0:00:04 > 0:00:07April 1066,
0:00:07 > 0:00:1312 weeks since Harold Godwinson was crowned King of England.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Now, there's much work to be done.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Already, two powerful warlords
0:00:20 > 0:00:23are plotting to rip the crown from his head.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Godwinson!
0:00:25 > 0:00:27William of Normandy...
0:00:29 > 0:00:33..and a Viking, King Harald Hardrada...
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I will carve my name in legend.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..are both planning to launch vast invasion fleets...
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Come on, men!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43..to wage war.
0:00:46 > 0:00:501066 is about so much more than just the Battle of Hastings.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54That year, England would endure three invasions
0:00:54 > 0:00:57and three terrible battles.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03Three mighty warlords battle for supremacy on English soil,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05and by the end of the year,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07only one of them would still be alive.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14What 1066 led to is stamped on our landscape.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19The Normans forged a new Britain with language,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22laws and customs we still live with today.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27But just how a tiny region of France
0:01:27 > 0:01:30seized such power, is much less clear.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Now I'm travelling Europe in search of answers...
0:01:37 > 0:01:41These are human bone, almost certainly.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44..experimenting with tactics and weapons...
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Hands by your side for a second.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50..and discovering revelations hidden within a unique document
0:01:50 > 0:01:54written just months after those great battles...
0:01:54 > 0:01:59This, even by medieval standards, is shockingly brutal behaviour.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02..to reveal a bitter tale of family betrayals...
0:02:02 > 0:02:05He'll stab you in the back.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07..and tragic twists of fate...
0:02:07 > 0:02:10We take no notice of omens and doubters.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13..which would change the shape of Britain...
0:02:13 > 0:02:14March to battle.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15..and Europe...
0:02:17 > 0:02:19..forever.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24- Shall we do battle? - CHEERING
0:02:26 > 0:02:30This is the real story of 1066.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Easter, 1066.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Harold Godwinson rides south from Northumbria.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Not long now for a decent meal and some sleep.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12As a new king, he must secure his power right across England.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Harold had grabbed the throne
0:03:18 > 0:03:21as soon as King Edward the Confessor died...
0:03:21 > 0:03:23HE PRAYS IN LATIN
0:03:23 > 0:03:27..sidelining Edgar, Edward's great-nephew,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and convincing the Anglo-Saxon nobles
0:03:30 > 0:03:32to elect him instead.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Now, with his loyal brother Gyrth,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Harold has been visiting the often rebellious Northern Earls.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Well, I think that went well.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- At least you got a wife out of it.- Mm.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Do you like her?
0:03:51 > 0:03:57- I do, but that's not the point. - HE CHUCKLES
0:03:57 > 0:04:00The crucial problem facing Harold in 1066,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02was to try to create unity
0:04:02 > 0:04:04in the Midlands and the North,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and his way of doing this was to abandon the wife of 20 years,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Edith Swanneck, and to marry, instead,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14the sister of the Earls of Northumbria and Mercia,
0:04:14 > 0:04:15who's also called Edith.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- So, two Ediths?- Mm.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24- Be interesting when they meet.- Mm. - HE CHUCKLES
0:04:30 > 0:04:33All seemed well in Harold's England,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37but the reality was that the new king was beset by problems,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39both at home and abroad.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44To the south, William, Duke of Normandy,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48and to the north, the Viking, King Harald Hardrada,
0:04:48 > 0:04:53are both plotting to destroy Anglo-Saxon England.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Let our enemies gouge out the eyes of their own brothers.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Then, God willing,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02they will be too blind to see when I take what is mine.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06That's the one thing you can trust about an Englishman -
0:05:06 > 0:05:09he'll stab you in the back.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Well, we're going to stab them in the front.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16William was one of the most powerful and impressive men
0:05:16 > 0:05:17in Western Europe at this time,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and he genuinely believed that, 15 years previously,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22he had been promised the throne of England
0:05:22 > 0:05:24by England's king,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and he was not going to let anything get in the way of that claim.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38But 1,000 miles to the north, William has a powerful rival.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- HE GRUNTS - Come on!
0:05:41 > 0:05:43You useless veslingr!
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Even an old man like me could do better than that.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Come on!
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Hardrada is the ultimate Viking.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02A despotic warrior who's battle-hardened from years of war.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Come on!
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Hardrada is still ambitious.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Like all Vikings, he still craves glory
0:06:09 > 0:06:11and plunder and fame.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Kiss my thin-lipped axe!
0:06:21 > 0:06:27Harold faces danger from overseas, but also at home,
0:06:27 > 0:06:32in the shape of a younger brother called Tostig.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Tostig had been stripped of the earldom of Northumbria,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42when powerful nobles rebelled against his tyranny.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46To avoid a civil war, he'd been sent into exile.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Thirsty for revenge,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56he had betrayed his brother by seeking to support William.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00He's stolen my lands, he's stolen your crown.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Together, we can destroy him.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09And bitter hatred had also taken him north
0:07:09 > 0:07:11to pledge allegiance to the Vikings.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15England is yours for the taking.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Invade now and your name will live forever.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25But Tostig is too angry to wait for his new allies.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29He decides to go it alone.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45Two weeks later, and England is under attack.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Come on, men!
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Let's show that filthy bastard!
