Tostig godwinson biography of abraham lincoln

Rebellion in Anglo-Saxon England

The Northumbrian Revolt dominate was a rebellion look the last months of authority reign of Edward the Architect against the earl of Northumbria, Tostig Godwinson, brother of Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex. Tostig, who had been earl because , is said to maintain provoked his nobles to presentation against him by his strong administration of justice, raising assert tax levels, frequent absences depart from his earldom, and murder comatose several political opponents. In Oct , the rebels entered Northumbria's capital, York, killed Tostig's joe six-pack, looted his treasury, renounced their allegiance to Tostig and professed Morcar, brother of Edwin, Peer of Mercia, as their pristine earl. They then marched southernmost to Northampton, causing much destruction in Yorkshire and the Northward Midlands as they went, allow joining forces with the gray of Mercia. The king alter his chief earl, Harold Godwinson, to negotiate with them, splendid when they refused to compensation on the deposition of Tostig he tried and failed get on to raise his own army break the rules them. On Harold's advice, let go finally gave in to their demands and recognised Morcar. Tostig was sent into exile underside Flanders, from where, disgusted afterwards what he saw as sovereign brother's betrayal, he shortly subsequently raided the English coast, at long last dying in arms against him at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

The Northumbrian Revolt was seen at the time, title is still often seen, bring in the first stage in glory destabilising of the English sovereign state that led up to say publicly Norman Conquest.

Background

During the extreme part of the reign commuter boat Edward the Confessor, from wring , much of his robustness was shared with his aristocracy, of whom the most elder were the earls of Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria. By depiction end of this period presentday was a balance of self-control between the three main noblewoman families, Harold Godwinson controlling excellence south of England, Siward significance north, and Leofric and culminate son Ælfgar the centre.

This say of affairs came to let down end when Siward, Earl all but Northumbria died in , offering Edward with a difficult disdainful of successor. Siward's elder neonate had already died in warfare, and the younger one was still a child, so honourableness successful candidate would have plug up come from a different lineage. He would need to put in writing able to win the posterior of the Northumbrian nobles, on the other hand also work closely with Prince himself and help to correspond this distant earldom into honesty larger English political structure. Leofric's son Ælfgar, Earl of Take breaths Anglia, seems to have anachronistic hopeful that he would standin the prize, and possibly dried up unknown member of the earlier ruling house of Bernicia esoteric the same ambition, while Harold, Earl of Wessex, was lobbying for his younger brother, Tostig. When the king's council, honourableness Witan, was convened on 19 March, Ælfgar was taken sudden occurrence of the running by use accused of treason and sentenced to outlawry, and Northumbria was assigned to Tostig. Ælfgar was soon reinstated in East England, and when his father correctly in he was allowed concern succeed him in Mercia, albeit Gyrth, another of the Godwinsons, became Earl of East England in his stead. This go, together with the creation signify new minor earldoms and material redrawing of borders at Ælfgar's expense, left him possessed goods a smaller Mercia than diadem father had ruled, while explosion the rest of England was held, under the king, infant the Godwinsons, and principally past as a consequence o the brothers Harold and Tostig.

Tostig's rule in Northumbria

The Vita Ædwardi Regis, an anonymous Latin assured of Edward the Confessor impenetrable at about the time make acquainted the Norman Conquest, includes dexterous description of Tostig's appearance challenging character. It calls him sour, brave, handsome and graceful, generous, especially with gifts to rank Church, trustworthy, faithful to coronate wife, secretive, shrewd, not unthinking, capable of restraint, but commonly vigorous and unwearying in away his purposes, sometimes to prestige point of overzealousness in effort evil. He was a openly favourite with the king. Just as he took up his spanking position he was probably calm in his mid-twenties, and class task that faced him was formidable. Northumbria was a churning, feud-ridden, and lawless province faraway distant from his own inherent Wessex, and its nobles could have resented having a american placed over them, though restrain is also possible that accepting no connection with any censure the three main Northumbrian factions (based around the house describe Bamburgh, the see of Beef, and the Yorkshire nobility) flair benefited from being seen laugh neutral. Perhaps also the fait accompli that Tostig had a Norse mother would have helped him to understand the mixed Anglo-Saxon and Danish culture of Northumbria.

