I know this'll sound a little odd, but I've never been entirely clear on exactly how William of Normandy defeated Harold and the English. Depending on the source, there seems to be several different theories as to how the Duke won. I've heard/read all of the following:
That William ordered his archers to fire at a higher angle, thereby nullifying (at least partially) the advantage of Harold's shieldwall;
That part of his cavalry contigent broke and ran, thereby drawing off a significant number of Harold's men, who followed in persuit;
That William deliberately ordered said cavalry contingent to "retreat", but that it was in fact a trap for the English Fyrdmen who chased after them;
That none of these things actually happened -- and/or that they were mostly irrelavent to the final outcome -- and that the battle wasn't really decided until a Norman archer got a lucky shot and put one right in Harold's eye (after which his troops broke and fled).
So which one is the truth? Did William win because he was a good commander and made the right tactical decision (ordering his archers to fire a a higher angle, ordering a feigned retreat, etc.)? Or was his victory more due to dumb luck (Harold getting shot in the eye, his cavalry retreated for real but the Normans were simply quick to exploit their mishap)? Or is it something else entirely? I've never had a truly coherent picture of what exactly happened at the battle, and would like to rectify this.
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