Battle of Fulford Flashcards
When did “the king” die which led to problems
Edward the Confessor died on 5 January 1066
Why was the king dying a problem
He had no heir
Who were the contenders to the throne?
William the Conqueror
Harald Hardrada
Harold Godwinson
Edgar the Aetheling
Describe Harold Godwinson
His sister was married to king. He was the kings advisor and a loyal soldier. He ruled the country on the kings behalf because he was focused on religion. He was promised the throne on Edward’s deathbed and he was the Earl of Wessex and an Anglo Saxon
Describe Harald Hardrada
He was a Viking with Viking allies. Godwinson’s brother Tostig is on Hardrada’s side. Harald was the king of Norway and was related to King Cnut but he was kicked out of England from war. His half brother Edward the Confessor took the throne.
Describe William
He was the Duke of Normandy and a French Norman. He was the cousin of the late king and they were very close. He was an experienced soldier using advanced military weapons
Describe Edgar
He was the great nephew of the king and an Anglo Saxon prince. In 1057, Edgar’s father was named heir but he died before he was crowned. He was around 14 years old and lacked experience
Who was crowned king and by who?
Harold Godwinson was crowned king the day after Edward’s death and he was chosen by the Witan
Where was Harold Godwinson crowned?
Westminster Abbey
What did harold do after being crowned
He stationed troops on the South coast to prepare from an invasion from the Duke of Normandy but he never invaded because of the northerly winds.
What did Harold do on September 8
He disbanded his troops and went to London
Describe Tostig
He was the previous Earl of Northumbria but his high taxes and brutal treatment made him disliked. Harold turned against him to maintain peace and made Morcar the new Earl.
Who was Morcar’s younger brother
Edwin Earl of Mercia.
Who is married to Harold
Morcar and Edwin’s sister
How many ships and men did Hardrada bring and to where?
300 ships and 10,000 men up the River Ouse into York.
What tributary was separating them
The Germany Beck
What formation did the English army do
Shield wall
What do Hardrada and Tostig do?
Hardarada hides with his strongest men behind a hill and Tostig is with the weaker men
What was restricting the fight to immediately start
The Germany Beck was still flowing
When did the fight start and what happened then
Around midday the water subsided and Morcar was easily defeating Tostig’s men. Hardrada’s army crept behind them and encircle the English
How much men did the English have
4,500
Describe the weapons they used
Hardrada used a double edged sword, the weapon of choice for Vikings and the English, and it was passed from father to son holding religious significance. Soldiers used a 5 foot Dane Axe but it required 2 hands to hold so you can’t hold a shield at the same time.
When and how did “…” surrender to the Vikings
York surrendered to the Vikings on September 24 1066. They were supposed to prove loyalty by giving 150 hostages at Stamford Bridge. The Vikings waited with no weapons
When did the Battle of Fulford take place
20 September 1066