0:07:52 > 0:07:5660 warships are closing in on the Isle of Wight.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00In a vicious act of family betrayal,
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Tostig brings war to his own brother's kingdom.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Soon, we will have landfall.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I've invited three historians
0:08:15 > 0:08:18to get inside the heads of our competing warlords.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23This is lies, lies, lies! All you ever speak are lies.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27They'll explore the thinking behind their battle plans.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30We're going to continue down the coast to the mouth of the Humber
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and we're going to attack York.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Harold Godwinson...
0:08:38 > 0:08:40..William of Normandy...
0:08:42 > 0:08:43..and Harald Hardrada...
0:08:46 > 0:08:51..now ask, "Just what was Tostig up to?"
0:08:51 > 0:08:55I can't say that I'm particularly surprised that he's upset.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57He wants his land and his power back.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01But I am surprised by the way he's going about it.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05He is crossing the Channel from Flanders with 60 ships
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and heading for the Isle of Wight.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09What does he hope to achieve?
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I am as bewildered as you.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14It was only a few weeks ago
0:09:14 > 0:09:18that Tostig pledged me his support, so what is he up to?
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Is he expecting me to cross over and join him?
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Because if so, he is making a serious mistake.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29I am not going to be ready to launch my own invasion for months yet.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Well, don't forget that Tostig has already offered me the chance
0:09:32 > 0:09:35to become King of England, by proposing
0:09:35 > 0:09:39a joint invasion from the north late in the summer.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40I've no idea what he's up to.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Maybe his lust for revenge against you, Harold,
0:09:44 > 0:09:45has finally tipped him over the edge
0:09:45 > 0:09:49because he's acting like he's gone totally insane.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01Landing unopposed, Tostig ran riot on the Isle of Wight.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10He attacked people, burnt buildings, and stole food and weapons.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17A direct assault on his brother Harold's authority.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21He had to be stopped.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Back in the 11th century, it would have taken about two days
0:10:26 > 0:10:29for news of Tostig's invasion of the Isle of Wight
0:10:29 > 0:10:31to reach Harold in London.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33He immediately set off for the south coast,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37and he gathered together what the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes as,
0:10:37 > 0:10:41"The largest concentration of land and naval forces
0:10:41 > 0:10:44"ever assembled by a king of England."
0:10:50 > 0:10:54England had a particularly impressive and sophisticated way
0:10:54 > 0:10:56of raising an army at this point.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59On the one hand, there are the personal bodyguard
0:10:59 > 0:11:02of the king himself and of all his main nobles - the housecarls.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04These were professional soldiers, effectively.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13In addition to that, the structure of English governance,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16through counties or shires and hundreds,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19enables a king to raise men from the countryside -
0:11:19 > 0:11:21the fyrd, as it's known -
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and they will fight for their locality.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Hearing that his brother was on his way with overwhelming force,
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Tostig fled...
0:11:36 > 0:11:38..sailing up the east coast of England.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43He attempted to take land in the north,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45but there he faced his old enemies,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50now Harold's newly nurtured allies, the Northern Earls.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54SHOUTING
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Tostig's army is outnumbered and is beaten back...
0:12:05 > 0:12:07..but Tostig escapes.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10With just 12 remaining ships,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13he makes it to the safe haven of Scotland...
0:12:14 > 0:12:18..a convenient northern base to link up with Harald Hardrada
0:12:18 > 0:12:20and the Vikings.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25King Harold had been tested for the first time in his short reign.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30He'd managed to repel the first invasion of England in 1066.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32But he must have known that wouldn't be the only challenge
0:12:32 > 0:12:33to his authority that year.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Tostig might have fled, but Harold knew that,
0:12:38 > 0:12:43across the Channel in Normandy, William's plans were advancing fast.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58You have travelled far and wide, I trust.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Yes, I have left no path untrodden.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04There is enthusiasm, my lord, a fervour...
0:13:05 > 0:13:08..even a passion for your great enterprise.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- I sense a "but".- Yes.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17A small number of nobles are...a little reticent.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Don't they know what rewards await them on the other side of the sea?
0:13:22 > 0:13:24That's the problem.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27They fear the sea will swallow up their men,
0:13:27 > 0:13:32their horses, their boats, and they will be left with nothing.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It is God who marshals the sea.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38With his blessing, we will fly across the ditch
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and put right a wicked wrong.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I have no doubt.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53William's headquarters were at Caen.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Now one of Normandy's largest cities,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01in the 11th century this was a small town,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04which William fortified into a power base.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07From his castle,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11he set about winning political support for his invasion.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15People would have been very unsure about the idea
0:14:15 > 0:14:18of simply going in and conquering another country
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and killing an anointed king.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25The king, of course, Harold, has been anointed with holy oil.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29He is God's chosen representative of his people,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31and therefore the act of killing him
0:14:31 > 0:14:34unsettles people across Europe.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40William quickly realised that he'd need to appeal
0:14:40 > 0:14:43to an even higher power to back him up.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47It was time to recruit God.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50THEY PRAY IN LATIN
0:14:54 > 0:14:58William and his wife Matilda were devout Christians.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05They built two great abbeys in a grand display of their piety.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12William turned to Pope Alexander II for help.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16He sent envoys all the way to Rome to put his case for the invasion.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18Amen.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21For William to gain the support of the Pope was very important to him
0:15:21 > 0:15:24in terms of the legitimacy of his claim,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27that he could say that God upheld his claim over England
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and that those who opposed him were the sinners.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32THEY PRAY IN LATIN
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The basis of William's case for invasion
0:15:37 > 0:15:39was that Harold was a usurper.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43First of all, William said that Edward the Confessor
0:15:43 > 0:15:45had promised him the throne 15 years before,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47and Harold had stolen it.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50But William had a further ace up his sleeve.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54He said that Harold HIMSELF had promised him the throne
0:15:54 > 0:15:56just two years before.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06The story of what happened is told in our most famous record of 1066...
