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| Schachfiguren, Norwegen, 1150-1200 |
Nach den
Wikingern: Die erste Schlacht von Ré 1163
1. Einleitung:
Die Norwegischen Bürgerkriege
Von 1130 bis 1240
wurde das christianisierte Norwegen von inneren Zwistigkeiten erschüttert.
Ursächlich waren Besonderheiten der altnordischen Königsfolge. Alle Söhne eines
Königs galten als erbberechtigt für die Königswürde, auch die nichtehelichen
Nachkommen von Nebenfrauen. Zusätzlich traten oft auch noch Nachkommen der
weiblichen Nebenlinien auf den Plan.
Magnus Erlingsson ( 1156 – 1184 ) stammte über seine Mutter von König
Sigurd dem Jerusalemfahrer ab. Auf Betreiben seines Vaters des mächtigen Jarls
Erling Skagge ( Schiefhals ) wurde er schon mit 5 Jahren 1161 zum König
gekrönt.
Sigurd Sigurdsson ( 1155-1163 ) war ein unehelicher Sohn des Königs Sigurd
II. von Norwegen. Er wurde von einer Adelsfraktion unter Führung seines
Ziehvaters Markus Skoog und des verwanden Jarl Sigurd 1162 zum Gegenkandidaten auf den Königstitel ausgerufen.
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| Jarl Sigurd vor seiner Halle |
2. Die erste Schlacht von Ré am 20. Februar 1163
Jarl Erling und Magnus Erlingsson hatten Dezember 1162 das Julfest in
Tönsberg/ Vestfold gefeiert. Sie erfuhren, dass nicht weit nördlich von ihnen
Jarl Sigurd mit 600 Mann in der Gegend von Ré lagerte und das Land
ausplünderte.
Hier berichtet die Heimskringla weiter:
“At
last Erling
got
intelligence that Sigurd and his followers were not far
distant,
up at the farm Re. Erling then began his
expedition out
of
the town ( Tönsberg), and took with him all the towns-people who were able
to
carry arms and had arms, and likewise all the merchants; and
left
only twelve men behind to keep watch in the town. Erling
went
out of the town on Thursday afternoon, in the second week of
Lent
(February 19); and every man had two days' provisions with
him. They marched by night, and it was late before
they got out
of
the town with the men. Two men were with
each shield and each
horse;
and the people, when mustered, were about 1560 men. When
they
met their spies, they were informed that Sigurd was at Re,
in
a house called Ramnes, and had 600 men.
Then Erling called
together
his people; told them the news he had received, and all
were
eager to hasten their march, fall on them in the houses, or
engage
them by night.
Erling
replied to them thus: -- "It is probable that we and Earl
Sigurd
shall soon meet. There are also many men
in this band
whose
handy-work remains in our memories; such as cutting down
King
Inge, and so many more of our friends, that it would take
long
to reckon them up. These deeds they did
by the power of
Satan,
by witchcraft, and by villainy; for it stands in our laws
and
country rights, that however highly a man may have been
guilty,
it shall be called villainy and cowardly murder to kill
him
in the night. This band has had its luck
hitherto by
following
the counsel of men acquainted with witchcraft and
fighting
by night, and not in the light of day; and by this
proceeding
have they been victorious hitherto over the chiefs
whose
heads they have laid low on the earth.
Now we have often
seen,
and proved, how unsuitable and improper it is to go into
battle
in the nighttime; therefore let us rather have before our
eyes
the example of chiefs better known to us, and who deserve
better
to be imitated, and fight by open day in regular battle
array,
and not steal upon sleeping men in the night.
We have
people
enough against them, so few as they are.
Let us,
therefore,
wait for day and daylight, and keep together in our
array
in case they attack us."
Thereafter
the whole army sat down. Some opened up
bundles of
hay,
and made a bed of it for themselves; some sat upon their
shields,
and thus waited the daydawn. The weather
was raw, and
there
was a wet snowdrift.
Earl
Sigurd got the first intelligence of Erling's army, when it
was
already near to the house. His men got
up, and armed
themselves;
but not knowing how many men Erling had with him,
some
were inclined to fly, but the most determined to stand.
Earl
Sigurd was a man of understanding, and could talk well, but
certainly
was not considered brave enough to take a strong
resolution;
and indeed the earl showed a great inclination to
fly,
for which he got many stinging words from his men-at-arms.
As
day dawned, they began on both sides to draw up their battle
array. Earl Sigurd placed his men on the edge of a
ridge between
the
river and the house, at a place at which a little stream runs
into
the river. Erling and his people placed
their array on the
other
side of the river; but at the back of his array were men on
horseback
well armed, who had the king with them.
