Note
more in depth study of the logistics and weaponry of Harold and William
will be discussed in the sections entitled, William's and Harold's battle
forces. This section covers the chronological detail to the build-up of
the conflict.
Which
Way Should I Turn?
 arold
now king of England, was about to meet a challenge from invaders from across
the North Sea and the English Channel in the coming months. Tostig, as
mentioned earlier, was declared an exile and had departed, only to return
some time later, undertaking attacks on the English coastline. He invaded
the Isle of Wight in May 1066 and continued ravaging other locations along
the south. With his mercenary force he was limited in his success, partly
due to the Earls Morcar and Edwin. He found an ally in Malcolm, king of
the Scots. With his assistance, Tostig raided the Northern kingdoms. To
Harold II, the exploits of his renegade brother must have caused him some
concern. Although Tostig became a thorn in the side of Harold, he would
not have seen him as a threat to the kingdom. Harold was probably more
concerned with the activity that was taking place in Scandinavia.
A Giant
Of A Man
arald
Hardrada, the king of Norway was a giant of a man in stature as well as
deed. His very name meant hard council. His exploits were legendary. He
was ruthless and mercenary, his blood lust knew no bounds. He was the epitome
of the murderous Viking. Stories abound about this man. Probably the most
famous was when he was laying siege to a city, he conceived a plan to enter
it by fooling the priesthood that he was dying and that he wished for a
Christian burial. Overjoyed at the thought that this barbarian was at last
seeing the error of his ways, the people and priests opened the doors of
the city to them. Hardrada was placed in a coffin and escorted into the
city with Viking bearers. As the priests who now welcomed Hardrada with
open arms reached the entourage, Hardrada rose from the dead. The priests
now fled for their lives. It was too late, Hardrada and his men had succeeded
in fooling them into opening the gates. A massacre ensued. The city was
ransacked and all valuables taken. This was a Trojan horse exercise which
paid off for Hardrada.
No
One Is Safe
ardrada
had been a seafarer from an early age. Captured in Byzantium, he managed
to escape from the Empress who had imprisoned him. In revenge, he blinded
her husband and abducted her niece. He married a Russian princess and had
made plans to invade Denmark. Even though we tend to think of Vikings as
a single race originating from Scandinavia, they spent a considerable amount
of time fighting amongst themselves. Hardrada fought under a banner of
a black raven on a white background. Unfortunately his plans to invade
Denmark came to nothing because his reputation had preceded him. The Danes
made preparations to combat his invasion. Seeing that this was a hopeless
ambition, he turned his sights elsewhere. Those sites were on England.
Pirate
Or Madman?
ll
through the early months of 1066, Hardrada prepared his invasion force.
His justification for this exploit was the agreement between Hardicanute
and his father, Magnus of Norway. Not that this would probably have made
any difference to him. Hardrada knew that England had a large population
of Scandinavian settlers from past campaigns, who he hoped would give him
their allegiance. This was no ordinary campaign for Hardrada, he obviously
knew of the fate of previous expeditions to England but his arrogance,
blood lust and piratical mentality overcame any caution he may have had.
It was in 1066 that there was a visitation by Haley's comet which had not
gone unnoticed by them. A comet was considered to be an omen of bad luck.
Even so, Hardrada set sail.
Across
The Channel
cross
the English Channel, another claimant to the English thrown was making
preparations to collect his prize. William Duke of Normandy, in his eyes
the only true claimant of the thrown of England after the promise made
to him by Edward the Confessor and the pledge of allegiance made by Harold
under duress. Hardrada and William were not the only ones who could make
a claim to the English throne.
Don't
Forget My Claim To The Throne
 weyn
Estridson, king of Denmark could also have made a claim to the throne.
Being a nephew of Hardicanute and grandson of Sweyn Forkbeard, would have
been a serious candidate. His major concern was with Harold Hardrada and
his aborted plans to invade Denmark. To this end, he threw his support
behind William. One more candidate, Edgar Aetheling, the son of Edmund
Ironside who had retreated to Hungary was discounted due to the fact that
he was only about 12 years old. Emma would not have allowed the young Edgar
to be involved in the politics, knowing that his future would be in serious
danger of being cut short.