0:16:07 > 0:16:09..the Bayeux Tapestry.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Harold sails across the Channel.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19Storms blow him onto French soil, where he's arrested.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24William secures Harold's release and brings him to Normandy...
0:16:26 > 0:16:28..and there, in the key scene,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Harold makes an oath over holy relics,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35promising to support William's claim to the English throne.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42What the Bayeux Tapestry doesn't explain
0:16:42 > 0:16:45is why Harold was at sea in the first place.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Another unique document offers a clue.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Hidden in the national library in Brussels
0:16:56 > 0:16:59is an ancient book containing an epic poem.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05The Carmen, or Song, Of The Battle Of Hastings,
0:17:05 > 0:17:10is now regarded as our earliest surviving account of 1066.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13It's packed with details
0:17:13 > 0:17:16that challenge much of what we thought we knew.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The Carmen has an interesting piece of information
0:17:21 > 0:17:24about Harold's trip to Normandy.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26There's the line where it says...
0:17:26 > 0:17:32HE READS IN LATIN
0:17:32 > 0:17:36"William was granted a ring and a sword."
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Now, the ring and the sword were two of the items
0:17:41 > 0:17:43with which you were invested when you were made a king.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47So, this is sort of strongly suggesting
0:17:47 > 0:17:50that Harold was sent bearing these tokens,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52promising William the kingship.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58But another ancient writer suggests that William
0:17:58 > 0:18:01may not have been totally honest himself.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05He says that Harold was in Normandy deliberately,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and he was there to try and secure the release
0:18:08 > 0:18:10of two of his family members,
0:18:10 > 0:18:15whom Duke William had been holding hostage for 15 years.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19I wanted to free my brother and my nephew,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22who, I might add, you had been holding
0:18:22 > 0:18:24against their will for years.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Right, we agreed that I would free your nephew immediately
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and that I would free your brother once I become king.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33- And there was one solitary condition...- Oh!
0:18:33 > 0:18:37..and that was that you had to give me your backing
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- as Edward's successor. - Well, there you...- That was all.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41There you go. You've admitted it.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I wanted to get back safely to England with my brother,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47with my nephew, so I had to agree to your demands.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50But you are admitting that you swore an oath,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52you're admitting that you swore it on relics,
0:18:52 > 0:18:57and that being so, you will agree that I am within my God-given right
0:18:57 > 0:19:01to cross over to England and to take what is mine.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04I think that ANYONE would agree.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10William's envoy set out these arguments to Pope Alexander.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Would he back him in his campaign against the usurper Harold?
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Pope Alexander agreed. He accepted all William's arguments.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23He even went so far as to issue William
0:19:23 > 0:19:27with a papal banner that his men could carry before them into battle.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37It gave William's invasion the status, almost, of a crusade.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Amen.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48- God will keep you safe. - He'll need to.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52But I believe he will.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59ALL CHEER
0:19:59 > 0:20:04William was building up his already mighty military force for invasion.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13And now he had God on his side,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16all of which was bad news for King Harold
0:20:16 > 0:20:19and for Anglo-Saxon England.
0:20:36 > 0:20:391,000 miles from Normandy,
0:20:39 > 0:20:44Harald Hardrada is in communication with Tostig in Scotland
0:20:44 > 0:20:48and preparing his own invasion from the north.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- Are you ready, Asger?- Aye, my lord.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03- Is your axe finely honed? - 'Tis, my lord.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- Shall we do battle? - CHEERING
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Like Duke William, Harald Hardrada was hungry for more conquests,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and as a Viking, he believed he had a God-given right to invade England.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It's what the Vikings had been doing for centuries.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27But Hardrada also new that this was his last throw of the dice.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30This was his last chance to conquer more territory
0:21:30 > 0:21:32or cement his own legend.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36So, when Harold's vengeful brother Tostig
0:21:36 > 0:21:38encouraged Hardrada to invade England,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Hardrada leapt at the chance.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48Now, I'm assembling my troops here on the isles
0:21:48 > 0:21:50just off the west coast.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Both of you, I think, know that Vikings know their way around ships.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Well, I've got 500 of them and 30,000 men,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01all of them battle-hardened warriors,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06so this is going to be an invasion to make the whole of England quake.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16The core of Harald Hardrada's army is made up of his housecarls.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18These are his household retinue.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22They're professional soldiers, experienced killers,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24battle-hardened from 16 years of war.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29But there's also another type of warrior,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31and that's the berserkers.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35These were warriors who were liable to slip into fits of psychotic rage.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39They were impervious to pain. They had no fear of death.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43And I think there could be little more frightening in a battle
0:22:43 > 0:22:45than fighting somebody who just keeps coming at you,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48even when your spear is in his belly.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I kill without compunction...
