Harold and The Battle of Hastings 1066

I previously have referred to the Battle of Agincourt (Oct 25 1415), but briefly use it again here to illustrate another important Biblical truth. This Battle was immortalized in Shakespeare’s play “Henry V.” Shakespeare’s use in his historical play indicates how over 100 years later it was still a celebrated battle in England.  The Battle was an English routing of the better equipped and numerically superior French army.  A muddy battlefield and heavy armour played a major part in the French defeat. Along with the hail of arrows from English long bow archers, the French advance was also hampered by the deplorable condition of the battlefield. Several days of torrential rains and the French cavalry had turned the recently tilled ground at Agincourt into a soggy morass. The English, under Henry V removed their heavy armour and this gave them a tactical advantage. The French, in their heavy armour, became bogged and were picked of one by one by the English. The battle probably lasted no longer than three hours and was perhaps as short as half an hour, according to some estimates. While the precise number of casualties is unknown, it is estimated that English losses amounted to about 400 and French losses to about 6,000, many of whom were noblemen.

Most importantly, the battle was a significant military blow to France and paved the way for further English conquests and successes. The French nobility, weakened by the defeat and divided among themselves, were unable to meet new attacks with effective resistance. Henry managed to subjugate Normandy in 1419, a victory that was followed by the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, which betrothed Henry to King Charles VI’s daughter Catherine and named him heir to the French crown.

King Henry’s tactics of placing his depleted army strategically and standing his ground helped with the decisive victory that day.

Another series of decisive battles occurred in 1066. Harold had assumed the throne of England after the death of king Edward. In that year he fought and won a decisive victory over the Viking king Harald Hardrada, who felt he had a claim to the throne. This happened at Stamford Bridge in the north of England. I have already recounted this event in a previous devotional. They were caught and surprised without their armour on, lazing around in the sun.

Only three weeks later Harold had to fight William of Normandy, who also felt he had a right to the throne of England. He had landed his invasion force on the English coast near Hastings. Harold had to rush south, but gained the high ground and was in a good position to win. The battle lasted from 9am to dusk on the 14^th of October.

William was able to trick some of Harold’s troops away from their strong position by getting his troops to pretend to run away. When part of Harold’s forces broke ranks and ran after them, they were cut down by Williams’ marauding cavalry. It was the turning point. This breaking of ranks in Harold’s army weakened the shield wall and enabled William to win the battle.

The battle was lost primarily because Harold’s men broke ranks and did not stand their ground. The book of Ephesians is a letter about unity in the church. Written in AD 62 during Paul’s first imprisonment and only two years before the fire of Rome which began Nero’s persecution of Christian’s. The letter ends with a ringing battle cry urging believers to take their stand in the churches fight against evil and the powerful and spiritual schemes of the devil.(Ephesians 6:10 -18) Paul tells us to be fully armed and ready to enter the fray. There is a battle going on of cosmic proportions.

By echoing eve-of-battle speeches from the Old Testament, Paul speaks of the church’s mission in terms of military conflict, weapons and strategy. Battle exhortations in the Old Testament (which was Paul’s Bible) are numerous and underline the idea that Israel’s success in battle does not depend on the superiority of its own strength in the face of superior numbers. Rather, victory results from depending on the presence and power of God. The key to the Israelites’ success was not confidence in themselves but firm trust in God’s power and His provision for their success.

There are many great texts in Ephesians, but on this subject, I love this one: “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Ephesians 3:14-18NLT.

When Paul calls for God’s people to stand firm(6:10), he is using a military metaphor. Standing firm, or holding one’s ground at the strategic moment, was the great challenge of an ancient battle. Sheild walls would clash, each side seeking momentum for the push (like a rugby scrum.) Soldiers would be bunched together, giving, and receiving hundreds of blows at close range – Paul called it a wrestling match (V12). Thus, to stand is not a relaxed stance! To “stand” then is to vigorously engage in battle, employing every weapon in close order combat, a point obvious from the military imagery in Paul’s earlier exhortation to be found “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. (Phil.1:27) If we break ranks we give opportunity for the devil. This “standing firm” is not an exhortation to individuals, but an exhortation to the church to be united together like a sheild wall as we stand against the enemies push against the advance of the gospel.

Ephesians 6:10-18 outlines the Christian disciplines we all need in this spiritual battle as we stand (Sheild wall push) against “the schemes of the devil.”