Cold Open

It’s September 1066, in the North Sea, off the coast of England.

On the deck of a Viking long ship, Harald Hardrada gazes across the rolling waves. The 50-year-old Hardrada is the King of Norway, but he has ambitions to be far more.

In the morning sun, a spit of land glitters on the horizon. For more than 200 years, warriors from Norway have regularly attacked this part of England. But this is no raiding party today. Instead, Hardrada commands a vast fleet of ships filled with men, planning not just to raid—but to conquer England. And among his army, he believes he has a secret weapon.

Nine months ago, the English nobleman Tostig Godwinson was sent into exile by his own brother. Since then, that same brother has been crowned King of England. Now, Tostig is out for revenge—and Hardrada has promised to deliver it.

Hardrada beckons Tostig forward and, pointing toward the shore, he asks if they’ve come to the right place. Tostig squints, then nods. It’s the Humber Estuary on the northeastern coast of England. This is where the Viking invasion will begin.

With a wave of his arm, Hardrada signals the ship’s pilot to change course. And behind him, 300 other long ships adjust their prows, each following in the king’s wake.

As the coast draws near, Hardrada unsheathes his sword and raises it high above his head. His warriors follow suit, the polished metal catching the light.

Then, the Vikings unleash a bloodcurdling war cry that rolls across the waves, promising no mercy to anyone who stands in their way.

Within days of landing in England, Harald Hardrada’s army will capture the key city of York. But word will soon reach Tostig Godwinson’s brother, the new King of England. Gathering men as he rides, he’ll rush north and face the Viking threat head-on at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25th, 1066. 

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is September 25th, 1066: The Battle of Stamford Bridge.

Act One: Brothers at Arms

It’s October 1065, in Northumbria, England, a year before Harald Hardrada launches his invasion.

43-year-old Earl Harold Godwinson opens the heavy door of a church and pushes past several armed men who watch him warily. Harold’s tired after several days on horseback, and being kept waiting outside has only worsened his mood. But Harold takes a deep breath and tries to calm his rising anger—because if this meeting turns sour, England might erupt in civil war.

Several days ago, northern England rose in rebellion. The lords and noblemen there demanded the removal of the Earl of Northumbria, the king’s appointed ruler of the region. The rebels captured York, looted the city’s treasury, and then killed more than 200 of the earl’s men. In response, King Edward of England dispatched Harold to resolve the crisis. Harold is the most powerful noble in the kingdom, but the mission is also a personal one. The Earl of Northumbria is his own brother, Tostig.

Harold and Tostig’s relationship has been volatile ever since they were children. Raised in one of the most powerful families in the south of England, the brothers often fought with each other, and their sibling rivalry continued into adulthood.

Both were named as earls by King Edward and given different parts of England to govern. They then competed for the king’s favor and greater influence at his court. But while Harold earned the king’s trust and established himself as Edward’s chief advisor, Tostig struggled to maintain control as Earl of Northumbria. He demanded high taxes and put those who didn’t pay to the sword. Eventually, his disgruntled lords rose up against him. And now, Harold has been sent here by King Edward to negotiate with the rebels and get his brother out of the mess he’s made.

Harold moves to the front of the church, where the rebel leaders wait for him. Despite the sanctity of the place, they all carry weapons. Still, they assure Harold that they have no personal quarrel with him or King Edward. All they want is for Tostig to be removed as Earl of Northumbria, and if he is, they’ll all peacefully return to their homes. So for Harold, getting rid of Tostig seems like an obvious solution, but he doesn’t want to show any weakness to the rebels. So at first, he tries to intimidate them. Raising his voice, he asks how they dare undermine the authority of their king. Edward has chosen Tostig, and that should be enough for all of them. Anything else is treason.

The rebel leaders look back coolly. They won’t accept this southern lord lecturing them. They are adamant that they will not accept Tostig to remain Earl. Harold is angered by the rebels’ disobedience, but he knows in his heart that they have a strong case. Tostig has been a cruel and ruthless ruler, and it’s no surprise the lords have lost patience with him.

So after hours of fruitless negotiation, Harold leaves Northumbria without coming to a deal with the rebels. Back in London, he presents the king with a stark choice. Edward can either fight the Northumbrian rebels and risk his kingdom descending into civil war. Or he can give in to their demands and remove Tostig from his position as earl.

But King Edward is unable to make the decision. Eventually, he asks Harold to choose for him. Harold refuses to allow family loyalty and sentiment to overrule reason. And to save the realm from civil war, Harold sacrifices his brother.

Tostig, though, sees Harold’s decision as an unforgivable betrayal, and he responds the way he knows best—with violence. He assembles a raiding party and strikes at his brother’s household, killing Harold’s servants as they prepare a royal feast. Tostig himself then mutilates the bodies—hacking off limbs and dropping them into the cooking pots destined for the king’s table.

The horror of the incident is enough to harden even King Edward’s resolve. So shortly after, Tostig is exiled and warned that if he sets foot on English soil again, he will be executed. Tostig leaves England and flees across the sea to safety. But he is unwilling to spend the rest of his life as a pariah.

Instead, Tostig will plan another act of vengeance—and he will find a willing ally in King Harald Hardrada of Norway. In return for backing a Viking invasion of England, all Tostig will want is his earldom back—and his brother Harold to be dead in the ground.

Act Two: England vs. Norway

It’s September 25th, 1066, outside York, England, five days after the Viking invasion force landed.

