The last Viking Harold
Every era, no matter how glorious it has ever been, has its own day of end. The year 1066 AD was a very special epoch-making year in British history. Friends familiar with British history know that 55 BC, 41 AD, 410 AD, 866 AD and 1066 AD are all landmark points in time that determine the fate of the British Isles. But in terms of the depth and breadth of influence, it was second to none in 1066 AD. Because two successive battles that broke out during the year completely changed the historical fate of the British, and one of the major battles that ended more than 300 years of the Viking Age, the protagonist of the battle was Harald Hadrada, the most legendary and later known as the "Last Viking". Hardrada）。
1. The glory of the ancestors
The Viking Age was the age of heroes. The protagonists who sustained the entire era were the legendary Viking heroes, whose astonishing achievements, full of personal images and storied experiences were detailed in the beautiful poems of the bard. Like the keels that the Vikings relied on and trusted most when riding longships, the determination, boldness and courage of the heroes built the main line and axis of that era, pointing out the direction of the wheel of history.
Harold was born in 1015 in Norway in a small lord's house, where his father was the little-known Sigurd the Sow. The reason why there is such a funny nickname is because Siged is notoriously conservative and gentle, he is not interested in conquest, exploration, navigation and other very "Viking" things, and only wants to keep his acre and three points to live a small life of wife and children. Unlike his father, Harold clearly inherited the fearless temperament of his mother, Asta, who grew up wild and ambitious, and admired his half-brother Olaf Halladsson.
The ancient Vikings were known for their ambitions
His brother Olaf was much older than he was, a great warrior, and was fighting to reclaim the Norwegian throne. At that time, Norway was under the hegemonic system of the Danish king "Eight Hu" Svein, ruled by several puppet lords supported by foreign conquerors. As a descendant of Harald, the first king in Norwegian history, the "blonde king", Olaf was determined to regain the throne and completely expel the Danes from Norwegian soil.
In the year of Harold's birth, Olaf finally succeeded in seizing the throne, and the orthodox descendants of the "blonde king" finally regained their supreme authority. However, as soon as Olaf ascended the throne, he began to vigorously promote Christianity, and he wanted to strengthen the centralization of power with the help of the Christian theocracy of monarchy and universal ideas, and to make The original politically fragmented Norway a monolith, minimizing the possibility of the Danes counterattacking.
Tough tactics have exacerbated the country's instability. The lower classes of The Norwegian peasantry clinged to their traditional ancient beliefs and rejected Christianity; the nobles, fearing that the excessive expansion of the crown would squeeze their vested interests, were wary of Olaf; and the Danes seized the opportunity to make a comeback. All the contradictions erupted in 1030, and the Battle of Styclestad, which determined the fate of Norway, arrived.
His brother Olaf II aspired to unify Norway
Harold was only a 15-year-old boy at the time, but as a young man and eager to fight, he organized more than 600 people to defect to his brother and personally joined the bloody battle. The battle was fierce, both brothers were heroic, and the young Harold showed military talent that was not commensurate with his age. Although the Norwegians, under olaf's command, blocked the Danes' onslaught, the blood-soaked Olaf fell after three arrows in his body, and the leader's death caused the whole army to begin to collapse, and Harold, who was covered in blood in the midst of the rebellion, climbed into the trench with difficulty and covered himself with the bodies of other soldiers, barely escaping the enemy's pursuit and pursuit.
Although Olaf had a mixed reputation during his lifetime, he sacrificed himself as a Christian and was posthumously canonized as a saint by the Church. Norway, after its official conversion to a Christian state, established Olaf as the guardian saint of the state, St. Olaf, and is still Norway's most iconic historical figure.
Olaf was posthumously canonized as a saint and remains the patron saint of Norway today
2. The Way of the East
Harold, whose brother was killed in battle and whose country was destroyed, was now left alone, and after the Battle of Styclestad, he had to hide his name and abscond to the border area between Norway and Sweden, where he was wounded by a local farmer and continued to wander eastward. I heard that in the far east, the Ross steppe yaroslav justice was recruiting soldiers. After some deliberation, Harold decided that the current Scandinavian enemy eyeliner should not be left for long, and that the only way out was to go to the Grand Duke.
Archduke Yaroslav of Kievan Rus' was himself of Viking blood
Fortunately, the thirsty Archduke Yaroslav received the young Harold warmly and regarded him as a trusted confidant. The Principality of Kievan Rus was surrounded by enemies, so Harold, who was militarily talented, was given special respect by the Grand Duke, and he and his 500 Viking warriors formed an elite "special force" and became the Grand Duke's personal bodyguard, with Harold himself as the captain. In the ensuing series of battles against the Pecheneg Turkic nomadic tribes and the Baltic barbarians, he became so proud that he proposed to the Grand Duke.
