The Battle of Stamford Bridge

The Battle of Stamford Bridge has always been considered to be one of those battles which "changed the course of history." Whether or not that it true, it can be (and has been) argued that the battle was the main reason for the success of William's conquest of England. Tostig and King Harald of Norway decided to invade England and challenge King Harold's claim to the throne. This forced Harold to move his troops to York, about 260 miles north of London, in order to defend his kingdom. Needless to say, this weakened his southern defenses which William quickly exploited. Most of the evidence for this battle comes from the thirteenth-century Icelandic saga, King Harald's Saga, by Snorri Sturluson. Many of the details of his account are anachronistic and flat wrong. But there is much valuable information in it for us as well. To counterbalance Snorri's account I've  given you a description of the events leading up to the battle of Hastings from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Think about how the perspective of the writer might color his view.

Snorri Sturluson                                                The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle