The Bastard's Conquest

The proposed book title should tell the reader what we think of England's King William I. As far as we're concerned Harold Godwinson is the last legitimate King of England.

We wrote rather extensively about William and the Normans back in the 2000's. First we did the lead article for Decision Games 1066 game:

That's a great cap from the Bayeux Tapestry. It even has my name on it.

[Ego-maniacal Yank-Ed]

This is an excellent source not just for the Battle of Hastings but the events of 1066. This particular piece shows King Harold (a usurper to the Normans) and Haley's Comet. Neat, huh?

Anyhoo, later, as our first daughter napped in the day we wrote about the Bastard's follow up conquest after the battle of Hastings. Later still we did a nice piece for Medieval Warfare Magazine called How to Fight and Win like a Norman. Pro-tip, lots of heavy cavalry and feigned flight. Bring Archers if you got em, just as King Harold.

That's another clip from the Bayeux Tapestry.  Here we see Harold pierced through the eye by an arrow. Identifying that figure is a matter of some controversy among historians, but it seems obvious to us. The name Harold is above the figure after all, just like the first pick of Harold on the throne.

The English infantry stood up to William's cavalry all day, they only broke at the death of the king. 

Here's an interesting alt history question. What if Harold had lived?

Well, at the end of the day he's most likely standing atop that hill with the rest of his army and preparing to receive reinforcements from the north while William is scurrying back to his coastal base at Pevesney before skulking back to Normandy.