What was the battle of Gate Fulford,or Fulford Gate?
The battle took place on 20th September 1066, between the Norwegian forces led by Harald Hardrada and the English forces commanded by the two brother earls, and was the first of three battles in 1066, which eventually ended Saxon England, and brought about the beginning of the Norman era (Boo).
Having arrived near York two days earlier, Harald Hardrada had his first encounter with the forces of the English, led by two young earls, Morcar and Edwin (Eadwine) of the House of Mercia, at Gate Fulford. Morcar was earl of Northumbria, replacing the disgraced Tostig Godwineson (who had enticed Hardrada to England), while Edwin was the earl of Mercia, succeeding to the position after the death of his father Ælfgar, who’d held Mercia after his father Leofric. (Fans of the Earls of Mercia series will so far have only encountered Morcar and Eadwine as children).
Their youth, their inexperience, and the perceived defeat in this terrible battle are all that people know about Edwin and Morcar. What’s so often overlooked is that they marched into battle determined to counter the might of what many believe was the last great Viking warrior, and they were also the king’s brothers by marriage; their sister now married to Harold Godwineson. They also survived the battle and probably fought at Stamford Bridge and Hastings.
So, who was Harald Hardrada?
Hardrada was king of Norway, half-brother to St Olaf, who was killed at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 by forces loyal to King Cnut, who’d claimed Norway as part of his determination to rule much of Scandinavia. Harald was forced to flee and spent many years fighting in the Varangian guard until he decided to advance his claims to the kingship once more (in 1045), initially forging an alliance with Sweyn of Denmark (nephew of King Cnut) until allying with King Magnus of Norway, who was his nephew, and somewhat conveniently, died only the next year, making Harald the sole king of Norway. (You will find some of this story told in my Earls of Mercia series, and also in Lady Estrid, the story of Sweyn of Denmark’s mother).
Why did he invade England in 1066?
It is from the alliance with King Magnus that Harald Hardrada exerted his right to rule England, as Magnus stated he had a claim, having earlier agreed it with King Harthacnut of England (Cnut’s son), that he (Magnus) would rule England after Harthacnut’s death and equally that Harthacnut would rule Norway after Magnus’ death.
Harald adopted the claim as he did the kingdom of Norway after Magnus’ death. Admittedly, the intervention of the disgruntled Tostig Godwineson probably also encouraged him. (To read about Harald’s life, check out JC Duncan’s fab five-part series covering his life).
And so, the man lauded as the last great Viking made his way to England, and on this day, he first encountered the English resistance. And while most say the brother earls were defeated, I wonder if the narrative should be a little different. After all, their brother by marriage, their king, was already on his way north to counter the threat. Did they do what needed to be done? Did they temporarily halt the Norwegian invasion and buy Harald time to bring his warriors to the battle…
The Stamford Bridge Anthology
Thirteen writers. One battle. The same afternoon, told from both sides of the bridge.
Giles Kristian · Matthew Harffy · Angus Donald · Tim Hodkinson · Peter Gibbons · MJ Porter · Justin Hill · Theodore Brun · Eric Schumacher · Will Dowling · M. Thomas Kingsley · Mark Oxbrow · Åsli & Bakkejord
On 25 September 1066, a Norwegian army lay resting on both banks of the Derwent, seven miles from York. They had beaten one English army five days earlier and taken the city’s surrender, and the fighting was done. Most of them had left their mail at the ships.
They were not expecting Harold Godwinson.
The battle that followed ended the Viking age in England. Three weeks later it helped decide a second one, on a hill near Hastings, that everyone remembers instead.
A king who has spent his life outrunning the end of an age. A skald asked to praise a man he no longer believes in. A priest tends the wounded on the eve of a battle nobody knows is coming. A lone axeman on the bridge, and the Englishman in the water beneath him. Afterwards, a farmer walks the field looking for his son, and twenty years later an old earl sits in a Norman prison, still deciding what to tell his gaoler.
The man who holds the bridge in one story is watched from the water in another. Thirteen stories, one day.
Over 100,000 words of Viking historical fiction, published on the 960th anniversary of the battle.
Releasing 25th September 2026 – preorder now in ebook. Paperback available now.
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MJ Porter 