Despite Harold's early success, he was still too young in terms of age, seniority, wealth, and prestige. Archduke Yaroslav refused his offer, which made him realize that if he wanted to develop better, he had to go to a higher platform. The Byzantine Empire in the south was the largest empire in medieval Europe, not only with unimaginable wealth, but also with its military, political, and economic development level was the most advanced in Europe at that time. You can imagine what a wonderful life experience it would be if you chose to try your luck there.
Byzantium, the First European Empire in the Middle Ages, could provide a higher platform for development
3. The bloodthirsty shark of the Mediterranean
In Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the most majestic metropolis of the Middle Ages, there was an elite warrior regiment composed mainly of Viking Berserkers from Scandinavia, the Varangian Guards. They were a very loyal and reliable private armed force directly under the emperor, equipped with the finest armor and sharpest weapons, trained according to a professional army, and had achieved amazing results in several battles, frightening all enemies and saving the stormy Byzantine Empire. It is no exaggeration to say that the Varangian Guards were the most powerful infantry force in medieval Europe. In return, their salary and honorary status were unmatched, and successive emperors trusted them and were very important.
The Varangian Guards, very professional and highly effective
Harold successfully joined the Varangian Guard with his outstanding military resume, and his Norwegian royal blood, exquisite combat skills and courageous character and resourceful mind made him quickly emerge in the Guard. As the aces of the Empire, Harold and his Varangian warriors took part in almost all of the Empire's internal and external wars. On the islands of the Aegean Sea, his sharp axe blades drank the blood of Muslim pirates; in the desolate highlands of Asia Minor, his shield shielded the endless waves of attacks by Arab soldiers; and on the steppes north of the Danube, his fame made the Bulgarians shudder, and the Byzantines gave him the resounding title of "Bulgarian Burner" for his ruthless slaughter of Bulgarian rebels.
His success was so good that he was soon promoted by the Emperor to the position of Chief Varangian Warrior, the captain of the Varangian Guard. In 1035, under the command of Emperor Mikhail IV, Harold led the Varangian Guards to the front line of Asia Minor, and after a series of battles, the Byzantines took eight cities in a row, they drove the remnants of the Arab forces out of Asia Minor completely, and took advantage of the victory to pursue northern Mesopotamia, allowing the Byzantines to attack the Euphrates and Tigris rivers after a gap of 400 years, directly threatening baghdad, the capital of the Arab Empire downstream, and forcing the Arab Caliph Belakh to sign a truce with the Byzantine Emperor.
For Harold, fighting the Arabs was already a common occurrence
Harold then received a new order to escort a group of royal missions on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem. Due to the perennial war between Byzantium and the Arabs, the road to the holy city had become anarchy controlled by bandits, and any Christian who went on a pilgrimage would be in danger of being robbed or even kidnapped. But this was an easy task for the battle-hardened Harold, who did not take much effort to eliminate the thieves on the pilgrimage road and ensure the safety of the pilgrims.
The Byzantine Empire, surrounded by enemies, often faced the situation of multi-front warfare, and after the eastern front was temporarily suspended, the emperor began to shift his eyes to the war zone in other directions. In 1038, Harold again received a new combat mission, following the Byzantine general George Maniacus on a ship south to Sicily to retake the strategic point that had fallen for nearly 200 years. With the outstanding military command skills of General Maniacus, the adequate preparation of the Byzantine army before the battle, and the fierce fighting power of the Varangian Guard led by Harold, Sicily was soon restored. However, the original Allied Normans suddenly raised their anti-flags and united with the Lombards of southern Italy to attack the Byzantine army. Harold crushed several enemy attacks in the initial battle, but was defeated by the Normans and was immediately recalled to Constantinople. It was a rare defeat for Harold, but it was not a far cry from his previous brilliant achievements.
The experience of studying abroad in Byzantium will be rewarding for a lifetime
Fourth, the road back to the hometown
His nobleman, the old Emperor Michael IV, died of illness shortly afterwards. As one of the most beloved generals of the former emperors, Harold was naturally quickly snubbed after the new emperor ascended the throne, and his position in the palace also plummeted. Harold, who had nothing to do, was frequently sought out by the new emperor even when he was idle at home. First accused of tarnishing the virginity of a noblewoman, and then accused of stealing more than he deserved, Harold's relationship with the new emperor was rapidly deteriorating, whether true or not.
