Harold II of England otherwise known as just King Harold, Harold Earl of Wessex or by his full name, Harold Godwinson is represented by his banner - The Fighting Man. Opposite the brave, freedom fighting English, are the despicable Norman / French invaders of William, Duke of Normandy, more commonly known as William the Conqueror, but to some of his contempories, William the Bastard. The troops are kneeling because before the battle, soldiers on both sides received the blessing of holy men.

With blessings bestowed upon those about to 'die', it's time for kick off. It's actually a jolly good day for a dress up.

After volleys of Norman arrows to try and soften the Saxons, the Norman and French allies advance to tackle the Saxon shield wall. In 1066, Harold reigned for 9 months and 9 days. During that time he had to contend with a series of attacks from his brother and two full scale invasions 190 miles apart. Harold overcame all but the last. Two major invasions in the space of one month, he completely defeated Harald Hadrada of Norway and was within an ace of defeating William of Normandy.

Many of Harold's best troops lay dead in his victory over Harold Hadradra only weeks earlier and he had to force march his troops south to counter William, hoping to pick up reinforcements on the way. Harold's strategy was defensive and if he could make it to nightfall he would have faced the weakened Norman forces the next day with an army strengthened over night. If he achieved this, the Battle of Hastings may well have ended differently. The fool should have followed his brother's advice and waited in London and gathered a bigger army and not be baited by the Normans who had time running against them.

Retreats, recorded in the chronicle as feints, by the Normans and their allies led to groups of Saxons leaving the ridge and the shield wall to pursue the Normans. However, on the open ground the Saxons were cut down and gradually the shield wall thinned out and shortened. The Saxon leadership could not control their troops and blood lust and the booty of victory possibly contributed towards their lack of control. In this re-enactment, the 'battle' is across the battlefield for the benefit of spectators rather than up the hill as happened and in this view we look across the valley to Senlac Hill. The abbey is where the Saxons were originally positioned and in 1066 the ridge was higher than it is now. The ridge was eventually levelled to allow for the construction of the Abbey. William the Conqueror built the abbey where the Battle of Hastings had taken place as penance for the battle, with the high altar of its church on the spot where King Harold fell.

This is the spot where King Harold supposedly died. Quite astonishingly, flowers and cards are left by people in memory of the fallen English King whose defeat led to England becoming a conquered nation and the course of English history being changed forever. Harold was Royalty and as often happens in elite society, intermarriage with other royal houses occurs. Harold's descendants eventually merged with Williams blood line in the form of Edward III (1312-1377) and through him, today's Royal Family can be traced back to Harold Godwinson. Speculation as to what would have happened if Harold had won is one of the big ifs of today.

All that is left of the original Abbey church itself today is its outline on the ground, but parts of some of the abbey's buildings are still standing: those built between the 13th and 16th century. Some are still in use as the independent school, Battle Abbey School. The church's high altar allegedly stood on the spot where Harold died. This is now marked by a plaque on the ground with flowers left by those still mourning the replacement of 'Englishness' (actually more like Scandinavian) with French culture.

For the re-enactors, this is what the day is all about; dressing up, a bit of cosplay, and a bit of a ruck at the end of it.