Battle of Hastings
At first William's knights tried to break through the shield wall by the weight of their horses. However, they were attacking uphill and could not gain any speed. Harold's front line simply stood fast and fended off any attacks. William's army began to fall back because of rumours of his death. William removed his helmet so that his men could see he was still alive. When William saw that many of Harold's men were following his knights back down the hill, he used a trick that he had learned years before. He turned suddenly and charged the oncoming English foot soldiers, who had no chance against mounted knights.The tactic worked at least two more times during the battle and made Harold's shield wall weaker.