Städ War
| Städ War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A miniature depicting Geatish forces led by Gorm the Elder combating the Gutes led by Harald Halstensson. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kingdom of Lågland |
Kingdom of the Gutes Supported by: Ghaillish pirates | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Gorm the Elder | Harald Halstensson † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ca. 24,000 men | ca. 18,000 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ca. 3,200 | c. 7,500 | ||||||
The Städ War (Geatish: Städkriget, lit. "the Anvil War") was a war fought in Geatland from AD 942 to 944. Fought primarily on the island of Gormö, it is the first non-legendary war fought on Geatish soil.
In 929, Gorm the Elder, a Geat, became king of Lågland. During this time, weaker Geatish and Gutish kingdoms and lands were being raided and pillaged by Ghaillish pirates and the Ghaillish raider kingdom on Gormö's north. Seeking to ward against the Ghaillish threat, Gorm orchestrated the unification of less powerful Geatish lords under him in 941. The Gutes, a distinct tribe, refused to unify with Gorm, sparking conflict.
Although skirmishes were present as early as 939, the war formally began in 942. The Gutes were led by Harald Halstensson, King of the Gutes, and were informally supported by Ghaillish pirates hoping to stop Geatish hegemony. The war was primarily fought on land between the hirds of each king, though there were skirmishes at sea. Gutish forces were initially victorious, but much of the army was decimated in the Battle of the Blue Cliffs, where Halstensson lost his life. The Gutish lords formally swore fealty to Gorm soon thereafter. The war had the effect of establishing the First Kingdom of Geatland and finally subjugating the Gutish tribes under the Geats.
Name
Städ is Geatish for "Anvil", and thus a common translation of the war's name is "the Anvil War." The origin of this name is unclear, as the war was only referred to as such about fifty years after its conclusion. One theory says that Städet ("the Anvil") was a commonly applied moniker to one of the war's military leaders, most likely Harald Halstensson. This is not substantiated in any primary source document. Another theory says that the war is so named because it represented the first time that weapons were forged on a mass scale, with anvils being a component in the forging processes. This does not appear to be correct, however, as bladework was popular on the Geatish Islands as early as the 2nd century AD, and there is no evidence that it increased markedly during this period.
Other theories that Städ may not axtually refer to anvils per se, but may be a reference to or a clipping of a town name. There is no evidence of this theory either.
Background
By the beginning of the late 8th century A.D., Ghaillish pirates began conducting raids on the Geatish Islands. These pirates, whose origins are modern-day Caldia, were often sponsored directly by the Ghaillish monarchs, though other times they were taken upon without monarchical approval. As Ghaillish pirates bore into Geatland, they pillaged and often razed towns, killed men, and took women and children as slaves. In the place of the areas that they pillaged, Ghaillish pirates would set up raider kingdoms that acted as a base of operations for raids against the whole island. These raids and raider kingdoms were not unique to Geatland; they could be seen as far south as modern-day Estmere.
In response to the raider kingdoms, many of the Geatish chiefdoms and kingdoms began to unite. The reasoning for this was quite simple: no one Geatish territory was strong enough or well equipped to stave off the Ghaillish onslaught. If the groups acted in concert, however, they could pose a much more serious threat. The Gutes, a kindred tribe of the Ancient Geats, had already in 890. The Geatish territories remained in discord, and still none could pose a credible threat.