The English king who was defeated during the Battle of Hastings was King Harold II. Harold Godwinson, as he is also known, was the reigning monarch of England at the time. The battle took place on October 14, 1066, and King Harold II faced Duke William of Normandy, who later became William the Conqueror. Harold's death during the battle marked the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in England and the beginning of Norman rule under William.