HISTORY OF HAROLD HARDRADA.

75

Harold

kelstad.

to Con

the Em

English ground, the last invader who was to feel the CHAP. VII. might of Englishmen fighting on their own soil for their own freedom, and who was, in his fall, to pave the way for the victory of an invader yet mightier than himself. The fight of Stamfordbridge, the fight of the two Harolds, will form one of the most striking scenes in a later stage of our history. As yet, Harold was known only as the hero of a series of adventures as wild and wonderful as any that have ever been recounted in poetry or romance. Wounded at Stikkelstad, the young prince was saved Escape of by a faithful companion, and was cherished during the from Stikfollowing winter by a yeoman ignorant of his rank. He passed through Sweden into Russia, where he formed a friendship with King Jaroslaf of Novgorod. Thence, He goes after a few years, he betook himself, with a small train stantinople. of companions, to the Byzantine Court. He found the State of Eastern Empire in one of those periods of decay which pire. so strangely alternate in its history with periods of regeneration at home and victory abroad. The great Macedonian dynasty was still on the throne; but the mighty Basil was in his grave, and the steel-clad lancers of the New Rome were no longer the terror of Saracen, Bulgarian, and Russian. The Empire which he had saved, Reign of and which he had raised to the highest pitch of glory, 1028-1050. had now become the plaything of a worthless woman, and the diadem of the Cæsars was passed on at every caprice of her fancy from one husband or lover to another. The Norwegian prince reached the Great City, the Mickelgard of Northern story, in the period of Byzantine history known as the Reigns of the Husbands of Zôê.1 The Eastern Cæsars had already begun to gather the Northern adventurers who appeared at their doors as friends or as enemies into that famous Warangian body-guard, the The Warangians. counterpart of the Housecarls of Cnut, which as yet

1 See Finlay, Byz. Emp. i. 466.

Zôê.

Their ser

vices under

Harold in

Sicily. 1038-1040.

CHAP. VII. seems to have been recruited wholly from Scandinavia, but which was afterwards to be reinforced by so large a body of exiles from our own land. Harold apparently received the command of this force, and at their head he is said to have performed a series of amazing exploits. It would almost seem as if the arrival of these Northern auxiliaries had inspired the Empire with a new life. Certain it is that, just about this time, we find the Byzantine armies, after an interval of torpor, once more in vigorous action, and that in the very region in which the Norwegian Saga places the most memorable exploits of Harold. He waged war, we are told, against the Saracens both in Sicily and in Africa; he fought eight pitched battles, and took castle after castle from the misbelievers. That is, there can be little doubt, Harold and his followers served in the Sicilian expedition of Maniakês, who was at this time waging a vigorous war against the Saracens of Sicily, and who recovered many of their towns to the Empire.3 It does not appear that Maniakês actually ventured on an African campaign, but, as the Saracens of Africa undoubtedly aided their Sicilian brethren, a landing of Imperial troops on their coast is quite possible. At all events, warfare with African Saracens anywhere might easily, in the half-legendary language of the Sagas, grow into a tale of an actual invasion of Africa. Harold is next represented as entering on another series of adventures for which it is more difficult to find a place in authentic history. He set out, we are told, on a premature Crusade; he marched with his followers to Jerusalem, clearing the way of robbers, and winning back countless towns and castles to the allegiance of Christ

His Crusade or Pilgrimage.

1 See vol. i. p. 577, and above, p. 44.

4

* Adam Brem. iii. 16. "Erat vir potens et clarus victoriis, qui prius in Græciâ et in Scythiæ regionibus multa contra barbaros prælia confecit." For some legends, see Saxo, 205. 3 See Finlay, i. 487.

1 Ib.

HAROLD'S EXPLOITS IN THE EAST.

77

and Cæsar. Here we have of course the mere reflexion CHAP. VII. of the age of the writer, who could not conceive so famous. a warrior as entering the Holy City in any character but that of a conqueror. But that Harold, as a peaceful pilgrim, the brother of a canonized Saint, visited Jerusalem, prayed and gave gifts at the Holy Sepulchre, and bathed in the hallowed stream of Jordan, is quite in the spirit of the age and of the man.1 He shared in the penitential devotion of Robert the father of Norman William and of Swegen the brother of English Harold; and, more fortunate than either, he returned in safety and glory to his own land. He came back to Constantinople to find himself maligned at the Imperial Court, and to be refused the hand of a niece of the Empress.2 Scandal went so far as to say that the cause of this refusal was that Zôê, a woman whose passions survived to an unusually late period of life, herself cast an eye of love on the valiant Northman. Harold now made his escape from Constan- Harold tinople, after-so his Northern admirers ventured to say- from Conputting out the eyes of the Emperor Constantine Mono- stantinople. machos. This of course is pure fiction. The historical truth of Harold's warlike exploits is in no way impugned by the silence of the Byzantine writers; but so striking an event as the blinding of an Emperor could hardly fail to have found a native chronicler. But we may believe, if we please, that Harold carried off the princess by force, that the Scandinavian galleys burst the chain which guarded

1 It is worth noticing that the reigning Emperor Constantine Monomachos had a hand in restoring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It would be singular indeed if Harold Hardrada were in any way the instrument of his bounty. See Finlay, i. 503.

