One day in 1066 that decided who would be king of England.
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These are the new words for the Battle of Hastings. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (a duke) · 2 = C (a soldier) · 3 = A (a battle) · 4 = H (a ship)
5 = G (a shield) · 6 = E (an arrow) · 7 = B (a hill) · 8 = F (a castle)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
In January 1066, the king of England died. His name was Edward. He had no son, so there was no clear new king. This was a big problem. The next day, the English chose a powerful man called Harold to be the new king.
But two other men also wanted the crown. One was Duke William. He came from Normandy, in the north of France. He said that Edward had promised the crown to him many years before. He was very angry, and he began to build ships to cross the sea and fight.
The other man was a king from Norway. In September, his army came to the north of England. First, Harold marched his army all the way to the north. Then he won a big battle there. But his soldiers were now very tired. At that moment, bad news came: while Harold was in the north, William and his ships had crossed the sea to the south.
1. Why was there a problem after King Edward died?
2. What did Harold do in the north, and what news came after?
1. Edward had no son, so there was no clear new king. Three men wanted the crown.
2. He marched north and won a battle against the king from Norway. Then bad news came: William had crossed the sea to the south.
Harold turned his tired army around. Then he marched south again, very fast, for many days. On 14 October 1066, the two armies met near a town called Hastings. Harold's men stood on a hill. They put their shields together to make a strong wall. William's men were at the bottom of the hill. They had soldiers on horses, and men with bows and arrows.
All day, William's men ran up the hill to attack. All day, Harold's wall of shields held strong. At one point, the men thought that William was dead, and they started to run away. But William took off his helmet and showed his face. "I am alive!" he told them. So his soldiers came back and fought again.
Then William tried a clever trick. His men on horses pretended to run away. Some of Harold's soldiers left the hill to chase them. But this was a mistake. The horses turned around fast and attacked these men. Slowly, the wall of shields on the hill became weaker and weaker.
1. Where did Harold's men stand, and what did they make with their shields?
2. What clever trick did William use?
1. They stood on a hill and put their shields together to make a strong wall.
2. His men on horses pretended to run away. Some of Harold's men chased them and left the hill; then the horses turned and attacked them.
In the evening, the wall of shields finally broke. King Harold was killed near the top of the hill. An old story says an arrow hit him in the eye, but we are not sure this is true. Now Harold was dead and his army was broken. William had won the battle.
But winning the battle was not the same as winning the country. So William marched to London. On Christmas Day 1066, he became the new king of England. After that, he built many strong stone castles across the country. With these castles, a small number of his men could control a large number of English people. He is famous today as "William the Conqueror".
This one day changed England for ever. William and his men spoke French, and slowly French words came into the English language. This is why English has so many French words today. There is also a very long, old cloth called the Bayeux Tapestry, with pictures of the whole story on it. The year 1066 is one of the most famous dates in the history of England.
1. What did William do after he won the battle?
2. How did this day change the English language?
1. He marched to London and became king on Christmas Day 1066. Then he built many stone castles to control the country.
2. William and his men spoke French, so slowly many French words came into English. This is why English has lots of French words today.
This is a true story about the past, so we use the past simple. And to put the events in order, we use time order words.
Put the verb in brackets into the past simple. Careful — some are irregular!
1. King Edward (die) in January 1066.
2. William (cross) the sea with many ships.
3. The two armies (meet) near Hastings.
4. William (become) the new king.
1. died (regular: die → died)
2. crossed (regular: cross → crossed)
3. met (irregular: meet → met)
4. became (irregular: become → became)
Complete each sentence with First, Then, After that or Finally.
1. , Edward died and Harold became king. (the first event)
2. , Harold marched north and won a battle. (the next event)
3. , the shield wall broke and William won. (the last event)
1. First (the first thing that happened)
2. Then ("Next" or "After that" also work)
3. Finally (the last thing)
Fill each gap with a past simple verb or a time order word. Read it aloud when you finish.
First, the two armies (meet) near Hastings. Harold's men (stand) on a hill. , William's men tried a clever trick. , the shield wall broke and William (win) the battle.
met (irregular) · stood (irregular) · Then / Next · Finally · won (irregular)
Use the past simple for finished actions, and time order words to show the order.
There is a real podcast about the Battle of Hastings. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. It plays on the Noiser site, or search "Short History Of The Battle of Hastings" on Spotify.
Play on Noiser →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the Battle of Hastings in your own words. Use these steps to help you: King Edward died with no son → Harold became king → two other men wanted the crown → Harold won in the north → William crossed the sea → the long battle on the hill → William won and became king.
Try to use the past simple and time order words (first, then, next, after that, finally), and some of the key words (king, crown, army, duke, soldier, battle, ship, shield, arrow, hill, castle).
In 1066, three men fought to be king. Today, how do we choose leaders in your country? Is it better to be born a king, or to be chosen by the people? Why?
Tell a short true story of your own, in order. Use the past simple and time order words: first, then, after that, finally.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: