ABSTRACT
Writingc.1280,theanonymousauthoroftheAnnalesIslandicirecordedsomeof themajoreventsofhistime,suchasthewarsbetweenManfreddeLanceaand CharlesofAnjouinSicily,andthefallofAntiochtotheMamluks.Wemaynone thelessbesurprisedtofindthefollowingentryfor1264:'Therewasabattle betweenHenry,kingoftheEnglish,andhiscounts.Inthisbattle,SimonMontfort andtheotherearlsoftherealmdefeatedHenry.AlsocapturedwereEdward,sonof KingHenry,andRichard,kingofGermany.'1TheAnnaleslslandiciwerenotthe onlyNordicsourcetocommentonthis.Magnussaga,writtenafter1280bySturla Thordarson,givesanaccountoftheearlyyearsofKingMagnusofNorway,who hadcometothethronein1264.Amonghisearliestchallengeswastosecure possessionoftheOrkneysagainstAlexanderIIIofScotland,andtothispurpose envoysweredispatchedtotheScottishcourt.TheyarrivedviaKing'sLynnin England,atthetime,Sturlareports,when'therewasgreatstrifeinEngland.That summerSimonMontfortwasslain'.2Thecasualtoneofthisreferenceassumesa generalawarenessamongSturla'saudienceoftheeventstowhichherefers.Sturla placedthemissiontoScotlandinaspecificchronologicalcontext,andtohimas wellashisaudienceaffairsinEnglandduringthe1260swerethemarkbywhich distanteventscouldberecalledandappropriatedintime.