2 So says the Saga, but it is hard to say who is meant by this niece of Zôê. It is possible that, if there be any truth in the story, some niece or other kinswoman of Constantine is intended. William of Malmesbury (iii. 260) gives another turn to the story. He was "pro stupro illustris fœminæ leoni objectus." Of course he kills the beast. In Saxo (205) the crime becomes murder, and the lion is exchanged for a dragon.

escapes

CHAP. VII. the Bosporos, that Harold then left his fair prize on shore,

Swend in
Sweden.

bidding her tell her Imperial kinswoman how little her

power availed against either the might or the craft of the He returns Northman. Harold now returned to Russia. He had carried to Russia, off the Byzantine princess only as a bravado; his heart was fixed on Elizabeth, the daughter of his former host Jaroslaf of Novgorod. He now hastened to her father's court, obtained her in marriage, and passed over with and finds her into Sweden. He there found Swend, defeated and in banishment. With him he concerted measures for a joint expedition against Magnus, now in possession of Swend and Denmark.' There can be little doubt that it was this joint expedition of Swend and Harold which saved EngMagnus, land from a Norwegian invasion. King Eadward watched at Sandwich with his great fleet during the whole summer, expecting the approach of the enemy. But Magnus came not. Harold and Swend together, by their invasion of Denmark, gave him full occupation throughout the year.2

Harold

attack

and save

England from invasion. 1045.

Eadward marries

Eadgyth. January 23, 1045.

It was apparently early in this year of expected invasion that Eadward at last married Eadgyth the daughter of Godwine. It is not easy to see why the marriage had been

'Snorro, Harold, c. 18 (Laing, iii. 17).

2 Chron. Wig. 1046. "On þam geare gegaderade Eadward cyng mycele scypferde on Sandwic, burh Magnus þreatunge on Norwegon; ac his gewinn and Swegenes on Denmarcon geletton þæt he her ne com." So Fl. Wig. 1045. Rog. Wend. i. 483.

3 Chron. Ab. 1044. Petrib. 1043. Cant. 1045. But 1043 in Peterborough really means 1045, and the 1044 of Abingdon takes in the whole Christmas season running into the next year. The Hyde writer (288), amusingly enough, places the marriage after Godwine's return in 1052. Eadward "adveniens multâ probitate multâque animi industriâ cœpit florere, et Normannos quos adduxerat principes per Angliam constituere; contra hunc quoque Comes Godwinus, pacis inimicus, tentans rebellare, irâ commotus, Angliâ discessit, moxque repatrians usque in ipsam metropolim Londoniam classem suam advexit. Denique se non posse prævalere animadvertens, pacem cum Edwardo statuit componere, et ut nullius rebellionis suspicio remaneret, filiam suam Editham nomine ei matrimonio copulavit, filiumque suum Haroldum ejus dapiferum constituit."

EADWARD MARRIES EADGYTH.

Beorn.

79

so long delayed; but, if the Norman influence was advanc- CHAP. VII. ing, the wary Earl might well deem that no time was to be lost in bringing about the full completion of a promise which the King was probably not very eager to fulfil. Godwine's power however was not as yet seriously shaken. It was also probably in this year, as we have seen, that Earldoms given to his son Harold and his wife's nephew Beorn received their Harold and Earldoms.1 The ecclesiastical appointments of the year seem also to point to the predominance of the patriotic party. In this year died Brihtwold, Bishop of Wilton Death of Bishop or Ramsbury, a Prelate who had in past times been Brihtwold. honoured with a vision portending Eadward's accession to the Crown, and who had had the good luck of living to see his prophecy fulfilled.2 The appointment of his suc- Hermann cessor should be carefully noticed. He was Hermann of ringia sucLotharingia, a chaplain of the King's, the first of the ceeds. series of German or other Imperialist Prelates of whom I have already spoken.3 The promotion of Germans in Promotion England was not wholly new. It seems to have begun under Cnut, and it was probably a fruit of his friendship with the Emperor Conrad. In his time the Saxon Duduc Duduc had obtained the see of Wells, and another German, Wells. Wythmann by name, had held the great abbey of 1033-1060. Ramsey. Had the appointment of Hermann stood alone, Abbot of

1 See above, p. 36.

* This legend occurs in the Vita Eadwardi, p. 394. It is of course not omitted by the professed hagiographers. See Appendix B.

3 See above, p. 41.

* See Gisa's narrative in Hunter's Ecclesiastical Documents, pp. 15, 16. Compare the promotion of Savaric to the same see by the less kindly influence of a later Emperor. Canon. Well. ap. Angl. Sacr. i. 563.

5 Hist. Rams. c. 75. (p. 434). "Quum esset bonæ vitæ et prudentiæ laudabilis, genuinâ tum animi feritate, utpote Teutonicus natione, damnum aliquod suæ attulit laudi." His appointment is more remarkable, as he succeeded Wulfsige who died at Assandun (vol. i. p. 432), so that he must have been promoted very early in Cnut's reign, before his connexion with Conrad began. Wythmann got into all kinds of trouble with his monks, and at last, after a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, died a solitary. His story in the Ramsey History is worth reading.

of Lotha

1045.

of German Prelates.

Bishop of

Wythmann

Ramsey.