Battle of Hastings Remix

Hello. I was wondering what would have happen if the Anglo-Saxons fryd had broken ranks when the Normans faked retreat but Harold Godwinson had sent down a brother with some housecarls to in a phalanx like charge in order to re-organize the purusing fryd and then make an organized retreat. Despite taking heavy causilities amoung both the relief group and the fyrd that broke ranks (around 70% or so) the english managed to fall back to London. William was unable to pursue due to his injuries but takes up the English camp and sacks it. What would be likely to happen next?
 
First thing, use some better grammar.

Second, I don't think there would be much of a difference... William had the Pope at his disposal, plus William was a great general who had many influence in Europe, so there wouldn't be much of a difference.
 
The English line was still pretty strong when William faked retreat. That's why he had to fake the retreat. Why would he choose to retreat when, even ignoring the Norman fall-back, he thought his chances of winning were high?
 
Second, I don't think there would be much of a difference... William had the Pope at his disposal, plus William was a great general who had many influence in Europe, so there wouldn't be much of a difference.

IIRC the 'papal dispensation' thing for William's invasion was a later Norman invention to discredit the Anglo-Saxons. The papal banner, if any such thing existed, denoted a feudal obligation to the Pope, not some religious mission. I believe William had to pay penance for all the Anglo-Saxon blood he'd spilt, not normal behaviour if the Pope has given you permission to crack some skulls!
 
IIRC the 'papal dispensation' thing for William's invasion was a later Norman invention to discredit the Anglo-Saxons. The papal banner, if any such thing existed, denoted a feudal obligation to the Pope, not some religious mission. I believe William had to pay penance for all the Anglo-Saxon blood he'd spilt, not normal behaviour if the Pope has given you permission to crack some skulls!

There's a figure which sticks out in my head; 4000 years, which, according to one of my old history teachers, was the amount of time the Church calculated he'd spend in purgatory for his invasion and the subsequent ravaging of the North. William, apparently, managed to erase all 4000 years from his record by building a ton of churches and monasteries in Britain.
 
At the very least, with Harold alive and more of the English army intact, you'd get a longer war.

MerryPrankster

Possibly even a successful one. The thing that crippled English resistance was the lack of a clear leader, as assorted factions and groups were unsure who to follow.

I think however, if you reduce the heavy losses, even a bit, from the 'feint retreat' then quite possibly Hastings goes the other way. It was damned close as it was with the shield-wall only breaking virtually as night fell. If it lasts a bit longer then the Normans probably have to fall back for the night. their virtually trapped on a peninsula with limited supplies, one reason why they were looting so savagely. Also they have suffered heavy losses while the English, although their also suffered badly, have more reinforcements arriving.

Steve
 
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