldiers were forced to fight on horseback, they were usually routed, as in 1055 near Hereford.<ref name=Gravett29/>}} The core of the army was made up of housecarls, full-time professional soldiers. Their armour consisted of a conical helmet, a mail hauberk, and a shield, which might be either kite-shaped or round.<ref name=Gravett29>Gravett ''Hastings'' pp. 29–31</ref> Most housecarls fought with the two-handed [[Dane axe|Danish battleaxe]], but they could also carry a sword.<ref name=Marren52>Marren ''1066'' p. 52</ref> The rest of the army was made up of levies from the ''fyrd'', also infantry but more lightly armoured and not professionals. Most of the infantry would have formed part of the [[shield wall]], in which the front ranks locked their shields together. Behind them would have been axemen and javelins as well as archers.<ref name=Fighting21>Bennett, ''et al''. ''Fighting Techniques'' pp. 21–22</ref>