It
Was Bound To Happen
arold
knew that when he became king he would have to make preparations for battle.
There were too many heir apparents for their to be peace for any length
of time. He was not to be disappointed. His spies would have informed him
of the build-up from beyond the North Sea and across the English Channel
in Normandy. To this end, he made his plans to counteract any invasion
force that might threaten his kingship. Harold had spent most of his life
in the southern part of England and apart from his exploits abroad in Normandy
had not had great dealings with affairs in the North. It was important
to him to unify the country to combat the imminent danger. He travelled
north to pacify Edwin and Morcar, who had bad memories of Harold's brother
Tostig and his draconian measures in Northumbria. To cement the alliance
he married Edith, the sister of Edwin and Morcar. Remember he already had
a common law wife by the name of Edith Swan Neck. How she must have felt
when she heard this news is obvious. This was a political marriage for
the sake of the kingdom.
Who
First?
arold
was in a difficult position. He knew he was going to be invaded on two
fronts, but who would be first? It would seem that his plans were more
biased towards an invasion by William than Hardrada. The alliance with
Edwin and Morcar allowed some semblance of security North of the Wash,
which would be the invasion destination of Hardrada. Hardrada would seek
the assistance of the naturalized Nordics. This was strange because Hardrada
was Norwegian and many of the settlers in Danelaw were Danish. Considering
the animosity that was taking place between Norway and Denmark, his perception
that he would receive immediate support on landing seemed somewhat arrogant.
My
Brother Tostig
 t
was bad enough to know how to plan a defence of his kingdom with two possible
invasion forces ready to strike. He had not even managed to stop his own
brother Tostig from raiding the English shores. Tostig on his own was no
threat. Unfortunately circumstances were to change. Tostig forged an alliance
with Hardrada. It is first thought that Tostig tried to make an alliance
with William especially as he had been exiled to Flanders and was the husband
of Judith, the daughter of Count Balduin of Flanders. He had an affinity
with William. It seems however, that the attempt failed. His only other
option was Hardrada. How this liaison was formed is unclear but was probably
the friendship he had with Malcolm Canmore of Scotland. This occurred following
his raids on the southern coastline of England. Tostig arrived with about
60 ships and men and managed to recruit others from England, mostly from
the town of Sandwich, which he occupied. He continued around the Eastern
coast of England and headed north. Here he came across the resistance of
Edwin and Morcar. The promise of wealth and fortune soon turned sour for
the volunteers. Many boats mutinied, were lost or just gave up. By the
late summer of 1065, Tostig reached the haven of Malcolm Canmore. Here
he rested over Winter. It is thought that he forged his alliance with Hardrada
over this period.
Wessex,
Then England?
 o
counteract the raids of Tostig and to prepare for the invasion of William,
Harold mobilized his fyrd and fleet and stationed them in Sandwich and
off the Isle of Wight respectively. Harold obviously cared more about his
beloved Wessex than what was occurring in the north. His political marriage
was a small price to pay for the alliance of Edwin and Morcar. The logistics
of keeping a large army in battle readiness in those days was itself a
major achievement. The system used was very similar to that devised by
Alfred the Great two hundred years before. It basically consisted of a
rota system where men were expected to serve the country for at least two
months per year. (More will be said about this system in another section).
Eventually when no invasion happened, Harold disbanded the fyrd and brought
his ships to port to await further developments. To keep them active any
longer became expensive to the Crown, for reasons that will be explained
later. It was not Harold's intention at this stage to disband his army,
but by the 8th September there was no more food left to feed such a large
force. Another more mundane reason for the disbandment, was the fact that
it was harvest time. To try and keep the fyrd on active duty when their
crops were due to be harvested, whatever the threat to the country, the
land came first. Harold must also have calculated that it was becoming
increasingly unlikely that William would attempt an invasion this late
in the season. How wrong he would be.
A Bad
Move
ow
much Harold knew about the alliance between Hardrada and Tostig is unknown.
It seems however a counter productive step to bring his ships home to port
in London when a serious threat such as this looms large. Harold had spent
some time in London and allegedly fell ill, possibly with a recurrence
of the paralysis he had suffered when younger. He departed for Waltham
Abbey, that he had founded and which would later be his resting place.