When Earl
Sigurd's
men saw that there was so great a want of men on their
side,
they held a council, and were for taking to the forest.
But
Earl Sigurd said, "Ye alleged that I had no courage, but it
will
now be proved; and let each of you take care not to fail, or
fly,
before I do so. We have a good
battle-field. Let them
cross
the bridge; but as soon as the banner comes over it let us
then
rush down the hill upon them, and none desert his
neighbour."
Earl
Sigurd had on a red-brown kirtle, and a red cloak, of which
the
corners were tied and turned back; shoes on his feet; and a
shield
and sword called Bastard. The earl said,
"God knows that
I
would rather get at Erling Skakke with a stroke of Bastard,
than
receive much gold."
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| Erlings Männer überqueren den Fluß |
EARL SIGURD'S FALL.
Erling
Skakke's army wished to go on to the bridge; but Erling
told
them to go up along the river, which was small, and not
difficult
to cross, as its banks were flat; and they did so.
Earl
Sigurd's array proceeded up along the ridge right opposite
to
them; but as the ridge ended, and the ground was good and
level
over the river, Erling told his men to sing a Paternoster,
and
beg God to give them the victory who best deserved it. Then
they
all sang aloud "Kyrie Eleison", and struck with their
weapons
on their shields. But with this singing
360 men of
Erling's
people slipped away and fled. Then
Erling and his
people
went across the river, and the earl's men raised the
war-shout;
but there was no assault from the ridge down upon
Erling's
array, but the battle began upon the hill itself. They
first
used spears then edge weapons; and the earl's banner soon
retired
so far back, that Erling and his men scaled the ridge.
The
battle lasted but a short time before the earl's men fled to
the
forest, which they had close behind them.
This was told Earl
Sigurd,
and his men bade him fly; but he replied, "Let us on
while
we can." And his men went bravely
on, and cut down on all
sides. In this tumult fell Earl Sigurd and Jon
Sveinson, and
nearly
sixty men. Erling lost few men, and
pursued the fugitives
to
the forest. There Erling halted his
troops, and turned back.
He
came just as the king's slaves were about stripping the
clothes
off Earl Sigurd, who was not quite lifeless.
He had put
his
sword in the sheath, and it lay by his side.
Erling took it,
struck
the slaves with it, and drove them away.
Then Erling,
with
his troops, returned, and sat down in Tunsberg.”
3. Neue Erkenntnisse durch Schlachtfeldarchäologie
Zwischen 2011 und 2013 erfolgten im Bezirk Ramnes-Ré weiträumige
Untersuchungen zunächst mithilfe von Metallsonden, später auch durch flächige
Ausgrabungen. Dabei konnte das Feld der Schlacht von Ré 1163 mit großer
Sicherheit ausfindig gemacht werden. Auch das Schlachtfeld der zweiten späteren
Schlacht von Ré im Jahre 1171 wurde identifiziert. Hier hat der junge König Magnus 8 Jahre später eine weitere Schlacht gegen andere Prätendenten gewonnen.
Hier ist der komplette Grabungsbericht,
leider nur in Norwegisch, aber schon wegen der Karten und Bilder sehr
hilfreich: http://www.vfk.no/Documents/vfk.no-dok/Kulturarv/Rapporter/Slagene%20p%C3%A5%20Re%202011%20til%202013.pdf
Hunderte Spitzen von Pfeilen und Armbrustbolzen und viele andere Relikte fanden sich noch im Boden.
4.Quellen
In der
Wahrnehmung des normalen Wargamers endet die Wikingerzeit mit dem Tod Haralds
des Harten bei Stamford Bridge.
Daher ist es der
Osprey Reihe lobend anzurechnen, dass das darauf folgende nordische Mittelalter
erstmals 2003 mit den beiden Bildbänden „Medieval Scandinavian Armies“ Band 1+2
ausgeleuchtet wurde. Zum Überfluß folgte 2007 noch der Band „The Scandinavian
Baltic Crusades 1100-1500“.
Eine deutsche
Übersetzung der „Heimskringla“ Königschronik von Snorri Sturluson, der
wichtigsten Primärquelle für das 11. Und 12. Jhd. In Norwegen, liegt seit 2007
im Marix Verlag vor.
Auf Youtube findet sich ein norwegisches Video vom der Fundstelle, am Ende mit Schußversuchen vor Ort:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEqMsKR27jg
Als nächstes soll ein Szenario der Schlacht mit Karte und Armeelisten nach
den Hail Caesar Regeln erstellt werden……
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