early medieval warfare – The Wargaming Erratic

September is a busy month for battle anniversaries in Yorkshire not least in 1066.

On the 20th the Vikings of King Harald defeated the Saxons of Earls Edwin and Morcar at Germany Beck in what is now Fulford. There are not many references to this battle – given that two climatic battles followed, its understandable.

The battle was according to records fought near where the beck joins a sharp turn in the river Ouse.

Crucially the defeated Saxons made good their escape as a rising tide flooded the beck. This meant they could fight another day.

There is a tapestry of the Fulford battle displayed at various locations over the years since it was made in 2012 after ten years effort!

On the 25th September the Saxons under King Harold of England defeated Harald and the Viking host at Stamford Bridge.

It was the end of the Scandinavian Viking threat after hundreds of years of invasion.

A tapestry of the Stamford Bridge battle can be seen in the old railway station at Stamford Bridge.

It was another Viking Scion – the Norsemen who took land in the Carolingian Empire and called it Normandy – who a few generations later then defeated the English in turn at Hastings.

It can be argued that without Fulford and Stamford Bridge there would have been no Hastings and maybe a different war between Harold and William might have played out.

So maybe instead of waiting for yet another Norman invasion (the bayeaux tapestry is en route to the UK) you could visit these other tapestries when they are on show instead or as well as.

People remember William for what followed yet Harold had marched 500 miles with his household troops and won a great victory putting together two separate regional armies before arriving at Hastings: William fought an outstanding adversary.

Back in 2020 I put together some shield wall armies and had some fun trying out various rules.

https://thewargamingerratic.home.blog/2020/09/06/prelude-to-wargames-rules-tested/

Reinforcements 2

Yet more reading matter has arrived for my current flavour – the Anglo Saxons. I should say Anglo-Saxons here is deemed to cover Northumbrians, Mercians, East Anglians, West, East, South Saxons and the men of Kent. And of course their top adversaries – the vikings.

Tom Holland authored Athelstan in penguins monarchs series; Harriet Harvey Wood has chosen Edward the Elder as the focus of “the making of England”; “The age of Athelstan” by Paul Hill is one of his 4 books that look at the world of the anglo saxons; “Cometh the Hour” by Annie Whitehead is a novel about the Mercians.

So currently I have just finished Paul Hills “The Anglo Saxons at War 800 – 1066” and Gareth Willams Osprey No27 Combat series book – “Viking Warrior versus Anglo-Saxon Warrior”.

And there are yet more books for me to read