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The fate of Eric Bloodaxe

29th February 2008, 8:49 pm by Huscarl

This fearsome Norse king of Jorvik, having just been ousted (again) from York by the local nobles and mighty cleric Wulfstan, under threat of having the region utterly ravaged again by Wessex King Edred, was slain "treacherously" in battle in 954 on the desolate N.Yorkshire moors "in a certain lonely place called Stainmore..."

Apparently, a coalition of Northumbrians(House of bamburgh) under earl Oswulf, the Cumbrians and the Dublin-Norse had 'ambushed' Erik. He had clearly made many enemies in English exile since murdering some of his brothers in his native Norway years before.

But what was Erik and his valiant army doing so far inland on a desolate moor, when he could have easily sailed off in the Humber to the Orkneys or Europe- as he had two years before during his first exile?

Was Erik marching into exile and out of York and heading N.W towards Carlisle on the old Roman road over the moors (avoiding the Mercian border and also Bamburgh?), maybe to venture out into the Irish sea or maybe Orkneys raiding? Or had he been set up on a meeting with someone (at carlisle?), or perhaps a battle?

He had battled the Scots and Northumbrians in 952 in a 'great battle' upon his sudden return after his first exile, so was hardly on good terms with them?

According to Egil's saga(even though the sagas are confused with some names and dates, not everything is wrong in them), he was initially warmly welcomed to Jorvik by none other than king Athelstan as a 'protector' of the north against the Scots and invading Danes.

And as the ASC never mentions Erik, it also never mentions who did govern Northumbria before 939, so it could have been Erik- before he decided to rule independently in latter years, incurring the wrath of the Wessex king Edred?

The Fagrskinna saga stated that, along with his son Haeric and brother Raegnald, Erik had;-
"So great an army that five kings followed him because he was a valiant man and a battle-winner. He trusted in himself and his army so much that he went far up country, and everywhere he went with warfare."

This actually sounds like Erik was deliberately ravaging the surrounding region, but why? Did he intend to simply do this as revenge en route to the W.coast, and to freedom? Had there been land disputes which led to plots with Edred and others (enemies of Erik) to oust him from York in the first place?

In any event,
"Then came against him King Olaf (Earl of Northumbria), a tributary king of King Edmund (Saga erroneously names Edmund, not Edred who was on the throne). ..A dreadful battle ensued in which many English fell, but for every one who fell three came in his place, and when the evening came on the losses turned against the Norsemen and many were killed..."

Clearly Erik had been lured (by a meeting?) into a colossal ambush, and the predictably fierce pitched battle raged, with English reinforcements (prepared for just this occasion?) moving in to quickly negate losses and slaughter the surrounded vikings.

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