Danger from the British crown 

On September 25, 1066, baseball jersey shirt two armies faced each other at Stamford Bridge, west of Yorkside.

Many sources claim it to be a village, but in fact, according to the World History Encyclopedia, the site is a broad grassland east of the Derwent River, and across the river is a wooden bridge called Stamford Bridge - named after That was set for this battle, and this neighborhood.

Traces of a thousand years of war.

The first army, according to Britanica, consisted of about 5,000 men in the Viking fleet commanded by the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada, led by Tostig Godwinson - an English aristocrat. The second army was led by the then English (Anglo-Saxon) king Harold Godwinson, with a size ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 men (both infantry, archers and cavalry). 

The reason they faced each other there was none other than the British throne. And Tostig was none other than Harold's brother 

In January 1066, the first English king Edward the Confessor died without leaving a direct heir. This resulted in successive succession claims from all over Northwestern Europe.

Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, King Edward's brother-in-law, was personally summoned by Edward on his deathbed to hand over the kingship, but the context is still considered "unclear" and lacks legitimacy, due to lack of witness and recognition by representatives of the majority of the aristocracy. 

So, very quickly, Harold found himself in the middle of a pincer. In the south, from France, Duke William of Normandy, living on a vain promise when Harold was captured in France in 1051, assembled an expeditionary force. In the north, the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada is also ready for a conquest true to Viking tradition.

It didn't take long for the Norwegians to cross the North Sea, sail along the  Orkneys, and land at Riccall, near York, with a force of perhaps 10,000 men. The king, their commander, Harald, was by no means an easy opponent for anyone. Before entering England, Harald spent many years fighting as a mercenary general, for the newly created Kievans Rus courts in the ancestral land of modern Russia. Before that, he was a member of the elite Varangian Guard of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine), participated in the campaigns against Messina and Syracuse that the Muslim Arabs occupied on Sicily (in 1038. ).

 Harald's adjutant

Tostig was originally the earl of Northumbria. However, due to his draconian rule, he was overthrown in 1065, and forced into exile to Scotland (which was not within the realm of England at the time). Eventually, Tostig went to Norway, influencing and persuading Harald to take the throne himself, hoping through victory to find a way to take the British throne from his brother (although it might have to accept his position. vassal). Tostig's presence, of course, increased the dangers to the British crown that Harold had barely worn.

stamford-bridge.jpg -0
Image of legendary Viking warriors in folklore. 

Doomsday hymn 

But, Harold was also not a "newbie" on the battlefield at all. Even according to many sources, as a prisoner on French soil, he once participated in combat and made resounding victories, helping the Skull hoodies Normandy county army win over the neighboring Brittany county army. Perhaps also because of his assessment as a man of top military ability, suitable to succeed him, Edward the Confessor summoned him to inherit the throne, as a way of "choosing the face to send gold".

 Harold was well aware of the dangers he was facing, and rushed to build an army. While the Norwegians were landing and advancing against York, Harold had called up about 3,000 infantry guards - soldiers who had been trained well, and had just been temporarily discharged due to lack of compensation from the bank. national book - to rush north.

Along the way, through appeals, he obtained the promise of reinforcements from the armies of several important independent lords: the Earls of Northumbria, Mercia, Morcar, and Edwin. Unfortunately, these armies did not wait for Harold to make a move, but gathered first on September 20, at Fulfort. Unable to develop a plan for joint operations, they were crushed by Harald Hardara of Norway, and were left with only the option of withdrawing to reorganize.

It was through this victory that the Nordic expedition forced the surrender of York City, and it was Stamford Bridge that they chose to exchange hostages with York. So, the Viking army is divided into two halves. A leisurely part to relax in the fields of Stamford Bridge. The rest took care of the fleet, where later bibliographies suggest that almost all of the Norwegian armor was kept.

And so, on September 25, Viking soldiers were only equipped with helmets and shields, suddenly seeing the enemy appear as if falling from the sky. Harold, by then, had pushed