The Battle of Stamford Bridge
1066 A.D.
An Alternative Interpretation
The Battle of Stamford Bridge was fought in September 1066 between the English, led by King Harold Godwinson, and the Norwegians and their allies, led by King Harald Sigurdsson and Tostig Godwinson, respectively. This crucial battle ended with the deaths of King Harald and Tostig and the crushing defeat of the Norwegian army. In gaining the victory, the English army suffered heavy casualties which resulted in the absence of any northern levis at the subsequent Battle of Hastings.
This paper reexamines the Battle of Stamford Bridge, proposes a new location for the battle and outlines how this location relates to events described in Fagrskinna, Morkinskinna, King Harald’s Saga, and the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. Comparison and reinterpretation of the various source materials suggests answers to often-asked questions regarding anomalies between sources and subsequent interpretations of events that occurred before and during the battle.
