Wednesday 14th October 2026 marks the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. This was a battle between Harold Godwinson, the new King of England and William, Duke of Normandy who was fighting for the throne. William and his Norman army won the battle (in just one day!) and this was the last time that England was successfully invaded!

The Bayeux Tapestry, which is believed to have been embroidered in England around the 1070s, shows the events between 1064 and 1066 which led up to the Norman conquest of England. It is probably the most famous tapestry in Europe and for the first time in nearly 1,000 years it is returning to England, while its museum in France undergoes renovation, and it will be on display at the British Museum until July 2027.

We have a set of comprehension worksheets which include: The lead up to the Battle of Hastings, The Battle of Hastings, Harold Godwinson, William the Conqueror and the Bayeux Tapestry. New off the press are two templates for newspaper reports relating to the Bayeux Tapestry and five scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry to colour.

When King Edward the Confessor of England died childless on 5th January 1066 there was no obvious heir to the English throne and to complicate matters he appears to have promised his crown to two people! William, Duke of Normandy was his first cousin once removed and swore that Edward had promised him the throne, but on his deathbed Edward appears to have promised the throne to his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson. Harold was crowned King at Westminster Abbey and William was furious and planned an invasion of England. Meanwhile Harald Hardrada (King of Norway) got to hear about this and he also had something to say: he believed he should be King of England due to an earlier arrangement between King Hardicanute of England and Denmark and King Magnus I of Norway!

Harald Hardrada joined forces with King Harold’s exiled brother Tostig Godwinson and they attacked England from the north. King Harold marched his army up to Yorkshire to fight them at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. King Harold and his army won this battle but then heard that William and his Norman army had landed on the south coast, so they had to march straight back to stop the Norman invasion in Sussex! This all culminated in the Battle of Hastings which took place on 14th October 1066.

Have a look at all our resources for The Battle of Hastings.