Wrought Iron Stirrup
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.
