Medieval battlefields in england6/23/2023 What happened: John’s death from dysentery in October 1216 removed much of the sting from the nobility’s rage, and his nine-year-old son was swiftly crowned Henry III. With tempers ratcheting, the heir to the French crown, Prince Louis, was invited to lead the rebels – with John’s throne dangled as a carrot should be succeed in deposing him. The First Barons’ War (1215-1217) was an unseemly business which saw some of the aristocracy take up arms against the loathed King John – partly because he was refusing to accept the freshly signed Magna Carta. But only 150 years after William the Conqueror's takeover, England hosted more troops from across the Channel. The background: It is a general misconception that Britain has not witnessed a foreign invasion since 1066. Robert the Bruce recovered from defeat at Methven The Derwent, of course, still flows through what is a pretty village. Outnumbered and underprepared, the invaders were crushed in a defeat that effectively ended the age of Viking incursion onto British soil – both Hardrada and Tostig met their ends. Accounts of the clash talk of a Viking warrior who held his position on the crossing, killing a swathe of English attackers with his axe, before he himself was finally subdued. But a bridge over the Derwent surely did. The sources disagree as to whether the village of Stamford Bridge existed at the time (it is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which William the Conqueror commissioned as a record of his new kingdom). Certainly, they crossed the country with a speed that surprised the Norwegians, who were encamped on the River Derwent, some 25 miles east of York. Harold, focused on movements in Normandy, was forced to march north from London to deal with this second threat.Ĭhronicles of the time say he and his men managed the trek to Yorkshire – 185 miles – in four days. Earlier in the month, a Viking fleet had sailed up the River Ouse, captured York, and set to planning further mischief.
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