0:22:56 > 0:22:58..and remember all my killings.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04I have caused the death of 13 of my enemies.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Hardrada was also a poet.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13He was a skald, in Viking terms. He created poetry.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15He wanted his name to live forever,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18so he did the deeds and then wrote about them.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I found myself creeping from forest to forest...
0:23:24 > 0:23:26..with little honour.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Who knows?
0:23:30 > 0:23:37I may become renowned far and wide...in the end.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Hardrada believed that victory would ensure his immortal Viking legacy.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52He makes provision for Norway to be ruled by his son in his absence,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56which may suggest that he doesn't expect to come back,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58that he expects to be ruling England.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04With the grace of Saint Olaf shining down on me...
0:24:05 > 0:24:09..I will end my days King of Norway...
0:24:12 > 0:24:14..and King of England.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Thousands of miles apart,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28two great forces were preparing to invade England.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Their target was King Harold, but there was, in fact,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34another possible rival for the throne,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38the natural successor of the Anglo-Saxon royal dynasty,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41a boy whose claim was better than any of them.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48The boy's identity is revealed in a document from the 1050s.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52This is an extraordinary page from an extraordinary manuscript -
0:24:52 > 0:24:54the Liber Vitae, the Book Of Life.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58But one particular group of entries is extremely interesting
0:24:58 > 0:25:01cos here, we've got, "Edward rex" - King Edward -
0:25:01 > 0:25:04and, "Edgar clito" - Edgar Aetheling.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And Aetheling means prince or throne-worthy individual -
0:25:07 > 0:25:10someone who is being groomed for the succession.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18King Edward the Confessor might have been childless,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20but in Edgar he had a blood relative -
0:25:20 > 0:25:23a direct descendant of Alfred the Great.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27But when Edward had died,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Harold hadn't found it hard to sideline the young prince
0:25:31 > 0:25:33in his own bid for the throne.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The problem with Edgar Aetheling was that he was very young.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39He was a teenager at most
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and he doesn't seem to have made any impression on people.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45He seems to have hung around at court doing nothing.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54So, throughout 1066, as William and Hardrada prepared their invasions,
0:25:54 > 0:25:59Edgar remained in the background, watching events unfold.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01But by the end of that year,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Edgar would have one more chance to become king.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Summer.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Harold is now based on the Isle of Wight,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27from where he marshals the defence of his kingdom.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30He's still unaware of the Viking threat,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34or of his brother Tostig's alliance with Hardrada.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Harold's sole aim is to counter the expected Norman invasion
0:26:38 > 0:26:40from the south.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45It's just a matter of time, that's all.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51- You heard what they say about him in Normandy.- What?
0:26:51 > 0:26:55He burst into tears because some people called him a common tanner.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59He then chopped off their hands and feet.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02HE CHUCKLES
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Well, can you blame him?
0:27:07 > 0:27:10100 miles to the south,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13William is massing a formidable force of ships,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15horses and men at Dives
0:27:15 > 0:27:18on the coast of Normandy, near Caen.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25- Is this it? Everything?- Yes. Ships, horses, men - everything.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Normandy has done you proud.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I suppose it's the beginnings of an invasion force.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35We have an army here that would have made Charlemagne proud.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Not yet.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40But we trust in God.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46The exact number of ships that William had with him here at Dives
0:27:46 > 0:27:50has long been the source of debate amongst historians.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54But there is a document from the time that does give us a few clues.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58This is a list of naval obligations for his nobles,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02and it says that 14 of his barons, plus his wife Matilda,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06all contributed 777 ships.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09And it says that the total number of ships with William
0:28:09 > 0:28:11was more than 1,000.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19By the 4th of August, 1066,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23William's vast invasion fleet was ready to set sail.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27But William had a problem. In order for him and his fleet
0:28:27 > 0:28:29to get safely to the other side of the Channel,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31conditions had to be just right,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and the wind kept blowing from the wrong direction.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36So, he waited.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Days passed and the conditions didn't improve.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45William and his army were stuck here on the wrong side of the Channel.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51William is forced to wait.
0:28:52 > 0:28:59Every day, he must feed his troops while they kill nothing but time.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05It's been estimated that William gathered an invasion force
0:29:05 > 0:29:07of up to 14,000 men.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16That's a lot of mouths to feed.
0:29:24 > 0:29:30This was the quantity of bread that the Normans were eating in 1066.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33- How many people would eat that? Not one person?- No.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37That's the quantity of bread for five people a day,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40compared to this quantity of bread today.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42At the Normans' time,
0:29:42 > 0:29:46there was 70% of the alimentation based on the bread.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49- 70% of their daily intake is bread?- Yeah.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51So, imagine how much bread you'd need for an army of,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53- you know, around 14,000 people. - Yeah, yeah.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Wagons of flour.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Now, it's been estimated, if you assume that William had
0:29:59 > 0:30:03a force of around 14,000 people here in Dives,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07that would have required 14 tonnes of flour
0:30:07 > 0:30:09brought to feed that army every day,
0:30:09 > 0:30:14to make 6,000 of these guys every single day.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16That is a huge effort.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25Two weeks pass and still the wind blows.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30As well as continuing to feed his troops,
0:30:30 > 0:30:35William must also look after thousands of Norman horses.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40His crack cavalry was essential to William's plans,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43but with it came an inevitable problem.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50With up to 3,000 horses, that's a lot of manure.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53One estimate has it that William's cavalry produced
0:30:53 > 0:30:58around 2,500 tonnes of excrement while they were in Dives.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00You add that to all the human waste -
0:31:00 > 0:31:06perhaps 450 tonnes - and you get 3,000 tonnes of poo.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08That's a lot.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11- Bonjour, Sebastien.- Hello.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14- How are you doing? - Not too bad. And you?