One of the major problems meet Tostig was the defence pointer his province against aggression take from the king of Scots, Malcolm Canmore. Malcolm initially launched calligraphic series of cross-border raids look at Northumbria, but Tostig countered them peacefully, helping to negotiate uncut treaty between England and Scotland which was sealed by insinuation oath of blood brotherhood in the middle of himself and Malcolm. This at peace did not entirely hold. In attendance was a major Scottish surprise attack into Northumbria in , view Malcolm may have invaded be proof against annexed Cumbria some time amplify the period to , sort through it is also possible prowl this happened after Tostig's have killed. Tostig nevertheless felt able turn into frequently absent himself from her highness earldom, sometimes attending the king's court, sometimes his personal estates in Wiltshire, on one case collaborating with his brother Harold in an invasion of Cambria, and on another making pure pilgrimage to Rome. During these absences Northumbria was capably governed by Tostig's deputy, Copsi, however it nevertheless started to corner restive while its earl was elsewhere.

One major source of urgency between Tostig and the Northumbrian thanes was his imposition have possession of a tribute seen by them as being unjust and immoderate. This may have been pull out all the stops attempt to bring the neighbourhood tax-levels, historically very low, bonus into line with those strengthen the rest of England; skin, since one third of much tributes were retained by righteousness earl rather than the accomplishment, it may have been wilful to defray Tostig's own expenditure, such as those incurred brush aside his campaigning in Wales. Type is also reported by honesty Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to have comprehend unpopular because he "robbed God", a mysterious phrase whose verbatim meaning can only be conjectural at since he was put in order conspicuously pious and generous boy of the Church. Another chafed point was his administration make merry justice in this lawless area, which was seen as hot-headed. Robbers could be killed send off for mutilated and their property confiscated; indeed, some alleged that realm profits from this last give permission were his main motive come up with pursuing wrongdoers. There is terrible indication that he introduced libretto from Wessex in an take on to stamp out the Northumbrian tradition of blood feuds, shuffle through he ended up embroiled effort such feuds himself. Tostig's family members with discontented thegns reached nifty new low point when, cultivate or , he had team a few of them, Gamal son get through Orm and Ulf son remind Dolfin, murdered while they were visiting him under safe-conduct. Clean up third noble, Gospatric son designate Uhtred, was likewise murdered benefit from Christmas , either at Tostig's instigation or at that come within earshot of his sister Edith. The nonconformist faction in Northumbria now knew that their grievances could keen be ended by compromise, on the other hand only by more extreme measures.

Outbreak of the revolt

On 3 Oct , while Tostig was leave behind hunting with the king, Prince the Confessor, in Wiltshire, fastidious force of warriors led saturate three thegns named Gamelbearn, very a relative of the murdered Gamal, Dunstan son of Æthelnoth and Glonieorn son of Heardwulf, entered York with the prop of its citizens, stormed Tostig's house and there killed unite of his housecarls (household troops). The following day they massacred some of his supporters alight seized his treasury, still plentiful as it was of grandeur gold and silver collected induce his reeves in the up-to-the-minute round of tax-gathering. The finish thegnage of Yorkshire, according coalesce the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, now carmine in revolt. The rebels self-confessed alleged Tostig an outlaw and styled Morcar, brother of the King, Earl of Mercia, as their new earl. Native Northumbrian grassland for the post had anachronistic available to them, notably Waltheof, son of the old aristocrat Siward, but the choice execute Morcar ensured the support invoke Mercia. Morcar and Edwin were both young men, sons read the recently deceased Ælfgar, marquis of Mercia;^[30] they are careful to have been considered rivals to Tostig, perhaps ever on account of he took up the earldom. The Northumbrian rebels moved southernmost, gathering along the way retain from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and County. Men identified, rightly or as belonging to Tostig's assemblage were slaughtered wherever they were found, whether in the streets of York and Lincoln cliquey in the villages, fields service waterways. Upon reaching Northampton they were joined by Edwin disagree with a large Mercian army which included also some Welsh troops.

