Battle of Stamford Bridge Flashcards
What is a huscarl?
A huscarl an essentially professional soldier or bodyguard armed with iron mail and a Dane axe.
What is a fyrd?
A fyrd is your average Joe that has leather armour and a shield.
What happened on he 25th of September?
The English arrived at Stamford Bridge, where the Vikings were waiting for hostages.
How far had the king travelled in 5 days?
300km
Were the viking suprised?
Very, very suprised, although they were armed they had left there armer with their ships 25 km away.
What river separated the English from the Vikings?
The River Derwent
How could you get across it?
Two fords and a small bridge.
How did the Vikings guard themselves?
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, a viking berserker blocked the bridge killing 40 Englishmen.
What did the English do in turn?
The plopped a man under him who promptly jerked a spear up his hind quarters.
What did Harald then do?
He sent his three fastest horses to get his reserve warriors.
What tactics did they both use?
Shield Walls.
What happened with Tostig?
Harold attempted to get him back in his side before the battle as Earl of Northumbria, yet Tostig asked for something for Hardrada which made Harold furious to the point that they couldn’t reach and agreement.
Where did Harald get struck by an arrow and killed?
The throat.
Why was he struck?
As the Viking line began to break Harald when forward, a weapon armed in both hands yet no shield or long mail shirt.
Why did the Vikings lose?
They were outnumbered.