Fortunately, the new emperor Michael V was soon overthrown in a coup d'état, and Harold took the opportunity to escape from prison. Faced with Constantinople, which was full of intrigue and turmoil, Harold realized that although it was overflowing with glory and wealth, no matter how much he contributed to the empire, he could only stay under the fence and become a pawn in the court conspiracy, and the slightest carelessness would lead to the disaster of death. He decided to return to the northern steppes, and with the great glory he had won in eighteen major battles in the Byzantine Empire and the astonishing wealth he had gained in the Mediterranean battle over the course of a decade, he was confident that he was fully qualified to marry the daughter of Grand Duke Yaroslav and wash away the shame of being rejected many years ago.
The poor boy who had previously been rejected by himself was now a legend of wealth and glory, and this time Grand Duke Yaroslav changed his normal and gladly betrothed his daughter Eliseef to Harold. Because he not only saw the son-in-law's amazing wealth, but also believed that Harold, who had achieved fame at the age of 30, would have a more magnificent future in the future, and it was a very cost-effective thing to harvest a potential stock ally in Scandinavia through marriage.
Marrying the Grand Duke's daughter, Eliseef, was Harold's dream
The only thing Harold lacks now is a crown. With the support of archduke Jaroslaw, Harold led his army back to his hometown of Norway. When he was young, the blood and deep hatred was still vividly remembered, the death of his brother, the rebellion of the nobles, the arduous escape process he still remembered very clearly, the day of counter-offensive reckoning came, and he did not intend to spare those enemies who had betrayed his family with a high banner of revenge.
It's time to get back home
Fifth, the iron-fisted hero who returned from studying abroad
At that time, the Norwegian throne was held by his nephew "Good King" Magnus, although he was a peaceful and promising prince who had made great achievements in domestic affairs, but he was helpless in the face of Harold, who was armed to the teeth, and although he tried his best to prevent his uncle from seizing power, Magnus's death just right to prevent a bloody civil war, and he ceded the throne to Harold before his death.
Harold's ascension to the throne was followed by the most powerful centralized reform in Norwegian history. His previous experience in the Byzantine Empire not only gave him a wealth of combat experience and great wealth, but also taught him how to truly rule an empire. The advanced political and economic model of Byzantium gave him great inspiration and was actively absorbed and quoted by him.
First of all, the most favorable guarantee of the monarchy is a loyal elite army. The Byzantine emperor was able to rule such a vast territory through a powerful centralized power thanks in large part to the Varangian Guards, which terrified all potential rebels, and these killing machines, which only obeyed the emperor's orders, effectively protected the supreme authority of the imperial family. Harold, who "graduated and returned home" from Varange, knew this all too well, and through the contacts he had accumulated in his early years of conquest, he regrouped the brothers of the warband who had fought alongside him. These battle-hardened and seasoned killers once again banded together to become Harold's "New Varangian Guard" tailor-made for himself.
The King's Guard is an important source of power
Second, weaken the local nobility and ruthlessly suppress any rebellion by force. Norway's fractured topography and long-standing tradition of partitions made it difficult to achieve a unified centralization of power, and several predecessors before Harold had tried to form an authoritarian rule in the land, such as harald the ancestor of his family, the "blonde king", the legendary hero Olaf Trigwisson, and his brother Olaf Halladsson, whose measures were either incomplete or failed. Faced with such a complex and severe situation, Harold, who had been in the military since childhood, knew that only through the most ruthless and powerful military means could the recalcitrant Vikings be tamed, and only by occupying the highest peak of military strength could the Vikings who only worshiped the principle of "strength first" be convinced. His main means of military repression, supplemented by flexible diplomacy, allowed all the local Norwegian nobles to recognize his undisputed supreme authority. In addition, he also ordered that it was strictly forbidden for nobles anywhere to cultivate and hire private armed forces without permission, which greatly strengthened the royal family's monopoly of military resources in the country and left all potential rebels without soldiers.
To suppress the rebellion, you have to use an iron fist
Third, reform the currency system and encourage international trade. During his time as a member of the Varangian Guards in Constantinople, Harold's salary came in part from the regular salaries of the Royal Treasury, and these exquisitely made full-value gold and silver coins had strong purchasing power, were widely recognized and circulated in the market, and were very easy to carry, which was the great value of the monetary system. In Norway at that time, there were still many places where the original mode of barter was still retained, and this backward mode of production was far behind the development of the times. After Harold's accession to the throne, modeled on the Byzantine monetary system, he created gold and silver coins with his own head, honorific title and religious symbols, which laid the foundation for Norway to participate in international trade. In addition, Due to its geographical constraints, Norway was unable to develop agriculture on a large scale, so its active participation in the maritime trade in the North Sea became Harold's cash cow. He fully exploited norwegian colonial specialties in the Shetland, Hebrides, Iceland and Greenland islands, and strengthened commercial relations with these Norwegian overseas colonies through a merchant fleet. When he learned that Iceland had recently suffered a famine, he also organized a special fleet of food ships to go to the disaster relief, which increased his reputation and support.