0:31:14 > 0:31:17- That is a big pile of manure. - Exactly.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21- It's fumier in French.- Fumier. How many horses made this?
0:31:21 > 0:31:25- Two.- Two horses?- Two horses, yeah. - How long?- One week.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Wow. So, imagine what 3,000 horses would produce.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31- A very big pile. - THEY LAUGH
0:31:34 > 0:31:37All that manure spelt danger.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41It could spread diseases like dysentery,
0:31:41 > 0:31:45which would put paid to William's dreams of conquest.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49So, William's men had to load up
0:31:49 > 0:31:52all that human and animal waste into carts,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56to transport it miles away from camp, to a safe distance.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02That's around 5,000 cartloads of waste
0:32:02 > 0:32:04taken out into the countryside.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Yet another two weeks pass.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18Summer will soon turn into autumn...
0:32:19 > 0:32:23..and William's great plans are teetering on the edge of collapse.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27William was very unlucky.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30These kind of hostile conditions
0:32:30 > 0:32:33are very unusual in the summer in the Channel.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35We've mocked up a weather chart
0:32:35 > 0:32:38showing the kind of conditions that he faced through the summer of 1066.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Here's a big area of low pressure,
0:32:40 > 0:32:44and the wind goes round it in an anticlockwise fashion.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46That means northerly gales banging in here,
0:32:46 > 0:32:50keeping the fleet locked in at Dives-sur-Mer.
0:32:50 > 0:32:51Now, I've sailed on the Channel a lot,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54and you cannot put to sea in these kind of conditions,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57particularly with the more primitive ships and rig
0:32:57 > 0:32:58that they had in the 11th century.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01As summer began to turn into autumn,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03time was slipping through William's fingers,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06and he must have been getting completely desperate.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Three warriors, the most powerful warlords in Europe,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14can rule kingdoms...
0:33:16 > 0:33:18..but not the weather.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Across the Channel in England, King Harold waited and waited,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25but no invasion came.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28The English king must have been tempted to hope
0:33:28 > 0:33:30that his kingdom was secure.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31There was no sign of William
0:33:31 > 0:33:34and Hardrada hadn't showed his hand yet, either.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37But all that was about to change.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50The Vikings are on the move.
0:33:51 > 0:33:56The same northerly winds that keep William trapped in Dives
0:33:56 > 0:33:59carry Hardrada towards England,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03where he's planning to attack, with Tostig poised
0:34:03 > 0:34:05waiting in his Scottish base.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Soon, we will be filling England's graveyards
0:34:11 > 0:34:16and feeding the crows on the rotting corpses of her men.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18ALL CHEER
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Now, the northerly winds are blowing
0:34:25 > 0:34:29me and my Viking warriors across the North Sea.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Now, this is a distance of about 300 miles,
0:34:33 > 0:34:34and with a north-east wind at my back,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37it should take two or three days to cross.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42So, we stop first at Shetland to take provisions,
0:34:42 > 0:34:44and again at Orkney.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50And then I continue down the east coast of Scotland
0:34:50 > 0:34:52towards England.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58A week later,
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Hardrada joins with Tostig and his men in Northumbria.
0:35:02 > 0:35:08The deposed earl is back, and so are the Vikings.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Meanwhile, Harold is still on the Isle of Wight,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15oblivious to the immediate danger.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21He continues to look only towards Normandy.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25What's the bastard playing at?
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Can't wait here forever.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33It's now September,
0:35:33 > 0:35:37and Harold knows he will soon have to release his army.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43As summer turned to autumn, King Harold had a big problem.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46The two months of service that his levies had to provide
0:35:46 > 0:35:50had come to an end, the English army was running out of food,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53and there was the added pressure that the men were needed at home
0:35:53 > 0:35:54to help gather in the harvest.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Harold's hand was being forced.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01He could only hope that the end of summer
0:36:01 > 0:36:05also meant an end to any threat of an attack from William.
