What battle in 1066 led to the Norman conquest of England?

The story behind the answer

Fought on 14 October 1066 near Senlac Hill, this clash saw Duke William of Normandy break King Harold II’s shield wall; Harold’s death collapsed Anglo-Saxon resistance, opening the road to London and leading to William’s coronation that Christmas, which began Norman rule.

It came just days after Harold’s exhausting march and victory at Stamford Bridge against Harald Hardrada, leaving his forces depleted. William’s coordinated use of archers, infantry, and cavalry—plus feigned retreats—fractured the English line. The consequences were profound: a new Norman aristocracy, widespread castle-building, the Domesday survey, and a flood of Norman French vocabulary into English. The story is famously depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, a near-contemporary visual record of the conquest.