The economy opens the way
Fourth, move the capital to Oslo to create a political, economic and cultural hub in Norway. Oslo is the capital of the modern Kingdom of Norway, norway's largest and most prosperous city, which was founded during Harold's reign. Harold chose one of the most fertile territories in southern Norway to build a new city, located in the deepest part of the Oslo Fjord, in the heart of Norway's only plain suitable for farming and animal husbandry. Ships departing from Oslo can sail south through the Skagrac Strait into the Baltic Sea, westward into the North Sea to England, and northwest to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Its excellent location and natural conditions made it soon norway's most prosperous city. Only the monarch, who holds absolute power, has the strength to move the capital, which shows the success of Harold's centralized reform.
Oslo became the largest city in Norway
Finally, the process of Christianization in Norway continues. Harold, who had worked for many years in the Byzantine Empire in the East, personally embraced the state religion of the Byzantine Empire, and recognized the role of a unified religion in consolidating the monarchy. After ascending to the throne, he brought in several Christian missionaries and bishops from Kievan Rus'a and Byzantium to further increase the spread of Christianity.
Viking Storm strikes again
After securing the throne, Harold began to shift his attention overseas. At that time, when Edward the Confessor, the King of England, died and did not leave a male heir, the throne of England was vacant, and Harold openly proposed to succeed to the throne. Why would a monarch as far away as Norway make a legitimate claim to the throne of England?
It turned out that before Harold seized the Norwegian throne, King Magnus of Norway had a gentleman's pact with Hadknut, who ruled England, that is, whoever died first would unconditionally bequeath the territory he ruled to the other party. Hadknut was the son of Cnut the "Emperor of the North Sea", a great monarch who for the first time united England with Scandinavia to form a "North Sea Empire" that spanned the North Sea and was universally recognized by the people of both places. Thus, Scandinavia and England coexisted under the rule of a monarch.
The union of England and Scandinavia is already a precedent
Now that Both Hardknut and Magnus are dead, Harold, as Magnus's successor, naturally received the right to the Throne of England. Thus, Harold's expedition to England was not unknown, and his claims were legitimate.
Harold set sail for England in April 1066, and before arriving in England, he recruited soldiers and petty lords in the Norwegian colonies of Orkney and Shetland, and the King of Scotland, who saw the wind, provided him with thousands of infantry support, and Harold now had a huge military force of more than 12,000 elite infantry and more than 300 warships. In this way, after the "army of infidels" of Ragnar's son and the iron-blooded rage of "Eight-Character Hu" Svein, the third fierce Viking storm was about to descend on the troubled Britain.
Harold's first stop after landing was Northumbria in the north, and he planned to carry out his conquest plan from north to south, following the route of Svein half a century earlier. Tostigue Godwinson, former Earl of Northumbria, looked down on him, for he had recently been stripped of his title and fief by the Authorities of London, and with a grudge he certainly had to take the opportunity to make a comeback.
Harold had no reason to refuse Tostig's request for an alliance, and the duo defeated Edwin, Earl of Mesia, and Moka, Earl of Northumbria, at the Battle of Ferford, and managed to capture York, britain's northern hub, and Harold's Viking army initially gained a foothold in Britain. As everyone knows, this is the last victory won by the Vikings against the Anglo-Saxons in history.
The Vikings are about to guard their last glory
7. Destiny Stamford Bridge
The year 1066 was a year of greater destiny for Britain because, in addition to harold Viking's army in the north, at the other end of the English Channel, William, Duke of Normandy, was actively seeking the throne of England. To this end, William had been on the south shore of the strait day and night to catch ships, and the soldiers had also assembled on the coast, but the sky was not beautiful, and the channel had not been able to blow a suitable wind, which led to william's expeditionary force being delayed in departing from the port, and the battle plan could only be temporarily shelved.
This brought a sigh of relief to Harold Goldwinson on the north shore of the Channel, who, as the de facto ruler of London and the uncrowned king of England, had led his soldiers to wait on the shore for more than three months to prevent William's invading forces from landing smoothly. At the moment, William will not go north for the time being, so Harold's Viking army in the north can seize the time to deal with it. This elusive direction of the strait affected britain's fate for the next thousand years.
