Erik Bloodaxe...Viking at York

This fearsome Norse noble and king of York (Jorvik, 947-54), having just been ousted (again, 954) from York by the local nobles and mighty cleric Wulfstan, under threat of having the region utterly ravaged again by Wessex King Edred, was slain "treacherously" in battle in 954- along with his son, brothers & 'five kings'- on the desolate N.Yorkshire moors "in a certain lonely place called Stainmore..."

Apparently, a coalition of Northumbrians(House of bamburgh) under earl Oswulf, the Cumbrians and the Dublin-Norse had 'ambushed' Erik. He had clearly made many enemies in English exile since murdering some of his brothers in his native Norway years before.

But what was Erik and his valiant army doing so far inland on a desolate moor, when he could have easily sailed off in the Humber to the Orkneys or Europe- as he had two years before during his first exile?

Was Erik marching into exile and out of York and heading N.W towards Carlisle on the old Roman road over the moors (avoiding the Mercian border and also Bamburgh?), maybe to venture out into the Irish sea or maybe Orkneys raiding? Or had he been set up on a meeting with someone (at carlisle?), or perhaps a 'pre-arranged' battle?

His "Bloodaxe" epithet refers mostly to his killing of many of his own brothers in Norway during his youth rather than enemies (though historian Michael Wood describes it as due to "his ruthless bravery" in Russia as a youth), he was more of a warrior and adventurer than a politician- which had earned him many foes...

King Edred clearly saw the self-styled 'independent' king Erik(during his 2nd reign 952-4) as a very serious threat in the north and once again (alledgedly) took steps to get the fierce Norseman removed for good, with alliances composed of those enemies that Erik had made over the years.

The Fagrskinna saga stated that, along with his son Haeric and brother Raegnald, Erik had;-

"So great an army that five kings followed him because he was a valiant man and a battle-winner. He trusted in himself and his army so much that he went far up country, and everywhere he went with warfare."

This actually sounds like Erik was deliberately ravaging the surrounding region, but why, when he would have been better fleeing? Did he intend to simply do this as revenge en route to the W.coast, and to freedom? Had there been land disputes which led to plots with Edred and others (enemies of Erik) to oust him from York in the first place?

In any event,

"Then came against him King Olaf (Earl of Northumbria), a tributary king of King Edmund (Saga erroneously names Edmund, not Edred who was on the throne). ..A dreadful battle ensued in which many English fell, but for every one who fell three came in his place, and when the evening came on the losses turned against the Norsemen and many were killed..."

Clearly Erik had been lured (by a meeting? Or more likely a battle due to the size of his army?) into a colossal ambush, and the predictably fierce pitched battle raged, with English reinforcements (prepared for just this occasion?) that kept moving in to quickly negate losses and late in the day slaughter the surrounded vikings.