On what exact date was the Battle of Hastings fought?

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066. It was the decisive clash between William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold Godwinson, the newly crowned king of England.

The battle took place near the present-day town of Battle in East Sussex, roughly 11 kilometres northwest of Hastings. William's army had landed at Pevensey on 28 September, while Harold had hurried south after defeating the Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge on 25 September. The English army reached the battlefield after a rapid march.

Fighting began at about 9 a.m. on a Saturday and continued until dusk. The Norman victory ended Harold's resistance and opened the way for William's coronation at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, 1066. It also began the Norman transformation of England's ruling class, castles, administration and church leadership.

The date is sometimes confused with 28 September, the day William landed in England, or 25 September, the day of Stamford Bridge. Neither was the date of Hastings itself.