0:36:06 > 0:36:12So, on the 8th of September, 1066, Harold sent his men home
0:36:12 > 0:36:15and ordered his fleet to return to London.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21What choice have I got? I can't keep the army at arms indefinitely.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25And anyway, autumn is coming and I'm pretty sure
0:36:25 > 0:36:27you're not going to risk crossing the Channel
0:36:27 > 0:36:31- with an invasion force in September. - Actually,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34I have no intention of standing down,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38because I learn that you have stood down your army,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41and what that means is that the south of England
0:36:41 > 0:36:44now stands undefended.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Look, I've no idea what's going on down here in the south,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50and, frankly, I don't really care, either,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54because my plan, up in the north, is going like clockwork.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56We're going to continue down the coast
0:36:56 > 0:36:58to the mouth of the Humber.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00We're going to sail up the River Ouse
0:37:00 > 0:37:03and we're going to attack York.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10York - the ancient Viking capital of England.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14For Hardrada, his first target,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17and a base from which he could conquer the entire country.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Hardrada and Tostig are poised to take control.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30First, the North, then a march to London
0:37:30 > 0:37:32and the prize of Harold's throne.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Three days later, the terrible news
0:37:48 > 0:37:52that a Viking fleet has landed reaches Harold.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55- What do we do now?- Fight.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59He's in our country destroying our lands and our people.
0:37:59 > 0:38:00We have no choice.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03How incredibly galling for Harold
0:38:03 > 0:38:07to discover that, the minute he's dispersed his great army,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09his brother and Hardrada have invaded.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12He's got to put it all back together again - really quickly.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15This is a body blow.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18It has come completely out of the blue.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22The only thing I can do is get my army back together
0:38:22 > 0:38:25and head north fast to take you on.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27And I have got to gamble that you
0:38:27 > 0:38:29are not going to cross the Channel in autumn.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Then you really do not know me,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34because I remain as determined as ever
0:38:34 > 0:38:36to cross the Channel, reach the south
0:38:36 > 0:38:41and strike hard at your now undefended vitals.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49After six weeks of waiting, William had had enough.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53He decided to defy the winds and set sail.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56It would prove to be a rash decision.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04After months of careful planning, William has to gamble.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06He knows that time is running out...
0:39:07 > 0:39:13..and so he takes his entire force from safe harbour into a stormy sea.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20It was a disaster. William lost ships and men.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23And instead of crossing the Channel,
0:39:23 > 0:39:27he was forced to take refuge 140 miles to the east,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30at St Valery in France.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36I'm going to admit, things could be better.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39In fact, they are verging on the desperate.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44I have lost ships and I've lost a large quantity of men in the storm.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49On the plus side, I am, of course, now that much closer to England.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52But contrary winds continue to blow
0:39:52 > 0:39:56and I am still on the wrong side of the Channel.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58It's very frustrating.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Storm-battered, William's dream of the English throne
0:40:10 > 0:40:11is becoming a nightmare.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Meanwhile, Harold musters a new army,
0:40:16 > 0:40:18but he, too, is on the back foot.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22He's a long way south of York
0:40:22 > 0:40:25and any chance of meeting the Viking threat.
0:40:27 > 0:40:32Right now, it's the dark horses - Hardrada and Tostig -
0:40:32 > 0:40:35who have a fresh and powerful army ready to strike.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46Facing them, only a regional force led by the Northern Earls.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52Somehow, they must take on the full might of the Vikings
0:40:52 > 0:40:54and their arch enemy, Tostig.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01SHOUTING
0:41:05 > 0:41:07The two forces met at Fulford,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10just two miles from the gates of York.
0:41:13 > 0:41:18Chas Jones has been excavating the battle site for over 20 years.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Standing here in 1066, what would we have seen?
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Well, we are standing on a landscape
0:41:24 > 0:41:26that the people who were there would have recognised.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Here, we've got the English
0:41:28 > 0:41:29standing on this side of the ditch.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31Over there, we've got the Vikings -
0:41:31 > 0:41:34round about 6,000 of them ready to do battle.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36What they've got to do is
0:41:36 > 0:41:38they've got to get across this water-filled ditch.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40The tide is in, which is keeping them apart.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42They're standing there shouting at each other,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45waiting for the tide to drop, so they can actually engage in battle.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47SHOUTING
0:41:56 > 0:42:01The English are lined up here between the river on the one side
0:42:01 > 0:42:03and this swampy higher ground on the other side.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06This blocks the way to York.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Now, this doesn't really bother me, because I've got a plan.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12I've divided my forces in two.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15We've got some Vikings here together with Tostig's men.
0:42:15 > 0:42:16They're facing the English.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20But I am here with my best troops,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23hidden away out of sight, round a bend in the river.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28So, when the tide goes out,
0:42:28 > 0:42:32it's going to drain this ditch of water,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34and my front line is going to advance towards the English.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Now, all the English actually need to do is hold their lines.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41SHOUTING
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Astonishingly, they get drawn into the fight,
0:43:00 > 0:43:03and that's the moment for my secret weapon.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07So, I advance with my best troops, along the bend in the river...
0:43:11 > 0:43:15..and I attack the English from the rear, trapping them...
0:43:17 > 0:43:21..and this is a glorious bloodbath.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48So, Chas, you have dug this battlefield, haven't you?
0:43:48 > 0:43:52- What have you found? - We've found some amazing stuff.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55These are bits of bone which we found at the layer
0:43:55 > 0:43:57that we can date to the 11th century,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59so from the time of the battle.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02It's very unusual to find just random bits of bone in the soil
0:44:02 > 0:44:04cos people are normally buried.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06You do find the odd animal bone,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10but these are human bone, almost certainly.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12- These are probably rib bones.- Wow.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14So, you could be holding, in your hands,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17the remains of someone who was killed in the battle here in 1066?
