25/09/2022
It was on this day, September 25 in 1066, that the famous Battle of Stamford Bridge was fought between the Kingdom of England and the invading Viking army led by King Harald Hardrada.
It was a bloody battle where over 10 000 English foot soldiers and 2000 cavalrymen surprised 6000 Vikings camping on both sides of the river Derwent. The Vikings had left their armor and 3000 additional warriors on their ships some distance away, which put them at an immediate disadvantage. Most Vikings camping on the west side of the river were slain quickly, with the survivors retreating to the east side.
However, the English advance was delayed since they had to pass through the narrow bridge. The contemporary Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells the fantastic story of a giant Viking axeman blocking the bridge and single-handedly holding up the entire English army. He is said to have slain numerous Englishmen and was defeated only when the English floated under the bridge, thrusting spears through the planks, mortally wounding him.
Thanks to this immensely brave warrior, the Vikings on the other side of the river had been given time to form a shield wall to face the English, who poured across and formed a battle line of their own. The battle raged for hours, but the English finally broke the Viking shield wall and outflanked them. Harald Hardrada, the Viking King, suffered an arrow to his throat soon after and died. The Vikings were not only outnumbered, outflanked and without armor, but now also without their leader.
The Vikings were finally reinforced by the 3000 warriors who had been guarding the ships. Being fully armed for battle, they briefly swayed the tide of battle, but were eventually defeated.
The English are believed to have suffered 5000 casualties and the Vikings 6000 casualties. The tale goes that so many died in an area so small that the field was said to have been still whitened with bleached bones 50 years after the battle.
The irony is that less than three weeks after Stamford Bridge, on 14 October 1066, the English army was decisively defeated at the Battle of Hastings by William the Conqueror. William and the Normans were the offspring of the Viking Rollo and his followers, so one can say that the Norse bloodline avenged the defeat at Stamford Bridge.
The Viking defeat at Stamford Bridge is thought by many to symbolize the end of the Viking Age since it was the last great attack on England. However, Viking raiding, and trading activities did not end with this defeat. They continued for several decades after 1066. The Viking Age did not end due to one decisive battle, but rather due to political and economical reasons.
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