1066: Sailing Into the Storm

1066 -- the year of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest -- is the most famous date in English history. Few understand, though, that far more happened in this cataclysmic and pivotal year than just the Norman defeat of an English army on a field in East Sussex. The culmination of centuries of shifting struggle over control of England, the events of 1066 show how even epochal changes in a society can hinge on minor accidents of timing, weather, health, and personal whim. Sign up as a patron to hear all patron-only lectures: https://www.patreon.com/c/u5530632 Alternatively, non-patrons may purchase the entire playlist on English royal & dynastic history, including the lecture on “Anglo-Saxon England and the Vikings,” for one low flat fee: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2181996?view=condensed Image: Modern re-enactors representing Harold Godwinson's army at Hastings.