1066 & All That

 Edgar The Aetheling,  aged about 15, was proposed as king of England after the death of Harold II in the Battle of Hastings. He was a grandson of King Edmund II Ironside. Would he have been a 'Good Thing' I wonder? Anyway, our post Haestingas game is based on him being acclaimed king by the remnants of Anglo-Saxon nobility and hastily raising an army from the defeated remnants and the Great Fyrdd to block William's advance on London. The imagined action takes place near the village of Pending close by the Sûðeweard. Now, on to the action ~

Edgar draws up his hastily raised army around the village of Pending astride the old Roman road to Lundene.

Eorl Wulfric takes command of the right battle. A unit of Thegns supported by two units of Ceorls and a unit of skirmishing archers.

Edgar holds the centre of the line along with his three units of Huscarls.

Eorl Bicca holds the left battle, a unit of Thegns supported by two units of Ceorls and a unit of skirmishing archers.

The Anglo-Saxon army drawn up awaiting the Norman army's advance under Duke William following his crushing victory at Haestingas.

The Norman army reaches the waiting Anglo-Saxon army around Pending. Duke William commands his centre and left battle of knights, while Philip the Breton commands the infantry of the right battle.

Duke William (the Bastard) and Bishop Odo

Wulfric orders his men to seize the hills to their front but the going is difficult and they only reach the base of the hills.

William's men are still weary after the battle at Haestingas and the long march towards Lundene. They make only slow and disjointed progress towards the Anglo-Saxons.

Wulfric is dismayed when a host of Norman knights crest the hill he was confident of occupying.

Bishop Godfroth of Pending calls down Divine retribution on the Norman usurper and his hordes from Hades! Doesn't seem to impress the Huscarls.

On the left of the Anglo-Saxons' position Bicca cannot urge his men forward. They seem to fear what awaits them beyond the village boundary.

They may have a point as Philip the Breton finally gets his infantry moving forward with his units of archers screening the heavy infantry advancing with new found vigour. 

Anglo-Saxon archers draw first blood, showering the leading unit of knights with a cloud of arrows. Even with their Duke close at hand they falter and become disordered.

Wulfric hastens his men into close formation just in time as the Norman knights thunder down the slope and crash into the shieldwall.

Bloody fighting with no quarter asked or given sees the Anglo-Saxons' line buckle back with one unit of Ceorls breaking under the weight of the assault.

Wulfric urges his men to stand their ground and die hard!

Despite disorder and the odds Wulfric's Thegns hold their ground while the unit of Ceorls to their right drives back the knights in disarray.

Roused by the unexpected triumph of the Ceorls the Huscarls make a mighty effort and force back the rest of the Norman knights.

Both side pause to catch their breath, take a draught of water (or ale) and tend to their wounded and dead. In the rear more knights seem to be heading Wulfric's way...

As Philip the Breton leads his men forward his archers shower the waiting Anglo-Saxon warriors with lethal arrows.

Having rested and recovered their courage the Norman knights once more surge forward into Wulfric's anxiously waiting men.

Edgar orders his Huscarls forward seeking to break the Normans before they can fully deploy for the fight. It is a risk, but the prize of victory is great!

Once again Wulfric leads his Thegns to victory, driving back the Norman knights. Sadly the Ceorls to his right are routed by their opponents. Despite Wulfric's urging his men stream towards the rear. Although he cannot know it, Edgar's right battle is destroyed and his centre threatened now from the rear.

Luckily the victorious Norman knights are fatigued by the bitter fighting and in disarray show no signs of forming up to renew the fight!

Edgar's Huscarls smash into the light troops screening Philip the Breton's advance. Disastrously one unit is forced back, though the others carry the fight to the enemy! On their left the Ceorls are bravely fighting hand to hand with the Norman foe.

Anglo-Saxon losses are mounting as the weight of Duke William's attack begins to take a heavy toll. It seems Edgar's brave gamble may have failed to carry the day.

Despite a brave and determined fight, Edgar's army dissolves before his eyes as the Huscarls break and flee. The day is Duke William's and Anglo-Saxon England is all but lost...

If you got to the end, well done! We used Hail Caesar to play this game with each base representing a unit. Our approach to this organisation lies in early efforts with Basic Impetus. Although we didn't take to the rules the ideas on army organisation stayed with us down the years. You can see it in my Late Roman armies still as well as in our more recent early Italian Wars joint project. Hail Caesar worked just fine today with this framework for the two armies. So much so that I've put in a small order to Foundry for a few more packs of figures.