I was playing on the recommended Hard/Hard difficulty as the English and I beat back the Normans-all 4 of their armies! After the battle I had only lost one general (Gyrth Godwinson) and I still had a full stack of troops left to fight with. I started by merging my elite troops in the two Godwinson armies and taking the peasants out. I then used Harold to attack Guillame le Batard (William the Bastard, I assume), who was on the far right side of the 4 armies, meaning only 2 armies reinforced him. It was a tough battle, but I deployed in the Saxon Shield Wall to make certain the cavalry couldn't flank me. I put all of the fyrn's and stuff out on the first layer of the wall, then inside of it I put two generals and the housecarls. I then moved to the edge of the battle map when the battle began so I had one less position to be attacked on. I made sure my reinforcing army would survive by putting them out of the AI's control. When the Normans attacked they tried to push holes in the wall, but I used housecarls to plug the gaps. They also served (along with the generals that I had to use since they made SO many holes in the wall) to kill the Norman cavalry. Then one of the generals fell, causing a small rout in their right flank attack. (I suppose there was no real center when my formation was a hexagon) More Normans moved in to fight, yet luckily the AI didn't march them well. They were tired when they met my ranks, who quickly used their armor piercing skills to cut the Frankish axe men down. Once I saw my opening I retreating any stragglers back into the center of the shield wall, which was still under heavy pressure in the front and left sides. I had a harder time managing those sides because the forest impeded my view of the enemies. Once my light fyrn routed my reinforcements joined the battles. I rushed Gyrth to attack Guillame, who was attacking my left flank, but he died by the hands of Norman cavalry right before he got there. Luckily Harold and the theigns kept me from a mass rout while other relief generals pulled into the battles. They also quickly rushed the enemy cavalry, but at that time Guillame died in battle. Then 10 seconds later the third general died. It was then I perceived that Harold Godwinson would survive this battle! Enemy cavalry nearly did in one of my other generals, but I ordered him to retreat; instead, though, he advanced in the other direction (as Douglas McArthur would've said) by moving towards the edge of the map while killing enemy cavalry quite well! (the unit only had 2 soldiers in it so it was VERY impressive!) Then another general was in peril! I ordered him to retreat as well. This time cavalry pursued him (a unit of, again, 2 soldiers) but my reinforcing housecarls and fyrn saved him by cutting the cavalry down. At this time another general was depleted to 4 troops yet wasn't in danger. Finally a mass rout happened in the Norman ranks to my great joy! Once the archers started charging me it was a matter of minutes before I had won with generals being my only reinforcing casualties!
Afterwards I regrouped my soldiers into the full stack-now let by Harold Godwinson once more-to attack the last general. I won the battle with half of my troops left due to unexpected charges from the mercenary Breton cavalry (they armor pierce like nobody's business!), but I did have enough archery power to defeat the Breton archer mercenaries with no trouble at all!
Thus concludes the FIRST battle of Hastings (I know it was two battles but it happened all in my first turn. I consider it one battle for that reason.) with a victory for the great King Harold. That's four generals down and only half a stack of soldiers made it back to their ships (in the first of the two confrontations they routed into my units for being so close to the border). Now the SECOND BATTLE OF HASTINGS BEGINS as another full stack with a general corners Harold Godwinson's forces at the ocean. My only hope is to hold their armor piercing mercenary cavalry at bay....at THE bay where I'll be fighting. I'll use the sea as a natural barrier so not to be flanked. From their I just hope a THIRD BATTLE OF HASTINGS doesn't begin in the same year to spirit the mighty Harold Godwinson away to meet his son Gyrth.