This Day In History (September 25th): The Vikings’ Last Stand at Stamford Bridge

It was September 25th, 1066. The sky was a kind of blue you only find in the autumn, stretched over fields of northern England. On those fields, something final was going to happen. A kind of ending that men would talk about for centuries to come. At Stamford Bridge, two kinds of men, Viking and Saxon, would meet, and history would judge them. One would leave victorious; the other would leave as dead men and tales of the past.

The Vikings came in longships. Those vessels were made to sail swiftly, cutting through water like the sharp edge of an axe. Their boats were a thing of legends, long and narrow, and capable of both open sea and shallow river travel. These boats were the chariots that carried warriors from what we know as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden to other lands. England was one of those lands.

King Harald Hardrada of Norway wanted to claim the English throne. It wasn’t just a seat made of wood and metal; it was a symbol of power and control. The King of England had lands, influence, and, most importantly, legitimacy. Hardrada was one of several who thought the throne should be his. So, he packed up his…