In the tumultuous climax of 1066, why was Harold’s very own brother Tostig the first of the mighty foes he had to face? How did Harald Hardrada then launch his invasion of England, and how much resistance did he initially receive? And, what unfolded at the bloody battle of Stamford Bridge, in which Harold Godwinson and Harald Hardrada, two terrible kings, faced off at long last? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the last great clash between vikings and Anglo Saxons, for the English throne… _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What is the Battle of Stamford Bridge and why is it significant?
I'm going with the sagas, Tom. I'm always, by the way, in this episode, going to go with the sagas. So this is Tostig. And as we described last time, Tostig is seething with resentment against his brother, Harold Godwinson. who he blames for his exile from England, the fact that Morcar has become Earl of Northumbria, that everybody hates him, all of this.
Now, Tostig in the last episode had been raiding England. He described him messing around in the Isle of Wight and the Humber and whatnot. But I think it's pretty clear that after he's gone off to Scotland and he's been blown around, he's looking for something more than raiding. I mean, by going to get help, he is signing up effectively to regime change in England.
It's clear to him his brother's never going to take him back. There's no possibility of a rapprochement. Now, if the sagas are to be believed, Harold Hardrada is not Tostig's first choice because the sagas say initially he goes to see somebody you mentioned very briefly last time, Svein of Denmark.
And Tostig in the saga says to him, why don't you come with me and win the country, win England as Cnut, your mother's brother did. And I think this has the ring of absolute plausibility. Svein says, no, I'm not Cnut. I don't have Cnut's capabilities. Only with difficulty can I defend my own Danish dominions against the Northmen, against the Norwegians, which is absolutely accurate.
Had Svein taken Tostig up on his offer and gone to England, there's no doubt in my mind that Harald Hardrada would have immediately invaded and conquered Denmark. So Svein would have been bonkers to take that up. Tostig, we're told, reacted contemptuously. He says, I expected more of so gallant a man.
And I will look for help, he says, from a king who isn't frightened of a great enterprise as you are.
It has to be said that both the contemporaneous sources and the sagas imply that Tostig does not have great interpersonal skills. Absolutely. He's not a charmer.
And to be fair, the record of history suggests that everybody despises Tostig. Yeah. But Tom? Tostig will redeem himself at the end of this episode and behave, I think, in a very impressive and gallant way. So now Tostig crosses the Skagorak to Vicken and he finds Harold Hardrada in his hall. Now, at first, Harold Hardrada too is dubious.
You talked last time about how some of William of Normandy's advisors said, England, really? That is a tough nut to crack. That is a hell of a gamble. And Hardrada hesitates. We're told, the king replied that the Northmen had no great desire for a campaign in England. People say that the English are not to be trusted. Who says that? You know what this is? Outrageous.
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