The Viking World: A History in ObjectsMain MenuGallery viewA galleryTag Cloudtag cloud pageThemesA path of thematic categoriesAuthor IndexExplore the collection by authorWorks CitedReferencesAdam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77Caitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252fCaroline Harvey1783f21a5882b5b4d3d0b6c174d058052a5ff7eaEdward Hershewee701ef220480b51ca728fc9c719bc094cf813655Martin Hoffmana1fd203afd9a84ee8db567e188cf6ed1d269386eTyler Hruby23493f763b312110686cfafc62578fd0ab5f3833Brittany N. Johnsonc1c1763339f8fa953e3c907c6bb8a3bad0c28b2cCarlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01Moira McConnell710633400590ea38533ea3412c01fc5056288180Clara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1Elise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69Cameron Meikle669a5682bfbfd603130a26e25628f24eb07e6295Alexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7fBenja Reilly816c23aa0d444213fb2d1ef33555a15617e08228Oliver Statenc625ae8c3926f5e1a4268bc91d6a6f4cdb1e7fb6Liam Sullivanaa3a1dccb90c7fe4646b61c4af594abbb0c5574aRead Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611eadAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
Wrought Iron Stirrup
12017-05-09T09:55:46-07:00Adam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77164563Anglo-Scandinavian Wrought Iron Stirrupplain2017-05-17T16:56:32-07:00Bolton, Angie. Wrought Iron Stirrup. Still Image, n.d. WAW-989551. Portable Antiquities Scheme. https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/425693.1000-1100WAW-989551CC BY52.147366, -1.533762Wrought IronPortable Antiquities SchemeStratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire20090429084529+010000000000000000Eleventh CenturyAdam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77
12017-05-17T17:01:43-07:00Wrought Iron Stirrup7object pageplain2017-09-17T13:50:08-07:00Thisstirrup is evidence of a switch in viking tactics towards the end of the Viking Age as viking raiders went from fast raids against coastal settlements to more sustained inland attacks and conquests.
This wrought iron stirrup is in a D-shape with a curved arch at the top of the opening.[1] The sides of the stirrup run down to bosses above decorative side plates and may have been made separately from the plate. The only decorations are seven round headed studs visible on one of the side plates, but these studs may also mean that the tread was a replacement and was riveted to the side plates. There is a thick rectangular loop at the top of the stirrup. It was discovered using a metal detector in Warwickshire in the center of England.
The stirrup is of Anglo-Scandinavian make. Thought to be made in the twelfth century, this stirrup would have been used in the Danelaw. Early in the Viking Age and prior to the implementation of the Danelaw, viking raiding parties participated in quick raids usually on weak coastal targets; however, as the viking age progressed, Norse raiders changed tactics choosing to conquer rather than just raid. The culmination of this change in tactics was the Great Army which was able to conquer and move freely through Britain for over ten years before making peace with King Alfred of Wessex, establishing the Danelaw. The Danelaw allowed the Norse invaders and the English to live on somewhat more peaceful terms, but the Norse continued to wage war. This stirrup, which was intended to be used in combat rather than used by Scandinavian settlers, helps to support this idea of continued violence.[2] The presence of this stirrup also supports the idea of a change in tactics from using boats in coastal raids to using horses to fight inland. These tactics were likely used by war bands under the command of the Norwegian King, Olaf Trygvasson, whose escapades and conquests were recorded in many different stories including the Battle of Svold.[3] This stirrup suggests that even after the Danelaw was established in Britain, Norse peoples did not become peaceful immigrants, but rather still lived lives in which fighting and war played a key role. Viking raiding activity and conquest continued well after the Danelaw was put into place, but the type of attacks changed from lightning fast raids on weak targets using boats to more prolonged campaigns with the goal of conquest on inland targets.