Battle of Bairn’s Cross
For years, the Halgrimr Clan had disputed the Beor Clan’s Lordship over the jarldom of Ostenmark, claiming that the male line of the Jarl, Cnut the Lame, was descended from Halgrimr ancestors; therefore, the Beoren had no claim to the jarldom.
Nevertheless, the Beoren claimed that blood ties are not as important as the personality and quality of the figure in question. It was an unconvincing argument. Ingolf the Red, second son of the King, gathered a warband of Halgrimr mercenaries and kinsmen to contest Cnut’s legitimacy.
The Conflict
Prelude
Ingolf marched his warband overland, avoiding naval routes to enter Ostermark from the east. A Beoren hunter happened to catch sight of the Halgrimr camp, and rushed to raise the alarm. Cnut, hearing the report, gathered only his household guard to confront the enemy. They met at a small farm with an old market cross southeast of Talonstone. It bears the name Bairn’s Cross.
Deployment
The invaders had time to arrange their forces in the southeast corner before Cnut’s men took the field. The archers were situated behind cover and mostly concealed, while the bulk of the infantry were positioned upslope and clearly visible. An emissary was dispatched to intercept Cnut (arriving from the north) and offer insulting terms intended to drive him to unreasoning rage. The ploy worked.
Cnut’s huscarles entered the field in good order, but before they could be fully arrayed the jarl ordered the attack.
Battlefield
Gently sloping barley fields with a number of outbuildings, main farmstead, byre and scattered wains. The field rose to the southeast, culminating with a moderate hill 80 yards from the fields’ edge.
Conditions
Visibility was excellent, light breezes from the north.
The Engagement
Jarl Cnut, in a rage from the insulting terms offered by Ingolf’s messenger, rushed the field as expected. Fatigued from the march, charging upslope and being harried by bowfire from both flanks, the huscarles’ morale flagged as the battle began. As ordered, when Cnut himself took the field the archers aimed for his horse. Once dismounted, Ingolf charged and beheaded the jarl, seizing his circlet and demanding the surrender of his forces.
Outcome
Without a Beoren Jarl, the thanes threatened war against one another despite objections that the Halgrimr were the real enemy.
Aftermath
By playing thane against thane, it did not take long for Ingolf the Red to secure the jarldom, banishing the Beor Clan as outlaws.
Historical Significance
Legacy
Since this battle, it was the effort of less than a year to secure Ostenmark for the Halgrimr Clan, where it remained for some years.