0:44:17 > 0:44:19It's very probable.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Hardrada and Tostig were victorious.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34The old Viking capital of York surrendered to them.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38The great prize of England was within their grasp.
0:44:38 > 0:44:43WILLIAM PRAYS IN LATIN
0:44:44 > 0:44:48Meanwhile, William is still trapped.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50With Harold marching north,
0:44:50 > 0:44:54he knows that southern England lies open,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57but the wind still blows,
0:44:57 > 0:45:00as the Vikings take control in the north.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07When William is stuck at St Valery by the contrary winds,
0:45:07 > 0:45:09the Carmen comes into its own as a source
0:45:09 > 0:45:12because not only is it really closely contemporary,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14it is also local.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16It's written by someone living in this part of the world,
0:45:16 > 0:45:18so it is very well-informed,
0:45:18 > 0:45:20and it tells us that William was in despair.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24It talks about him looking at the weathercock of the church,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27waiting to see the way the wind is going to blow,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29and being reduced to tears.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31The line that leaps out is...
0:45:31 > 0:45:36HE READS IN LATIN
0:45:36 > 0:45:38"The tears streaming down William's cheeks."
0:45:38 > 0:45:41- It says... - HE READS IN LATIN
0:45:41 > 0:45:43"You were in despair."
0:45:43 > 0:45:46If ever I have offended you as your servant...
0:45:48 > 0:45:49..give me a sign.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55It's just for you, in your name...
0:45:56 > 0:45:58..yet you send me torment.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06A medieval English writer adds to the story.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08William of Malmesbury tells us that
0:46:08 > 0:46:11this was a moment when everything hung in the balance,
0:46:11 > 0:46:13and that all of William's army began to doubt
0:46:13 > 0:46:15that God was in favour of their enterprise.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19And we're told that they began to mutter amongst themselves.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21- He says here... - SHE READS IN LATIN
0:46:21 > 0:46:26"He is crazy, that man, who wants to subjugate a foreign land.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29"God is against us because he withholds the wind."
0:46:33 > 0:46:35William orders the relics of Saint Valery
0:46:35 > 0:46:38to be paraded through the town
0:46:38 > 0:46:41in a bid to inspire his wavering men...
0:46:43 > 0:46:48..and, in a desperate plea to God, to change the weather.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52But the northerly wind still blows.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Five days since the Vikings took York.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11Hardrada and Tostig agree to exchange prisoners
0:47:11 > 0:47:15with the vanquished English seven miles east of the city...
0:47:16 > 0:47:18..at Stamford Bridge.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23They're expecting a small group of unarmed men...
0:47:24 > 0:47:26..but they're in for a shock.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Where are they from?
0:47:37 > 0:47:39- HE SIGHS - It's my brother.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48We don't know exactly when Harold left London to head to York.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53We do think he was in the York area on the 24th of September.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57Question is - how long it would have taken to cover that 200 miles.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Now, horses can travel 25 miles a day, perhaps more,
0:48:00 > 0:48:03so it's possible that he made this journey
0:48:03 > 0:48:06in around about seven or eight days.
0:48:06 > 0:48:11One thing we know for sure is that Harold and his men went fast,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14and that gave them their greatest weapon - surprise.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17London? Already?
0:48:17 > 0:48:21- Who else could it be? - Get them ready! Get them up!
0:48:21 > 0:48:25- SHOUTING - Move!
0:48:25 > 0:48:29Not expecting Harold to travel north so quickly,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32the Viking army is unprepared for battle.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46The King of England. What a puny little man.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48THEY CHUCKLE
0:48:48 > 0:48:53- He's a big man.- Yeah, but he's old.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01So, we are approaching the Vikings,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05but the River Derwent stands in our way.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08And there is this small wooden bridge,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10- which we can use to cross over. - Yeah, but we're not stupid.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12We know the bridge is small and narrow.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15It's a real bottleneck, which is why
0:49:15 > 0:49:18I've sent one of my best men to defend it,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21and he is not going to let anyone pass.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Legend has it that the lone Norwegian
0:49:38 > 0:49:41heroically stood his ground on the bridge,
0:49:41 > 0:49:44stopping the entire English army from crossing,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47batting away spears and arrows.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53But then, some cunning English soldiers got in a half barrel,
0:49:53 > 0:49:55drifted down under the bridge
0:49:55 > 0:50:01and killed the Norwegian with a spear thrust up between the legs.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10OK, my man on the bridge might be dead, but, crucially,
0:50:10 > 0:50:13he held up the English forces for long enough
0:50:13 > 0:50:18that Tostig and I could arrange our troops into this shield wall.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21This is an extremely strong defensive formation
0:50:21 > 0:50:24and it's going to repel any English attacks.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28SHOUTING
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Andy Deane is an expert on medieval warfare.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43So, when those two armies met on this field in 1066,
0:50:43 > 0:50:44how did they fight?
0:50:44 > 0:50:47Well, you've got the two armies closing the front lines,
0:50:47 > 0:50:50and it would be obvious who the warriors are.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52The ones that stand out are the ones in the armour.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54And if we look down here,
0:50:54 > 0:50:56you've got a plethora of different pieces of kit -
0:50:56 > 0:50:59the helmet, the armours, the swords, the shields, the axes.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02And the way that it came together, famously, of course,
0:51:02 > 0:51:04would probably be shield to shield.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Yeah, I have got to admit, this is tough.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16My army are trying repeatedly to attack,
0:51:16 > 0:51:19but, frustratingly, they can't get through the shield wall.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21It holds firm.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24SHOUTING
0:51:34 > 0:51:38But the Vikings had an Achilles heel.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Many had come to Stamford Bridge without a key piece of kit...