In full armor and flanked by mounted soldiers, Harold Godwinson rides hard to meet his enemy. Once again, Harold is rushing north to confront a threat. Last time, he hoped to negotiate a settlement with local rebels who’d overthrown his brother and threatened the authority of the English king. But today, Harold will meet a foreign invasion force—and it’s not someone else’s crown he’s defending. It’s his own.

Eight months ago, the old English king Edward died after a series of strokes. But since Edward was childless, the line of succession was unclear. Several men staked their claims, but the royal council chose Edward’s closest advisor and the most powerful nobleman in the country to take the throne. Harold moved quickly to secure his rule, arranging his coronation for the same day as Edward’s funeral.

But when word reached the exiled Tostig that his brother had been chosen to rule England, his hatred reached new depths. He saw Harold as nothing more than a turncoat who’d abandoned and betrayed his own family. So, Tostig threw his weight behind another pretender to the English throne: Harald Hardrada, the King of Norway. In return for his support, Hardrada pledged to reinstate Tostig as Earl of Northumbria and make him his right-hand man. A few days ago, they both made landfall in the Humber Estuary and marched on York. Their next step is to head south and seize the capital of London—but only if the new King Harold doesn’t stop them first.

Dust swirls ahead as King Harold approaches Stamford Bridge. It’s a key river crossing near York where Hardrada’s army has made camp. And when Harold makes it to the bridge, he smiles. The frantic activity on the other side of the river shows that the Vikings have been caught unaware—Harold’s rapid march north with his army has taken them by surprise.

But before any fighting begins, Harold wants to give his brother one last chance.

He dismounts his horse and walks onto the narrow bridge. After a few minutes, his brother Tostig and Harald Hardrada approach from their side. The brothers face each other for the first time since Tostig's exile.

King Harold keeps his sword in his scabbard as he calls out with what he thinks is a generous offering: if Tostig lays down his arms, Harold will restore him to his earldom. But for Hardrada, Harold only offers safe passage back to his ship. If the King of Norway insists on fighting, Harold says he will set aside seven feet of English earth for him— just enough for a burial.

Hardrada laughs off the threat and walks away, returning to his army to prepare for battle. King Harold’s attempts to negotiate a peace have failed. And the only option left is to fight.

Later that day, the English army advances on Stamford Bridge. The crossing is blocked by just a single soldier. But the Viking warrior is a giant, nearly seven feet tall and broad as a bear.

King Harold sends his best soldiers forward. Dozens of men charge, but thanks to the narrow bridge, only one or two can fight the large Viking at any one time. Englishman after Englishman falls, and across the river, Hardrada’s army roars with every kill.

Frustrated that his entire army is being held back by a single man, King Harold is forced to think laterally. Rather than attacking head-on, he decides to attack from below.

Harold sends a soldier to sneak under the bridge. The man wades into the river with a spear and thrusts his weapon up between the bridge timbers, and into the Viking warrior’s leg. With a scream, the warrior falls, and English soldiers rush forward to finish him off. Finally, the path is open, and Harold’s army streams across the bridge.

Still, the delay has bought Hardrada time, and he hasn’t wasted it. He’s deployed his army on a slope, and the high ground gives them an advantage over the English. But as King Harold closes in, he realizes that his enemy doesn't hold all the cards. The invading army is smaller than he expected, and he can see that many of the enemy soldiers lack even rudimentary armor. They must have been waiting here for more men and supplies to join them before pressing south. But Harold has raised to meet them first.

He only hopes now that he can make that advantage count. This is still a Viking army. And weakened or not, Harold knows that any victory over the Scandinavian warriors will come at a grave and bloody cost.

Act Three: Another One Just Begun

It’s September 25th, 1066, near York in northern England, hours after the Battle of Stamford Bridge began.

On horseback, the English king, Harold Godwinson, charges into the Viking shield wall. With his sword raised high above his head, Harold swings at the barrier of wood and iron, but Viking spears jut out from the defensive line, stabbing at Harold and his horse whenever they get too close.

It’s clear that cavalry is near-useless against the Vikings’ regimented defenses.

So, backing down the hill, King Harold regroups and calls his best foot soldiers forward.

These infantry fare no better against the shield wall than the horsemen. But their introduction into the battle changes it in another way. As some English soldiers fall back, several of Harald Hardrada’s warriors can’t resist giving chase.

They step forward, breaking the shield line. It’s only the smallest of openings at first—but it’s one that King Harold is quick to exploit.

Harold throws other men forward into the breach. And suddenly exposed, the Viking line crumbles. Now, without the defense of their interlocking shield, in open combat, the armorless Vikings are no match for the Englishmen. Hardrada himself tries to rally his men, stepping forward into the front line of fighting. But a well-placed spear quickly finds his neck. The King of Norway falls to the ground. And without their leader, the Viking army turns and runs. In the retreat, the English traitor Tostig Godwinson is struck down and killed.

Of the 300 ships that left Norway to invade England, only 24 will return. The bones of the dead will be piled high at Stamford Bridge. But the English army is also bloodied and weary—and their work is not finished yet.

Just three weeks later, an army led by Duke William of Normandy will land on the south coast of England, launching another invasion. King Harold will rush to meet the new threat, just as he charged to fight Hardrada. But this time, with his army fatigued and its ranks depleted, King Harold will lose his life on a battlefield at Hastings.

Today, the Norman Conquest of 1066 is one of the most famous turning points in history. But William the Conqueror’s invasion might never have succeeded had King Harold Godwinson not had to fight off another invasion first, when he battled Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25th, 1066.

Outro

Next on History Daily. September 26th, 1786. An American farmer leads an angry militia of debt-ridden citizens to shut down Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Mollie Baack.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Edited by Scott Reeves.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.