Tostig Godwinson Tostig Godwinson ( died 25 September 1066 ) was an Anglo - Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson . Tostig was the third son of Godwin ( d . 1053 ) , Earl of Wessex and Kent , and Gytha , daughter of Thorgils Sprakaleg . In 1051 , he married Judith , the daughter of Count Baldwin IV of Flanders , half - sister of Baldwin V of Flanders , and aunt of Matilda of Flanders , who married William the Conqueror . The Domesday Book recorded twenty - six vills or townships as being held by Earl Tostig forming the Manor of Hougun . Earl of Northumbria . In 1051 , Tostig and his father were banished from England to which they forcefully returned in 1052 . Three years later in 1055 , Tostig became the Earl of Northumbria upon the death of Earl Siward . Tostig appears to have governed in Northumbria with some difficulty . He was never popular with the Northumbrian ruling class , a mix of Danish invaders and Anglo Saxon survivors of the last Norse invasion . Tostig was said to have been heavy handed with those who resisted his rule , including the murder of several members of leading Northumbrian families . In late 1063 or early 1064 , Tostig had Gamal , son of Orm and Ulf , son of Dolfin , assassinated when they visited him under safe conduct . Also , the " Vita Edwardi " , otherwise sympathetic to Tostig , states that he had ' repressed [ the Northumbrians ] with the heavy yoke of his rule ' . He was also frequently absent at the court of King Edward in the south , and possibly showed a lack of leadership against the raiding Scots . Their king was a personal friend of Tostig , and Tostig ' s unpopularity made it difficult to raise local levies to combat them . He resorted to using a strong force of Danish mercenaries ( housecarles ) as his main force , an expensive and resented policy ( the housecarles ' leaders were later slaughtered by rebels ) . Local biases probably also played a part . Tostig was from the south of England , a distinctly different culture from the north , which had not had a southern earl in several lifetimes . In 1063 , still immersed in the confused local politics of Northumbria , his popularity apparently plummeted . Many of the inhabitants of Northumbria were Danes , who had enjoyed lesser taxation than in other parts of England . Yet the wars in Wales , of which Tostig ' s constituents were principal beneficiaries , needed to be paid for . Tostig had been a major commander in these wars attacking in the north while his brother Harold Godwinson marched up from the south . Deposition of Tostig Godwinson by his brother Harold and the thegns of Northumbria . On 3 October 1065 , the thegn s of Yorkshire and the rest of Yorkshire descended on York and occupied the city . They killed Tostig ' s officials and supporters , then declared Tostig outlawed for his unlawful actions and sent for Morcar , younger brother of Edwin , Earl of Mercia . The northern rebels marched south to press their case with King Edward . They were joined at Northampton by Earl Edwin and his forces . There , they were met by Earl Harold , who had been sent by King Edward to negotiate with them and thus did not bring his forces . After Harold , by then the king ' s right hand man , had spoken with the rebels at Northampton , he likely realized that Tostig would not be able to retain Northumbria . When he returned to Oxford , where the royal council was to meet on 28 October , he had probably already made up his mind . Exile and rebellion . Harold Godwinson persuaded the King Edward the Confessor to agree to the demands of the rebels . Tostig was outlawed a short time later , possibly early in November , because he refused to accept his deposition as commanded by Edward . This led to the fatal confrontation and enmity between the two Godwinsons . At a meeting of the king and his council , Tostig publicly accused Harold of fomenting the rebellion . Harold was keen to unify England in the face of the grave threat from William of Normandy , who had openly declared his intention to take the English throne . It was likely that Harold had exiled his brother to ensure peace and loyalty in the north . Tostig , however , remained unconvinced and plotted vengeance . Tostig took ship with his family and some loyal thegns and took refuge with his brother - in - law , Count Baldwin V . He even attempted to form an alliance with William . Baldwin provided him with a fleet and he landed in the Isle of Wight in May 1066 , where he collected money and provisions . He raided the coast as far as Sandwich but was forced to retreat when King Harold called out land and naval forces . He moved north and after an unsuccessful attempt to get his brother Gyrth to join him , he raided Norfolk and Lincolnshire . The Earls Edwin and Morcar defeated him decisively . Deserted by his men , he fled to his sworn brother , King Malcolm III of Scotland . Tostig spent the summer of 1066 in Scotland . He made contact with King Harald III Hardrada of Norway and persuaded him to invade England . One of the sagas claims that he sailed for Norway , and greatly impressed the Norwegian king and his court , managing to sway a decidedly unenthusiastic Harald , who had just concluded a long and inconclusive war with Denmark , into raising a levy to take the throne of England . With Hardrada ' s aid , Tostig sailed up the Humber and defeated Morcar and Edwin at Gate Fulford . Battle of Stamford Bridge . Hardrada ' s army invaded York , taking hostages after a peaceful surrender , and likely agreed with the local inhabitants to gather commandeered supplies at Stamford Bridge , near York , a conveniently central spot , well - fed by streams and roads . King Harold Godwinson raced northward with an English army from London and , on 25 September 1066 , surprised his brother Tostig and about 6 , 000 of his men , basking in the sun and awaiting supplies . The Norwegians and the Flemish mercenaries hired by Tostig were largely without armour and carried only personal weapons . The day was very hot and no resistance was expected . The remainder of the 11 , 000 man force remained guarding the Norse ships , beached miles away at Riccall . Tostig and most of his men were killed . Aftermath . After his death at Stamford Bridge , it is believed that his body was taken to York and buried at York Minster . Tostig ' s two sons took refuge in Norway , while his wife Judith married Duke Welf of Bavaria . His winner would soon , at the head of his troops yet exhausted by their previous fight , go to confront the Normans led by William the Bastard . His two sons with Judith : Popular ( as opposed to scholarly ) non - fiction books that cover Tostig ' s life and role in history include : Tostig features in the novels " The Last English King " ( 2000 ) , by Julian Rathbone ( where he is depicted as Edward the Confessor ' s catamite ) , " Harold , The Last of the Saxon Kings " , by Edward Bulwer - Lytton , " The King ' s Shadow " , by Elizabeth Alder , " The Interim King " , by J . Colman McMillan , " Lord of Sunset " , by Parke Godwin , " Warriors of the Dragon Gold " , by Ray Bryant , and " God ' s Concubine " book 2 of " The Troy Game " series by Sara Douglass , " The Bastard King " by Jean Plaidy . Portrayal in books and films . On screen , Tostig was portrayed by actor Frederick Jaeger in the two - part BBC TV play " Conquest " ( 1966 ) , part of the series " Theatre 625 " . Tostig also appeared in the Channel 4 documentary , " 1066 : The Battle for Middle Earth " . Tostig one of the main characters in 1066 : What Fates Impose by G K Holloway 2013 .