72-HAS01 COMMAND GROUP

In the Polish historiographic tradition, the Normans are used to refer to the rather distantly Romanized Vikings inhabiting the areas of today's northern France in the 10th-11th centuries, namely the land called Normandy. The first Viking invasions of the Vikings into the areas of Normandy took place at the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries, and in 841 they managed to completely sack Rouen - the capital of this land. After 850, the Vikings settled in Normandy sometimes for several years, which they treated as a kind of base for further plundering expeditions. In 911, however, the West French king, Karol Prostak, gave the areas of today's Normandy as a fief to the Vikings. Thus, the Duchy of Normandy was established. It is quite commonly assumed that over the course of the 10th and 11th centuries, the influx of Vikings quite quickly adopted the Christian religion and to a very large extent "assimilated" with the indigenous peoples, probably adopting its language as their own. It is worth remembering that the military of the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th-11th centuries (especially the 11th century) largely resembled the solutions used in the then Kingdom of France. As specific "distinguishing features" of a Norman warrior's armament, one can first of all indicate a Normandy type helmet, i.e. a relatively simple head with a nose and a kite-shaped shield. It is also worth remembering that the Normans (especially the knights of the Duke of Normandy) carried out many successful military expeditions, among which the conquest of England by William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings in 1066 or the capture of Sicily and a large part of southern Italy by Robert Guiscard deserve special attention. in the second half of the 11th century.The Battle of Hastings was fought in October 1066 in the south-west of England between the Norman prince William the Conqueror and King Harald II of England. The battle took place on the basis of William's claim to the English royal throne, who had "vacated" after the death of Edward the Confessor. The strength of the parties joining the battle is not entirely certain, but it is estimated that Wilhelm led about 7-8 thousand people. soldiers, while Harald - about 5-6 thousand. It is almost certain that the Norman prince had the upper hand. He also led an army that was probably better trained and armed than that of the enemy. Harald, on the other hand, a dozen or so days earlier (at the end of September 1066) won the Battle of Stamford Bridge with the Vikings led by Harald Hardraad, inflicting heavy losses on his opponent. Undoubtedly, this victory had a very positive effect on the morale of the troops that Harald II led to the Battle of Hastings. It is worth adding, however, that these troops consisted of both well-trained and presenting high combat value huscarls, as well as a common move called Ford, with a lower value than the huscarls. Harald II at Hastings took a decidedly defensive stance, but carefully chose the site of the battle and deployed his troops on a small hill that made cavalry operations difficult and definitely favoring defense. Thus, he forced William to attack his positions. The battle began with gunfire of Harald's troops by Norman archers and crossbowmen, and attacks by Norman infantry and cavalry. It is assumed that during the first hours of the battle, the Norman attacks were ineffective and did not break the enemy's formation. The breakthrough in the battle came when William ordered a mock retreat, perhaps planned before the battle. Harold's troops fell for this ruse, abandoned their great defensive position and set out in a pursuit, which, however, quickly turned into their slaughter. After this stage of the battle, Harold remained in the center, defended by a large squad of huscarls. This unit, however, was subjected to a massive, one would like to say, shelling by Norman archers, which led to the death of King Harold. The battle ended with the undisputed victory of William the Conqueror, who initiated the rule of the Norman dynasty in England. Without a doubt, the Battle of Hastings is one of the most important battles in the history of the British Isles.