A supplementary action to the main Battle of Stamford Bridge: when Harold's army arrived, significant Norwegian forces were caught on the wrong side of the Derwent without armour. The lone Norwegian warrior who held the bridge with a great axe, killing 40 Englishmen before being killed by a spear thrust from below, is one of the most famous episodes in English history. This delaying action allowed some Norwegians to cross and join the main force but could not prevent the ultimate destruction of Hardrada's army.
Harald Hardrada and Tostig killed; five of the original 300 Norwegian ships survived according to some sources; English housecarls severely depleted
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near East Riding of Yorkshire