In the city of York the people are expecting great news from the battle raging at Fulford Gate, but very quickly this mood changes as the populace begin to realise the way in which the fight is going and what it will probably mean for them.
anglo-saxons
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King Hardrada himself is painfully aware that his strength is spread out behind him and that his men are vulnerable to attack. It might seem like a good idea to go on the offensive at the very start of the battle, but it is the one thing that Coenred fears; he knows that the Saxon army lacks sufficient spears to achieve a victory that way.
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All of the accounts that I have read of Harold's character portray him as a very active man. His recent illness appears to have been something of an anomaly, which is probably why it is mentioned. He was a very experienced politician who had also fought in several wars.
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Harald Hardrada was the most famous Viking of his day. His exploits were legendary and, it was claimed, that he had only ever lost one battle and that was when he was a boy and not a commander of men. Although Edwin and Morcar had seized the initiative and chosen the site of the battle, Hardrada thought quickly and set out his troops to best suit his own battleplan.
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This was also the first meeting between Mildryth and Edwin and it begins quite nervously. Through it I hoped to suggest some of the nervous excitement and anxiety that many of the people in the city might be feeling. There was a long history of conflict between the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings of course, and they were so closely matched that it was not possible to foretell the outcome.
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The moments immediately preceding the battle gave me an opportunity to describe the equipment and tactics that both the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings shared. They used the same weapons, straight swords, spears, and axes, as well as large wooden shields made to a circular pattern and often decorated with painted designs. I undertook a lot of research on this subject, a fact that more than one reviewer has congratulated me for.
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This is not a long piece but I think it is important. Not only does it explain the manoeuvres of the Norsemen from a military perspective it also allows for a vivid interaction between some of the key characters in their ranks.
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This chapter gave me an opportunity to enjoy some Anglo-Saxon poetry. Unfortunately, I lacked both the knowledge and the time to make an acceptable translation of the poem, The Wanderer, so I approached Rick McDonald who had published a very accessible version. He graciously gave me permission to use it.
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This is a very reflective piece, an opportunity to examine the thoughts of both Tostig Godwinson and Harald Hardrada on the eve of battle. I wanted to represent them both as real people, not just historical personages. Of course, there is a degree of artistic licence on my part.
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Perhaps one of the almost tragic aspects of the Battle of Fulford Gate, other than the fact that it seldom gets more than a footnote in most accounts of 1066, is that, even thought taking to the field rather than holding the walls of York, Eorl Edwin actually made a clever choice of battleground.
Peter C Whitaker 