Battle of Stamford Bridge
The battles of Stamford Bridge in England (September 25th, 1066) is an episode of the Conquête of England. It precedes the Bataille by Hastings.
This battle put an end to the era Viking in England.
Context of the time
The death of Edouard the Confessor put at the catch four applicants with the crown of England:- Harald Hardråde (the Severe one), king de Norvège,
- William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy,
- Harold Godwinson, indicated as king by Witan,
- Edgar Atheling, teenager without title.
Harald Hardråde (the Severe one) with its Viking S Norwegian directed to him also an invasion.
September 24th, 1066, it conquered York with its ally Tostig, count de Northumberland, brother of the king Harold Godwinson of England.
Unfolding
Tostig, count banished of Northumbrie, brother of Harold, formed an alliance of circumstance with William the Conqueror and Harald Hardråde.
Mid-September 1066, Harald accompanied by Tostig unloaded nearly 10.000 men with Riccall, on the coast of the Yorkshire, it seized Scarborough, then beat the army of Northumbrie with Gate Fulford, on September 20th. Tostig was avenged for its exile. The 24, they seized the town of York.
Harold Godwinson is with London when it takes note on September 15th of this attack. It then decides to face this threat because it estimates that the storm that the fleet of William the Conqueror underwent on September 12th and the difficulties of crossing with the approach of the autumn increase the probability that the most pressing danger is in north.
With its cavalry and its brother Gryth, the housecarles, he traverses the 320 km in four days to arrive at Tadcaster, which is to approximately 16 km in the western south of York on September 24th and to join to the forces of his/her brothers-in-law the counts Edwin and Morcar.
The sailors of Morcar, whose small fleet was moored with Ulleskill, inform it that Hardrada and Tostig, with the totality of their army had left York to turn over near their ships to Riccall.
Harald was installed close to Stamford Bridge (the bridge of the ford of Stam on the Derwent river) to 20 km of York, having returned approximately a third of its manpower to keep the boats, in Riccall, 30 km from there. It undoubtedly remained in Harald less than 6.000 men, relaxed, having left part of their equipment in the boats, without same of before stations. Harald even awaited the hostages and the tributes to him, fruits of its victory. The attack of Harold was a total surprise.
The inhabitants of York when the city had gone to Hardrada indicate him that the city had provided vivres and hostages. He also heard that the Northumbrie NS had received the order to bring additional vivres and hundred hostages with the camp Viking of the Stamford bridge.
The Anglo-Saxon army (from 3.000 to 8.000 men) approached quickly coming from the west, hidden with the sight of the Vikings by a peak. The passable river only by the bridge, isolated a small quota camped in the west from the principal body of the Vikings, located at approximately 1 km in the east, beyond the bridge. The small group in the west of the bridge was folded up but its rear-guard was made massacre. As Bayard will do it later, only one warrior blocked the Anglo-Saxons on the bridge but one of them, passing under the bridge in boat struck it of a blow of its lance slipped between the boards. During this time the large one of the Scandinavian forces was formed in a line of defense along the peak in the east.
The forces Viking were not only very vulnerable because most of their weapons on the boats but were also divided. Five thousand men kept the ships, a small number on northern bank and the remainder on the southern part.
Harald Hardrada did not know the ground and at the head did not have a plan because it did not expect a battle. The king rebels brother of Harold, Tosti, which has been count de Northumberland for ten years and knows well the warlike capacities of Harold. He insists at Hardrada not to accept the combat but to immediately make retirement in urgency towards Ricall. Hardrada considers this possibility but decides to fight immediately because it knew that Housecarles would then attack side and the rear-guard quickly. It as could think as Harold had sent enough men to take Kexby, a crucial point to cross Derwent, therefore blocking any retirement towards Ricall.
Harold then offered to Tostig the restitution of its title and its grounds of Northumberland if it deposited the weapons. Tostig having required until Harald could wait like English grounds for the withdrawal of its army, Harold answered him that considering its size, it would be entitled to 7 feet of good English ground. Tostig would have preferred an immediate retirement towards Ricall, i.e. the boats. But Harald feeling that this retirement would be difficult chooses to face.
Hardrada sends a messenger to Eystein Orre, the commander of the quota with Ricall to come immediately in Stamford Ridge. Then it quickly evacuated the majority of the men who were on northern bank in the south, leaving small a back keeps with the bridge. Hardrada and Tosti have just time to form a line of defense with their men best armed along a peak to approximately 300 m in the south east with Derwent.
The Anglo-Saxons passed the river then and charged the position Viking in several rows, in vain. The Vikings charged in their turn since the peak being inserted in corner in the rows with the Anglo-Saxons who in a traditional way, moved back in the center aspiring the enemy in a pocket where it was attacked on all sides.
The men left with the bridge were quickly overflowed, although a legend says that after his/her comrades had been killed only one warrior the English blocked. One their combatants was placed in a boat and rowed under the bridge. Through a space in the boards it struck the Berserk with its lance.
The troops of Harold were placed then on line vis-a-vis the Vikings. Harold proposed with his/her Tosti brother an amnesty if it deposited the weapons immediately. Tosti then requires what Hardrada would receive. Harold answered large fall because it was larger than the others.
The Vikings had the disadvantage of a partial armament but the English had just traversed a score of kilometers. The massacre is balanced. Harald, furious, was thrown ahead, but an arrow transpierced the throat to him. Then Tostig fell in its turn. Although their chiefs perished the Vikings continued with valiancy the combat when Eystein Orre arrived with the reinforcements. However these troops had just made a forced march of 30 km in this day of an exceptional heat wave, and being exhausted they were massacred.
The Anglo-Saxons continued the enemy diverts some until Riccall and fine Harold putting at slaughter, allowed the survivors to re-embark, of which Olaf Kyrre, wire of Harald.
The nine tenth of the Vikings had died and of the three hundred and sixty drakkars who had come it needed there only 36 to take along the survivors.
Harold left then to face William the Conqueror with the Bataille of Hastings.
This September 25th, 1066, is often regarded as marking the end of the era Viking. The projects of conquest of England by the Scandinavians disappeared, last forwarding Viking in Europe took place in 1102, when Magnus II, wire of king Harald, attacked the island of Man and Ireland.
See too
Related articles
External bonds
- the battle of the bridge of the ford of Stam
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