1066: The Year of the Conquest (Penguin Classic History S.)

While the date 1066 is familiar to everybody as the year of the Norman conquest of England, few can place the event in the context of the dramatic year in which it took place. David Howarth brings alive the struggle for the succession to the Englishcrown from the death of Edward the Confessor in January 1066 to the Christmas coronation of Duke William of Normandy. There is an almost uncanny symmetry, as well as a relentlessly exciting surge, of events leading to and from the Battle of Hastings. The author draws brilliantly on the wealth of contemporary sources to describe Harold Godwinson's seizure of the throne, the brilliant defeat of the invasion from Norway at Stamford Bridge and the forced march south to eventual defeat at Hastings.

David Howarth (1912-1991) served in the Royal Navy during WWII. He wrote an account of the Norwegian operations in which he was involved, The Shetland Bus, and subsequently turned his attention to maritime history books which include Sovereign of the Seas, Trafalgar and the Nelson Touch.