Here he prayed with the Abbott. He made a full recovery. Around about the
15th or 16th of September 1066, Harold must have been informed of the exploits
of Hardrada and Tostig down the north eastern coast of England. Joining
forces, Tostig from Scotland and Hardrada from Norway, they met at the
mouth of the River Tyne. Together they sailed south and sacked Scarborough
and Cleveland. From here they boarded their longboat and continued south
and into the Humber estuary. They continued up the estuary until they came
to a place known as Ricall where the River Ouse meets the River Wharfe
which eventually leads to Tadcaster. The invading force of Hardrada and
Tostig would have consisted of three hundred ships at a minimum and five
hundred at maximum and possibly five to six thousand men of different affiliations.
These would have been Flemish, Scottish and various get rich quick Englishmen,
along with Hardrada's men.
Edwin
And Morcar
ware
of the atrocities at Scarborough and other locations on their way to Ricall,
Edwin and Morcar rallied the fyrd. They marched to Tadcaster to engage
Hardrada and Tostig. A battle ensued on the Northern bank of the Ouse.
It raged all day. Heavy casualties were sustained by both sides but at
the end of the day, Hardrada was victorious. Today this conflict is known
as the Battle of Fulford, fought on the 20th September 1066. This victory
for Hardrada seriously weakened Harold's options. He relied on Edwin and
Morcar to deal with the threat. He now had two fronts to worry about. Fulford
was only a short march north. The inhabitants immediately surrendered to
him and offered hostages, which was normal in those days. Harold could
not allow Hardrada and Tostig to continue terrorizing the north, he immediately
marched north.
Legend
e
quickly assembled his housecarls and fyrd and in a legendary march of nearly
200 miles, covered in five days he made camp about 20 km south west of
York around or in Tadcaster. Resting his men for the night, he assembled
them and marched towards and possibly straight through York with little
or no resistance. Hardrada and Tostig and their men were now encamped about
12 km east, awaiting the delivery of hostages from York. Harold was now
very close. Hardrada must have been unaware of the danger his men were
in. Much of their armour and weapons were left at Ricall with his ships.
He probably thought that Harold would not dare come north after the heavy
defeat of Edwin and Morcar. Not only that, how could he possibly be here,
only five days after the Battle of Fulford?
The
Glint Of Armour
he
first Hardrada new of the arrival of Harold was the sight of the dust and
glint of armour. Hardrada immediately sent word on horseback to his ships
and remaining men at Ricall. Hardrada was camped on the East bank of the
Derwent river and therefore had a natural barrier to aid his defence. This
river would have to be breached if a battle was to take place. The only
crossing was a wooden footbridge that could be defended by a single individual.
Some of Hardrada's men were unfortunately trapped on the western bank of
the river. Their fate was quickly sealed. Harold's men quickly advanced
to the western bank and taunted the enemy. A lone soldier, single handed,
protected the bridge and the English onslaught until one of Harold's men
managed to slip underneath and spear him from below.
Meeting
 ne
story concerning this battle is worth recounting. It concerns the action
of Harold before the main battle occurred. A meeting was arranged between
the leaders of both sides, under a flag of truce. Harold himself, possibly
dressed not to be recognized met Hardrada and Tostig. He offered Tostig
Northumbria and a third of his kingdom if he submitted to him. This must
have been very tempting to Tostig. He asked what he was prepared to give
Hardrada. Harold replied "The only thing I am prepared to give him is seven
feet of English soil, or as much more as he may be taller than other men".
Following this response, any treaty or hope of peace disappeared. Each
side were committed. Hardrada asked Tostig "Who was that man who spoke
so well"? When Tostig informed Hardrada that it was his brother Harold,
Hardrada replied that if he had known that, he would never have been allowed
to ride away. This story should be taken with a pinch of salt, as it comes
from a Norwegian source written 200 years later.
.
Stamford Bridge.
You can just see the line of the River Derwent in front of the trees.
Victory
 onsidering
the importance of this battle to English history, very little is known
about it. Most comes from a Norwegian source, a man named Snorri Sturlasson.
