Eystein Orre (

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

: ''Eysteinn Orri''; died 25 September 1066) was a Norwegian noble who was killed at the

Battle of Stamford Bridge The Battle of Stamford Bridge () took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, on 25 September 1066, between an English army under Harold Godwinson, King Harold Godwinson and an invading Norwegian force l ...

in 1066. Eystein was betrothed to King Harald's daughter by Elisiv of Kiev, Maria and according to

Heimskringla () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...

was "best beloved by the king of all the lendermen". Eystein was among those to accompany Harald in his invasion of England in 1066. Harald and his army first encountered resistance at

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

, where the townsfolk refused to surrender. Harald resorted to burning down the town and this action led to other Northumbrian towns surrendering to him. The army sailed further down the Humber until they disembarked at Riccall. Harald's army then encountered the earls

Morcar Morcar (or Morcere) (, ) (died after 1087) was the son of Ælfgār (earl of Mercia) and brother of Ēadwine. He was the earl of Northumbria from 1065 to 1066, when William the Conqueror replaced him with Copsi. Dispute with the Godwins Morcar ...

and

Edwin The name Edwin means "wealth-friend". It comes from (wealth, good fortune) and (friend). Thus the Old English form is Ēadwine, a name widely attested in early medieval England. Edwina is the feminine form of the name. Notable people and char ...

; they fought against Harald's invading army two miles (3 km) south of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September. The battle was a decisive victory for the invaders, and led York to surrender to their forces on 24 September.DeVries (1999) pp. 250–261 Early on 25 September, King Harald and Tostig left for York again, leaving a third of their forces behind. Eystein, along with Prince Olaf were among those left behind at Riccall to protect the ships, however a messenger came back calling for reinforcements as the English had intercepted the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge. Eyestein was able to reach his comrades, however King Harald had already been killed. Some of Eyestein's men were said to have collapsed and died of exhaustion upon reaching the battlefield. These men, unlike their comrades, were fully armed for battle. Their counter-attack, described in the Norwegian tradition as "Orre's Storm", briefly stalled the English advance, but was soon overwhelmed and Orre was slain. With the Norwegian army routed and pursued by the English army, some of the fleeing Norsemen drowned in the rivers.''Anglo-Saxon Chronicles'', p. 199

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* {{Cite book, author=DeVries, Kelly, author-link=Kelly DeVries, year=1999, title=The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066, publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd, isbn=978-0-85115-763-4 11th-century births 1066 deaths 11th-century Norwegian nobility Norwegian military personnel killed in action Vikings killed in battle 11th-century Vikings