день был теплый..

The weather was warm for the time of year and the Norwegians, including King Harald, had left their armour with the ships at Riccall, 13 miles away. The English slaughtered the Norwegians on the west side of the river but a single brave Norwegian axeman made a stand on the bridge, killing everyone who approached and buying time for the rest of the army on the east bank to form a shield wall. The English crossed only after a warrior climbed under the bridge and speared the axeman from below. The battle raged for hours but their lack of armour put the Norwegians at a fatal disadvantage and their shield wall gradually began to give way. King Harald was killed by an arrow in the throat and Tostig also became a casualty. Late in the day reinforcements arrived from the Norwegian ships and briefly halted the English advance. They had run all the way to Stamford Bridge in full armour and were so exhausted that their stand was short-lived. The Norwegians fled back towards Ricall with the English in hot pursuit: many of the Norwegians drowned trying to cross the river. The English paid a high price for their victory but Harald’s army was all but annihilated. When, after the battle, King Harold allowed Olaf and jarl Paul to leave with the survivors, they needed only twenty of the 300 ships that had transported their late comrades. The scale of Harald’s defeat was such that it took Norway a generation to recover.

тринадцать миль. как-никак двадцать километров с лишним..