While King Harold was in the north fighting against Harald Hardrada, Duke William finally made his move. On September 28th he landed in Pevensey in the south. The next day he and his army occupied Hastings. The Norman invasion had begun.
Harold was still celebrating his victory over the Danes when he received news that William had arrived in the south. On October 1st he gathered up his entire army and led them on a forced march to meet these second invaders.
The English were tired. For months they had waited for the Normans to come, but William had not come. They had then been forced to march to the north to meet the Vikings, completely unexpectedly. Now they must return to the south from which they had come only a little over a week prior.
William was ready to wait. In the spring he had sent an envoy to Rome, to get the Pope to support him rather than Harold as King of England. The Pope had agreed with William, and declared him the legal heir of the English throne. For William there was no doubt: he was the legitimate King of England.
William the Conqueror
Harold met William at Hastings on October 14th. His army was tired and weary, while William’s was fresh and ready for battle. Even so the English fought very well, but at the end of the day they fell to Normans, Harold himself being killed on the battlefield.
This was not enough to make William King, however. The English had wanted Harold to be their King, and only through force would William make them accept him. He began by bringing the south under his control.
On Christmas day of 1066 he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey, the Abbey that Edward the Confessor had built. However the majority of England was still outside of his control. It would take years of fighting before he was completely secure in his title to the crown.