Once the bridge had been breached the battle commenced. As with many battles
of that time, it was fought in traditional style. This would mean a swords
and battleaxes which belies the origins of the combatants. It is also thought
that specialist archers were utilized by Harold and it was one of these
arrows that eventually pierced the throat of Harald Hardrada. The rest
of Hardrada's men had arrived from Ricall and fought beserker style - like
men possessed. The blood lust of the Norse men nearly inflicted a defeat
on Harold. He managed to rally his men onwards. The Vikings had marched
in full armour for a number of kilometres and were soon tiring under the
English onslaught. Discarding their armour they became easy targets during
the hand to hand phase that it inevitably came down to in the end. By early
evening the battle was over. Harold was victorious. To consolidate his
victory, he could so easily have marched to Ricall and destroyed what was
left of the invaders. He however, allowed Hardrada's son Olaf to round
up the injured and defeated and sail back to Norway. Of the hundreds of
ships Hardrada had arrived with, Olaf required only 24 to return home.
This gives some idea of the casualties they must have suffered. Hardrada
and Harold's brother Tostig now lay dead. Never again would England suffer
the threat of a massive invasion by Vikings. The threat of invasion from
the Norse men may have been removed for good but an even more powerful
force had set sail for England's shores.
.
A rare and valuable
skull of this period showing what damage a sword or Danish battle axe can
inflict.
It
Makes Me Mad
he
news of the coronation of Harold a few months earlier must have infuriated
William. After Harold's oath of 1064 and the promise made to him by Edward
the Confessor, he must have considered all his options until he was left
with only one. To this end, he prepared himself for invasion. Duke William
would have discussed this plan with his half brothers Odo and Robert to
see if it was viable. With their support he called a council of war. This
would be made up of his immediate family, vassals and advisers. The council
of war took place at Lillebonne and included eminent members such as William
of Poitiers, Robert de Mortain, Richard Count of Evreux, Roger of Beaumont
and various others. It was from these powerful men that owed fealty to
their Lord, an army would be raised. Under the feudal system it would be
expected that these men would supply the means to invade England. Not only
would they be expected to supply the manpower but the ships required to
traverse the English Channel and all other requirements that may be needed
for Williams invasion plan. This was the penalty of their position. When
Williams plan was put before the council, it was met with derision. Even
though understood their commitment, their was no provision for fighting
overseas. As hard as William tried to persuade them, the council eventually
broke up in disarray. This made William very angry. William being William
however, did not give up. He was determined and resolute enough to get
his way. If he could not persuade them at the council, he would try on
a one to one basis. He would remind them of their duty and what riches
awaited those who accompanied him. Eventually he gained support from his
vassals. William realised that he would have to turn this trip into a crusade.
To do this he would need the blessing of the Pope. He managed this by persuading
the Pope of Harold's promise and treachery. At first the Pope refused on
political grounds because of the implications to the Church. Pope Alexander
II was a pupil of Lanfranc who was now a trusted adviser to William. It
was this fact that his blessing was eventually given. William now had the
papal banner on his side. This made it much easier to rally his men to
arms.
Papal
Blessing, So God Is On Our Side
 ow
that William had the blessing of Rome, he wasted no time in his preparations.
This impending conflict was now being seen as William had hoped, a crusade
rather than what it really was, a personal vendetta. He was now able to
gain support not only in Normandy but from surrounding provinces and he
even managed to be given verbal, if not physical support from Germany and
Denmark.
To
Build A Fleet
he
logistics of invading another country are enormous. It is well understood
that you must have more men, weapons and food than your opponents. By the
time William had managed to persuade his countryman of the viability of
the expedition, he was in no position to carry it out. Simply because he
had very few ships for an operation such as this. His first task was to
commission the building of a fleet large enough to convey his force and
provisions across the English Channel. These boats were based on the Viking
longboats. Some 500 plus were built or requisitioned in very short time.
