There Are Two Accounts Of Harold Godwinson’s Death

The idea that the legendary Battle of Hastings resulted in the death of Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson by an arrow to the eye is being contested by a new article. The battle, which took place in 1066, was a turning point in the history of England by bringing in the Normans. Chris Dennis makes the case that Harold Godwinson was actually killed by a group of knights, possibly including William the Conqueror, in an article for The Historian, a journal of the Historical Association.

According to the conventional theory, Harold was shot in the face or eye by an arrow. The scene can be mentioned in chronicle reports from as early as 1080 and is a part of the Bayeux Tapestry. Dennis, however, cites other writings, including the Song of the Battle of Hastings by Bishop Guy of Amiens, which was published a year after the battle, and a 12th-century work by a historian by the name of Wace, which claim that during the pivotal moment of the battle, William gathered a number of knights and charged at the Anglo-Saxon king. When they got to Harold, they killed him by hacking.

According to Dennis, the legend of the arrow in the eye may have been manufactured by Monarch William's court as propaganda: "For Duke William, it was an easy way for the king to have met his end. Harold's passing would have been directly attributable to God's will if he had been struck down by a fatal arrow.