In September 1066, Harald Hardrada's army landed in the north of England, and he marched south towards London. The English king, Harold Godwinson, who had just defeated an invasion from the south by the Norman duke William the Conqueror, was forced to march his army north to meet the Norwegians. At the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25, 1066, Harold Godwinson's forces decisively defeated Hardrada's army, killing the Norwegian king. This battle is often seen as the end of the Viking Age, as it marked the last serious Viking attempt to establish control over England.
The Battle of Hastings: The Norman Conquest
While the Battle of Stamford Bridge marked the end of Viking rule in England, it also set the stage for the Norman Conquest, which would reshape the English monarchy. Just days after the victory at Stamford Bridge, Harold Godwinson's army was forced to march south to face the invading forces of Duke William of Normandy, who had claimed the English throne following the death of King Edward the Confessor. On October 14, 1066, the two armies met at the Battle of Hastings.
The battle resulted in a decisive victory for William, who became known as William the Conqueror. Harold Godwinson was killed in the battle, and his forces were thoroughly defeated. William’s victory marked the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in England and the beginning of Norman rule, bringing with it significant changes to English society, law, and culture.
The Vikings, who had once been the terror of the English people, were now replaced by a new wave of invaders, the Normans, who were themselves descended from Norse settlers in northern France. The legacy of the Vikings lived on, however, in the cultural and political structures they had left behind, as well as in the people of Normandy, who had their own Viking heritage. shutdown123