battle of gate fulford

• battle of gate fulford, 20th september 1066 - vikings vs saxons
• • harold was in south so relied on edwin & morcar to fend england
• | saxon deployment

  • edwin & mercians secured the bank near river ouse
  • morcar & northumbrianas took up centre
  • small rise in land made communication difficult
  • strength: had 5000 warriors
• | viking deployment

  • hadrada & elite bodyguard opposite edwin
  • tostig opposite morcar
  • large viking reserve hidden behind a rise in the terrain
  • strength: 10,000 + reserve
• | battle commences

  • both sides waited for tide to go out so stream was low enough to cross
  • morcar & northumbrians charged at tostig, reasoning they were the weakest part of the viking line
• | northumbrians push forward!

  • tostig's vikings give ground & saxon shield wall pushed forard but viking reserves began to steady tostig's line..
• | hadrada strikes

  • hadrada's elite warriors charged edwin's mercians
  • edwin retreated back to york to regroup
  • morcar, engaged in fighting & hidden from view by the land, couldn't see that mercians had left his flank exposed
  • part of hadrada's force pursued mercians
• | hadrada goes.. berserk!!!!!! guts

  • hadrada's men charged at northumbrians in their flank, unprotected by their shield wall
  • shield wall broke
  • morcar escaped
  • sazon's corpse filled the stream so vikings could cross
• | outcomes

  • saxons lost 500 men
  • but edwin & morcar escaped
  • failed to defeat viking invasion
  • viking lost 750 men but victorious
  • hadrada sent 1/3 army back to ships
  • rest marched to stamford bridge
• reasons for battle:

  • edwin & morcar wanted to repel viking invasion & protect the north
• | summary of events

  • both sides had to wait for tide to go out
  • morcar attacked tostig with some success
  • tostig & viking reserve resisted while hadrada defeated mercians
  • hadrada attacked morcar who fled
• | summary of result

  • vikings won
  • morcar & edwin escapes
  • 500 exaons died
  • 750 vikings died
• | summary of consequences

  • edwin & morcar forced to wait for harold godwinson's army
  • hadrada gained confidence- sent some army to guard boats & rest to stamford bridge to receive tribute from saxons