The year is 1066 and Edward the Confessor dies January 5th and Harold Godwinson(The Main Character) becomes King of the Anglo-Saxon people.
His banished brother Tostig Godwinson had recruited the most feared warrior of christendom Harald Hardrada the king of Norway, since of Harold had lost is Earl title he was out for revenge.
Rumors about an invasion from the Normans in south made Harold go there to defend his kingdom.
Battle of Fulford:
The rumors were true about an invasion, but not from south, from north.
September 20th 300 Viking Ships arrives with a total amount of 15000 fearless viking warriors and the 6.5 feet tall viking king.
The English Army was led by Edwin, Earl of Mercia and his brother Morcar, Earl of Northumbria. Harald lined his army up to oppose the Anglo-Saxons, but he knew it would take hours for all of his troops to arrive. His least experienced troops were sent to the right and his best troops on the riverbank.
The English struck first, advancing on the Norwegian army before it could fully deploy. Morcar's troops pushed Harald's back into the marshlands, making progress against the weaker section of the Norwegian line. However, this initial success proved insufficient for victory to the English army, as the Norwegians brought their better troops to bear upon them, still fresh against the weakened Anglo-Saxons.
The Anglo-Saxons were forced to give ground. Edwin's soldiers who were defending the bank now were cut off from the rest of the army by the marsh, so they headed back to the city to make a final stand. Within another hour, the men on the beck were forced off by the Norwegians. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, the defenders were defeated. Edwin and Morcar however, managed to survive the fight.
The remaining men in Fulford surrendered under the promise that the victors would not loot their city. The treaty was kept, as King Harald turned his attention towards York.
The north of England fell to the invaders but word of the viking invasion travelled fast and Harold had an impossible choice to make.
Stay in south incase the Normans landed or, march north to defend what was left of his kingdom.
Marching north in 5 days the two enemies met at stamford bridge.
The battle of Stamford had begun.
Battle of Stamford:
The Vikings were at an enormous disadvantage. Their army was divided in two; with some of their troops on the west side of the River Derwent and the bulk of their army on the east side. They were not expecting English intervention, so they left their armour behind at their ships. The English army arrived and annihilated the Vikings who fought a futile defence on the west side of the river. By the time the bulk of the English army had arrived, the Vikings on the west side were either slain or fleeing across the bridge. The English advance was then delayed by the need to pass through the choke-point presented by the bridge.
A giant Norse Berserker armed with a double bladed axe held the bridge single-handedly and killed 40 englishmen after asking he's king to die on the bridge.
He was only defeated when an English soldier floated under the bridge in a half-barrel and thrust his spear through the laths in the bridge.
Whatever the delay, this had allowed the bulk of the Norse army to form a shieldwall to face the English attack.
The battle raged for hours and eventually, the Norse army began to fragment and fracture, allowing the English troops to force their way in and break up the Norwegians shield wall. Completely outflanked, and with their leaders Hardrada and Tostig killed, the Norwegian army disintegrated and was virtually annihilated.
King Harold accepted a truce with the surviving Norwegians, including Harald's son Olaf. They were allowed to leave after giving pledges not to attack England again. The losses the Norwegians had suffered were so horrific that only 24 ships from the fleet of over 300 were needed to carry the survivors away.
Battle of Hastings:
3 weeks later another battle came to England, the final battle and the end of the Anglo-Saxon era.
William relied on basic tactics with archers in the front rank weakening the enemy with arrows, followed by infantry which would engage in close combat, culminating in a cavalry charge that would break through the English forces. However, his tactics did not work as well as planned. William's army attacked the English as soon as they were ready and formed up. Norman archers shot several volleys but many of the arrows hit the shield wall and had very little effect. Believing the English to have been softened up, William ordered his infantry to attack. As the Normans charged up the hill, the English threw down whatever they could find: stones, javelins, and maces. The barrage inflicted heavy casualties among the Norman ranks, causing the lines to break up.
The infantry charge reached the English lines, where ferocious hand-to-hand fighting took place. William had expected the English to falter, but the arrow barrage had little effect and nearly all the English troops still stood, their shield wall intact. As a result William ordered his cavalry to charge far sooner than planned. Faced with a wall of axes, spears and swords, many of the horses shied away despite their careful breeding and training. After an hour of fighting, the Breton division on William's left faltered and broke completely, fleeing down the hill. Suffering heavy casualties and realising they would be quickly outflanked, the Norman and Flemish divisions retreated with the Bretons. Unable to resist the temptation, many of the English broke ranks, including hundreds of fyrdmen and Harold's brothers, Leofwyne and Gyrthe. In the following confused fighting, William's horse was killed from underneath him, and he toppled to the ground. Initially, many of William's soldiers thought that he had been killed, and an even greater rout ensued. It was only after he stood up and threw off his helmet that William was able to rally his fleeing troops.
Soon Harold fell and the Normans began their conquest of England.
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Last update: 11-01-2011 00:12 |
| Published in : War |
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