Where did William land before the Battle of Hastings?

William landed at Pevensey before the Battle of Hastings. On 28 September 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, brought his invasion fleet to the Sussex coast and established a beachhead at Pevensey, taking advantage of its sheltered harbour and the remains of the Roman fort of Anderida.

Pevensey gave the Normans a defensible base, access to supplies, and a position from which they could raid the surrounding countryside. William’s army later moved inland toward Hastings, where Harold Godwinson’s English army confronted it on 14 October 1066.

A common mix-up is Hastings itself: the battle was named for the nearby town, but the invasion began at Pevensey. Romney and Dover were also important places on the south coast, yet they were not William’s initial landing site. Pevensey Castle was later built within the old Roman fort, helping preserve the strategic importance of the location.