Research JournalThe Norman Conquest
...dward because they were distant cousins. Because he was ignored, William felt that if he wasn’t going to be the heir to the throne of England, he will invade England and force himself to be the next king. The third rival for the throne was Harald Hardrada, King of Norway. The previous king of Norway and king Edward had been great close friends and they had agreed that if one of them had died the other would take over their country. And since both of them had died now, Hardrada felt that it was his right to be the next king of England. And since he was also ignored by the English king he decided to invade England. The first to invade was Harald Hardrada who began to cause great havoc to many villages. But in London, news of the invasion sent King Harold hurriedly north at the head of his army picking up reinforcements along the way. The speed of Harold's forced march allowed him to surprise Hardrada's army, as it camped at Stamford Bridge outside York. A fierce battle followed. Hand to hand combat ebbed and flowed across the bridge. Finally the Norsemen's line broke and the real slaughter began. Hardrada fell and then his brother, Tostig was soon after killed. What remained of the Viking army fled to their ships. So devastating was the Viking defeat that only 24 of the invasion force's original 240 ships made the trip back home. Resting after his victory, Harold received word of William's landing near Hastings. Harold rushed his army south an...