Today, but 958 years ago, Monday, September 25, 1066, the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada and Harold Godwinson, since about nine months ago the king of England, met each other at Stamford Bridge, in Yorkshire.

It was not a peaceful meeting between two regents who just wanted to socialize; Harald Hardrada, whose real surname was Sigurdsson, considered the English crown and the throne his. By his side, he had, among others, Harold’s brother, Tostig Godwinson, who had been forced into exile by his ruling sibling after losing his title as Earl of Northumbria.

By the end of the summer, they had sailed up the River Ouse towards York, a force consisting of 300 ships. It has sometimes been claimed that all the ships were warships, but Snorre Sturlasson believes that at least 100 were smaller ships with equipment and provisions.
Be that as it may, between 7,000 and 9,000 men arrived. In addition to the Norwegian forces, reinforcements from Orkney, which at this time was under Norwegian rule, also arrived. As the English coast was approached, ships from Flanders and Scotland also joined.
On September 20, forces led by the Earl of Mercia and the new Earl of Northumbria were met and defeated, after which York capitulated and found itself harbouring the Vikings for a few days.

Harold Godwinson is said to have been in southern England when news of the landing reached him, where he awaited the arrival of the man who came to be known as William the Conqueror.  Now, he had to ride at speed towards Yorkshire instead. Since it was not expected, or even common, for kings to have a standing army at this time, he had to recruit men on the road.

He is said to have covered nearly 185 miles in just four days and thus took the Norwegian-led forces by surprise.

Rumours abounded that the Viking force had requested supplies and hostages to Stamford Bridge, and Harold headed there.

According to Snorre Sturlasson, a man from the English force rode up to the Vikings to speak with Tostig Godwinson when the troops were lined up opposite each other. He offered Tostig his earldom and title back if he abandoned Harald Hårdråde. In turn, Tostig is said to have asked what Hardrada would receive in that case and got the answer, ”Seven feet of English ground, as he is taller than other men”, implying that Harald Hardrada would be killed and buried.

As the rider had not introduced himself, Hardrada asked who it was, and Godwinson told him that it was his brother, the king himself.
It is not known exactly where in the landscape the battle took place, but a legend that has survived is that of the lone Viking who, standing on a bridge with increasingly extensive injuries, single-handedly prevented the English from crossing the river and thus reaching the Norwegian forces.

This delay allowed the Norwegian forces to form a shield wall against the oncoming English forces.

It didn’t help, though. Both Harald Hardrada and Tostig Godwinson died there on the battlefield, the former, according to legend, from an arrow right through the trachea.

Some historians have argued that the Viking Age also died on that day. However, that is not true. Viking raids against England, among others, would continue for another couple of decades. As for the everyday culture that was common during the period, it continued for another couple of hundred years.

For his part, Harold Godwinson barely had time to catch his breath. Three days after the Battle of Stamford Bridge, William, Duke of Normandy, landed in southern England, and Harold and his exhausted army had to rush back through the country.
The Battle of Hastings, which I will not go into further, was on October 14, the day Harold Godwinson fell.
While Viking Age Scandinavia was largely unaffected by Harald Hårdråde’s loss at Stamford Bridge, the Norman victory at Hastings would profoundly affect England.

Fun fact: all the main actors in both battles had Scandinavian roots one or a few generations away. We know that Harald Hårdråde was a Norwegian. But something that may not be mentioned so often is that the Godwinson brothers were sons of Gytha Torgilsdatter (married to Godwin of Wessex), who in turn was the daughter of Torgils (Styrbjörnsson) Sprakalägg, Danish magnate and perhaps (here it’s necessary to emphasize that possibly is the keyword) son of the Swedish Styrbjörn (Olofsson) the Strong who, again maybe, was the son of king Eric the Victorious’ brother Olof.

William the Conqueror, or as he is also called, William the Bastard, was an illegitimate but recognized descendant of the first Norman duke, Rollo, or as he is often better known in Scandinavia: Gånge-Rolf. According to legend, he was so large that no horse could carry him, meaning he had to walk instead.

I will refrain from saying anything about Rollo’s origin; if you ask a Dane, they will likely say he was Danish, while a Norwegian is just as likely to say he came from Norway. So, this blog is content to state that he was Scandinavian.
So, considering Wilhelm’s origins, however distant, what really happened? Did the Vikings eventually conquer England anyway? 😉

Sources:

Militära Misstag – Hugo Nordland (Military Mistakes)

1066 – The Battles Of York, Stamford Bridge and Hastings – Peter Marren

The Battle of Stamford Bridge – J. Brooks (1877)

Images: Public Domain