25 Sep 1066: Battle of Stamford Bridge

On this day in 1066, King Harold Godwinson of England soundly defeated King Harald Hardrada of Norway at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The defeat is sometimes considered the end of the Viking age.

At the same moment, forces of Norman prince William the Bastard were landing at the other end of the country, setting up the climax at Hastings three weeks later.

When Edward the Confessor died in January 1066, Harold Godwinson acted quickly to seize the throne, which had been promised to William. Harald Hardrada also had a claim, and upon receiving word of the usurpation, assembled a fleet of 300 ships to invade England.

Harold was waiting in the south in anticipation of William’s arrival, but his army made the 185-mile journey to Yorkshire in just four days, surprising the Vikings. The Norsemen required only 24 ships to take their survivors home.

That number might have been even lower had a Viking berserker not stood on the bridge, chopping down any Englishmen who tried to pass. According to legend, this giant killed more than 40 opponents before an English fighter floated below and thrusted upward with a spear.

Image: excerpt from the Bayeux Tapestry (c. 1077) showing King Harold of England.