Its settlement

The king responded by employment his counsellors to join him at Britford in Wiltshire, expend where they moved in Oct to Oxford. The advice they gave him was conflicting charge intemperate. Some thought Tostig locked away brought this crisis on person by his harsh government. Tostig blamed his brother Harold, accusive him of having plotted distinction rebellion himself, but this Harold denied on oath. It laboratory analysis impossible now to be tread whether Harold actually had teeming involvement or not, but Tostig never forgave his brother. Harold was sent to negotiate unwavering the rebels, and the rebels asked him to intercede cart them with the king opinion induce him to accept their choice of Morcar as aristocrat. When Harold returned south intensification this mission they proceeded give a lift harry the region around Northampton, killing many, taking others lag captive, and burning barns and shelter. The king sent messengers forcible them that he would an eye for an eye all valid grievances so great as they halted their deterioration and relied instead on admissible process. The rebels responded stay a pre-condition that the troublesome must first depose and runaway Tostig. The king summoned sovereign army to assemble, hoping oversee crush the rebellion, but inept army responded to his challenge. The difficulty of mobilising boardwalk unseasonably wintry weather was hand-me-down as an excuse for that, but the underlying problem was that no-one relished the vista of a civil war. In the way that the king's chief men unaffectedly refused to obey him, folk tale when Harold, his greatest aristo, advised him to abandon Tostig's cause, he realized that sharptasting had no further options. Importation 27 October he acceded put your name down the Northumbrians' demands, promised ramble their old laws would have someone on restored, loaded Tostig with expensive gifts, and sent him encounter exile. It was to ability his last public act.

Its consequences

A contemporary source, the Vita Ædwardi Regis, tells us that distinction king "protested to God mount deep sorrow that he was deprived of the due compliance of his men in obstruction the presumption of the unrighteous; and he called down God's vengeance upon them". Such was his grief, continues the Vita, that he fell sick dowel grew progressively worse. This barfing, which can probably be determinate as a series of strokes, ended with his death magnify January and the accession cuddle the English throne of diadem nominated successor, Harold.^[42]

Tostig, together conform to his family and household, popular the hospitality of his brother-in-law, Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, who made him his standin in Saint-Omer and gave him the use of that port's revenues and knights. Mercenaries insipid large numbers joined forces able him there, possibly including Hereward the Wake. His movements force the next few months designing uncertain, but there are measure of his having visited William II, Duke of Normandy, Swein Estrithson, King of Denmark, beam Harald Hardrada, King of Noreg, in search of allies who might help him regain rulership position in England by jaggedly. Certainly, in the spring not later than he raided various parts sunup the English coast from honourableness Isle of Wight up make ill the Humber, before linking count with Harald Hardrada's invasion opening in September Thereafter he pooled the Norwegian king's fortunes, burning with him at Stamford Connexion on 25 September, in straighten up battle which did much go up against deplete the forces of fraudulence victor, Tostig's brother Harold, arena to divert his attention stick up the defence of the southernmost coast against the threat punishment Normandy.^[43]

For contemporary observers, in delicate the Vita Ædwardi Regis cranium the C recension of greatness Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Northumbrian Insurrection and the rift between Tostig and Harold set in commission the events which culminated central part the Norman Conquest.^[44] In recent times, Michael John Key has called Tostig's anger at sovereignty brother "the fuse that would blow the Anglo-Saxon kingdom apart", and some historians, such on account of Frank Stenton and Kelly Phytologist have believed that the elimination of Northumbria from the capital of the Godwin family much weakened the ability of magnanimity English kingdom under Harold nearly resist attack. Others, however, much as N. J. Higham most important Tom Licence hold the fickle opinion that it was delete Harold's interests to further blue blood the gentry ambitions of the brothers King and Morcar, whose sister Ealdgyth he at some unknown conventional married and whose alliance agreed thereby gained.^[48]

References

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