0:51:43 > 0:51:46- Do you want to try it on? - Yes, please.- Righty-ho.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48..their chainmail.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52Mail shirts, famously, are really, really good protection.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Roman auxiliaries are using it sort of throughout the antiquity,
0:51:55 > 0:51:56and it's always been great.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59- Oh!- You're in. - I feel like the Tin Man.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04Once you put the helmet on and the mail coif that goes round you,
0:52:04 > 0:52:06the shield and the various other bits of equipment,
0:52:06 > 0:52:10then you become fairly impervious to most types of attack.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14If I was to take a sword to you now,
0:52:14 > 0:52:16and these swords are reasonably sharp...
0:52:17 > 0:52:19Put your hands by your side for a second.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22But if I was to basically draw this across you without the mail on...
0:52:23 > 0:52:25..I mean, that would have opened you up to the bone.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28The mortal effect would probably be the cleaving in,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30- where we might be able to do... - Go on. Give me a whack.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33- Give me a whack.- Well, I don't want to break your ribs.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34- I'll give you a pat. - OK, yeah.- All right?
0:52:34 > 0:52:38- So, the pat would be like that. - Oh!- Now, what that "oh" has done
0:52:38 > 0:52:40has given you a moment where you've gone backwards.
0:52:40 > 0:52:41And now I've already followed up
0:52:41 > 0:52:43and brought the sword underneath your chin,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46through your throat, into your brain and walked off.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50OK. And then I'd have a shield, as well.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52You can use it, obviously, for protecting, but,
0:52:52 > 0:52:54of course, the moment you raise your arm,
0:52:54 > 0:52:58you would naturally...come up.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00So, now I can grab it, bring it down,
0:53:00 > 0:53:01thrusting this into your groin at the same time,
0:53:01 > 0:53:03- come over and thrust. - I get the message!
0:53:05 > 0:53:08And blood and horror everywhere.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13There are no rules.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16I will bite you, I will kick you, I will do anything to stay alive.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18You just keep going.
0:53:25 > 0:53:32Amid the chaos of swords and axes, Harold also has archers.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58BODY THUDS
0:54:05 > 0:54:10Hardrada's bid to take Harold's crown is over.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19Tostig fights on at the head of the Viking force...
0:54:21 > 0:54:24..but the English now have the upper hand.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43King Harold had won an astounding victory.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47It's said that he killed his rebellious brother himself,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50cutting off Tostig's head.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54But the bloodshed was so severe that, writing 50 years later,
0:54:54 > 0:54:56the historian Orderic Vitalis
0:54:56 > 0:54:59said that a great mountain of dead men's bones
0:54:59 > 0:55:02still lay here on the battlefield.
0:55:09 > 0:55:13The Battle of Stamford Bridge was a disaster for the Vikings.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18There were so few Viking survivors
0:55:18 > 0:55:24that only 24 of a fleet of 300 ships were needed to take them home.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31This massive defeat
0:55:31 > 0:55:34marked the beginning of the end for the Vikings.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40From now on, their power would dwindle.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45Harold remained King of England.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50He'd killed a troublesome brother
0:55:50 > 0:55:55and rid himself of one of his great rivals for the throne,
0:55:55 > 0:55:57but another still remained,
0:55:57 > 0:56:03over 300 miles away in northern France.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Two days after the Viking defeat...
0:56:18 > 0:56:21At last. At last!
0:56:21 > 0:56:24..and after more than seven weeks of waiting...
0:56:24 > 0:56:25Thank you, Father.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28..the winds finally change.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33The Norman camp explodes with joy.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35It's one of the best bits in the Carmen
0:56:35 > 0:56:38that talks about the knights rushing to get their arms
0:56:38 > 0:56:40and the sailors rushing to the masts
0:56:40 > 0:56:42and hoisting the sails and grabbing their oars,
0:56:42 > 0:56:45because they've been waiting for weeks and months
0:56:45 > 0:56:48in the cold and the rain, and now, all of a sudden,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51it's D-Day, game on, they're going to sail.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55No more waiting.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59That afternoon, at high tide, William sails.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05700 ships and 14,000 men.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08With Harold far away,
0:57:08 > 0:57:13the Norman fleet heads for England's undefended southern coast.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18One medieval French chronicler tells us that
0:57:18 > 0:57:22on the proud William's ship there was a figurehead -
0:57:22 > 0:57:26a wooden carving of a boy holding a copper bow and arrow.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29That was now aimed at England.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32With God and luck on his side,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35William would expect to land on the English shore
0:57:35 > 0:57:36the following morning.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40The third attempt to conquer England in 1066
0:57:40 > 0:57:42was about to begin.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50Next time... SHOUTING
0:57:50 > 0:57:52..two great armies face one another...
0:57:56 > 0:57:58..and fight in a single day...
0:58:01 > 0:58:04..for the heart and soul of England.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09HE SCREAMS