Ready
To Sail
 y
the middle of August 1066, William was ready to set sail. Unfortunately,
due to adverse weather conditions and unfavourable winds, the invasion
was delayed. William decided that he should move his fleet closer to the
English coast to ensure a safer crossing. On the 12th September 1066, he
moved the fleet to St Valery sur Somme, as its name suggests, a port in
the estuary of the river Somme. Moving the fleet here made the eventual
crossing much shorter. St Valery was under the control of Count Guy of
Ponthieu who was sympathetic to William's cause. Now that William had moved
his ships from the mouth of the Dives in Normandy to St Valery, it was
important that the crossing was made as soon as possible. Again the weather
turned against him. He now had the problem of keeping a large force of
men fed and ready for battle. By the 211th October 1066, the weather had
become favourable. During the previous two weeks the morale of his men
began to decrease. Without William's motivation and determination to claim
the English throne which he rightfully thought belonged to him, the invasion
may have floundered here. By dusk, the ships were fully loaded and ready
to depart. It was his plan to sail through the night and to land the following
morning as day broke. William's ship the Mora would have given the command
to set sail, possibly by the use of a light on the mast or by horn. William's
flag ship became separated from the main fleet by day break. Un-perturbed
he cast out his anchor and had breakfast and waited for the rest to catch
up. Around 6:30 a.m. they were spotted. The fleet re grouped and continued
towards the English coast.
Pevensey
Bay
 illiam's
ships landed at Pevensey Bay. In 1066 Pevensey was different to the way
it is now. Then, the sea was un-retained and consisted of vast areas of
marsh land which extended as far as Pevensey Castle, a monument that can
still be viewed today. The Roman perimeter wall gives some idea of the
extent of the problem William encountered by landing there, as it some
distance from the actual sea. The whole area would have been subject to
flooding during high tides even beyond the castle. In fact the whole area
would have been a natural lagoon then.
Omen?
y
8:30 a.m. the fleet had landed. The tally of ships lost amounted to only
two. One of these boats contained William's soothsayer or astrologer. When
William heard of his fate, he commented. "He could not have been very good
if he could not have foretold his own demise". The fact was that these
lost boats sailed into Old Romney where they were captured and all crew
and soldiers were put to death. This action by the locals was to be severely
punished later. When William stepped off his boat, he slipped and fell
into the mud. Picking himself up he possibly smiled when a knight stated
that the Duke had the earth of England in his hands. It was important that
occurrences such as this were defused because they were seen as bad omens.
Waiting
For Harold
n
disembarking, William would have sent out scouts to survey the area for
the English and for a route out of Pevensey Bay. It is likely the local
population would have scattered by now, with the word of William's landing
speeding on its way to Harold. The Norman scouts would also have reported
that it would be very difficult to unload the ships there if they wished
to move quickly inland. William must have heeded their advice because he
made the decision to re-board his boats and sail along the coast to Hastings.
He would have left a small force to make their way along the coastal route
on foot. How much information William had received on the English position
is unknown. He must have known that Harold had ordered the fleet back home.
It is less certain that he knew of the Viking invasion of Harald Hardrada.
Hastings was a good choice of base for William. The area along the South
Downs between Hastings and Pevensey was difficult but had the advantage
of security for William's troops. He knew he would not be invaded from
the east coast side. William also knew that he was only a few tens of KM's
from Dover where a Roman road stretches to London, his eventual goal. On
arrival at Hastings, which probably by this time was virtually deserted,
he unloaded his boats. He constructed a wooden fortress and waited for
news of Harold. It would not be long.
The
March South
he
exact time that Harold heard of the landing of William is not known but
was possibly on 30th September at the earliest assuming a rider immediately
headed north to York as soon as the invasion fleet was observed. It would
have been only five days after the Battle of Stamford Bridge. He knew William
was coming, he never thought it would be this soon. He was now in a dilemma.
He was three hundred miles from Hastings with a depleted if not defeated
force. How was he too defend the country now? Whatever went through his
mind, he decided by the 2nd October to march south again. In a historic
march he arrived in London on the 6th October 1066. Harold stayed in London
only until the 11th October 1066 before marching towards Hastings with
his men. On the 13th October 1066 he camped on Caldbec Hill, 10 km north
of Hastings. Here the most famous English battle would be fought.
|
© copyright Glen Ray Crack -
Battle - East Sussex - United Kingdom