September, 1066
The wind had shifted. Southern England suddenly was to be invaded by an unexpected force, the Normans. In the north, king Harald Hardråda of Norway was accompanied by a host of 12,000 men to enforce his claim on England. King Harold decided to march south first to decisively crush the Normans with his 11,000 man strong army. William of Normandy was quite displeased when he heard reports of an Anglo-Saxon army approaching and quickly attempted to prepare his troops for the battle. He failed. His men put up a good fight but the battle ended in an English victory with a dead bastard to carry home to Normandy. King Harald Hardråda had landed in York and took over the city with the defences routed. King Harold wasted no time marching to York after defeating Normandy in the battle of Bexhill. Unfortunately for the king, his troops required rest and reinforcements as their number dwindled to 8,500 before the battle of York. King Harald's troops were well rested and ready for battle due to scouts alerting the king of the English army approaching 3 days in advance. The battle of York was short due to a berserker killing the English king at the beginning of the battle and then the English were routed due to lack of command and organization. King Harald III Sigurdsson had won the throne of England.