It was a battle and outcome that shaped the political face of Europe for all subsequent history. It was to the ultimate social construct of England as what the The Hundred Years War and the Battle of Crecy were to the concept of nation-statehood and sovereignty across the European continent. Having been posted to Europe for eight of my 30 years and being a military history buff, I walked the Hastings battlefield and noted the valley bowl that denied maneuver to the ragtag group of Brits. Given the venue of the battle, it wouldn't have made any difference in the outcome if the English fighters still enroute at the outset of the battle had made it to the dance on time. William had the English in the same type of narrow, non-maneuver space that keep the Persians in check for four days at Cannae in 416 B.C. when the Greeks keep the Persians bottled-up until force of Persian numbers (1,200,000 v. barely 3,000) simply overwhelmed the defenders.
'Greeks keep the Persians bottled-up until force of Persian'
Mixing your battles middie!
I'm curious to know if you think the shaping of Europe that occured after Hasting was for good, or ill, or neither, or both or something else? I've no motivation to ask, other than curiosity.