Leeds Armoury Show

Some photos from the Leeds Royal Armoury Show. The battle was Stamford Bridge between Saxon King Harold Godwinson and the invading forces lead by his exiled half-brother Tostig, allied with the forces of the Viking king Harold Hardrada.

After Tostig’s exile from Northumberland due to excessive oppression of his Saxons, he lived in exile in Bruges and finally with the Viking king Harold Hardrada, from the line of Danelaw kings of Cnut. Tostig led a fleet which spent most of 1066 attacking The Isle of Wight and then marauded Kent, Norfolk and up the eastern coastline, chased by King Harold’s fleet until Tostig sought sanctuary in Scotland under King Malcolm.

With King Harold distracted by the Norman threat to the south, Tostig built his forces with Hardrada. King Harold had to disband his fyrd after their length of obligatory service had expired, back to their Eorls and their crops. Tostig and Hardrada immediately attacked, sacking York and retaking Tostig’s old land and re-establishing the Danelaw.

Harold, in an amazing feat of generalship, assembled his army on the march, making it up north in record time, catching the Viking force at Stamford Bridge where he annihilated them. But the taste of victory was sour as news reached him that William the Bastard had finally landed at Pevensey…