As it turned out, William, who shot late, became the winner
Goldwinson marched north as fast as he could, marching along the way while recruiting militia to expand their numbers like the surrounding area. Harold's ignorance of this was a fatal strategic mistake he made, namely the gross lack of intelligence information. It wasn't until the Anglo-Saxons had traveled thousands of miles to approach York that his rambling soldiers were awakened.
At that time, unaware of the arrival of the enemy, the Vikings were wearing light armor or even no armor, and everyone was scattered and did not gather uniformly. But the emergency assembly order had left most of the Viking soldiers without time to wear armor, and most of them only put on their helmets and grabbed their shields and went to form formations. There was no armor protection in bloody melee combat, which subsequently led to very serious consequences.
However, at this time, a tall and large Viking giant with a huge axe in both hands single-handedly blocked the swarming Englishmen at the bridge. Only to see him emit a terrifying war roar, tirelessly brandishing the battle axe in his hand in the crowd, dripping blood, scattered flesh and harsh screams filled the bridge for a while, as many as 40 English soldiers became the ghosts under the axe, and the terrified English people were shocked by this warrior and did not dare to cross the bridge for a while. The so-called "one husband and one wife should be closed and everything is not opened" is nothing more than this.
Furious Viking warrior
The last English soldier who could swim swam across the river and assassinated the Viking warrior by sneaking up from behind, allowing the Anglo-Saxons to cross Stamford Bridge. After crossing the bridge, they formed the same shield wall line as the Vikings, and the two sides approached and immediately began a bloody hand-to-hand fight. The battle was extremely intense, as there were many elite Danish warriors brought from Denmark by the former King of the North Sea, Knut, who were the main source of their own combat power output. Thus the battle was not so much a contest between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings as a civil war of the Vikings themselves.
Harold's men were warriors who had followed him out of the pile of dead men in the distant Byzantine Empire, many of them came from Norway, the last land of Norse polytheism, the ancient faith made them bloodthirsty, and the desire to enter the Temple of Valhalla to drink with the gods made them fight selflessly, while Harold, although he believed in Christianity, but with the blood of his violent ancestors flowing in his body, he still fought bravely, just like his ancestors.
Harold, who fought bloodily, was fierce
Although the Norwegians fought bloodily under the shield wall for several hours, the drawbacks of lack of armor were gradually revealed, more and more warriors died of wounds without armor protection, and the entire team was not superior in weight due to the lack of armor bonuses, which made it difficult to resist the other side's charge and shield attack, although everyone had tried their best, and the morale of Harold was still high, but the original airtight shield wall gradually began to be unable to support.
Just then, a cold arrow shot from the opposite side hit Harold, unfortunately through his throat. Harold, the greatest warrior of his time and a legendary man of his life, was killed. His death deprived the entire team of souls, the front that had been unable to support it began to collapse, and the soldiers who had scattered and fled had no intention of fighting again, and were chased and killed by The English soldiers. The Battle of Stamford Bridge, which decided the fate of England, came to an end on the afternoon of September 25, 1066, and everything was settled.
The fatal arrow took Harold's life
Viii. The Last Vikings
Although the Battle of Stamford Bridge ended in this way, harold may not know that he will be remembered in this way by future generations after a life that he has hardly tasted defeat. Because after him, the Vikings, who had been the endless nightmare of England, never landed on the land of England again, and the Viking Age, which lasted for more than 300 years, came to an end. The turbulent England was subsequently completely conquered by william, Duke of Normandy, and the land was replaced by a unified feudal dynasty, achieving unprecedented stability, and everything was very different from before.
And Harold himself, although he ended his career in a battle of honorlessness, did not prevent him from being the most legendary Viking leader in more than 300 years of Viking history. Relying on his alertness and cleverness, he escaped the pursuit and arrest of the enemy in his youth; rose from scratch in Kievan Rus', winning the appreciation of the Grand Duke; with a lonely heart to win wealth and honor in the Byzantine Empire, his footprints spread all over the Mediterranean; he returned home with honor and returned to his hometown to ascend the Norwegian throne; he set sail and was unwilling to recast the ancestral hegemony. As a generation of "sea turtles", Harold's qualifications, vision, wealth and honor have reached heights that his peers and even his ancestors cannot reach. The most legendary Vikings ended the era of the Vikings, which has to be said to be a coincidence and irony of history.
In any case, Harold's legendary experience and immortal glory have been remembered by history