Osulf II of Bamburgh

Osulf II of Bamburgh was a member of the old Northumbrian ruling family and a descendant of Uhtred the Bold. When William the Conqueror appointed Copsi as earl in 1067, Osulf rejected the new arrangement and gathered local support in the lands north of the Tyne.

Osulf surprised Copsi at Newburn and had him killed, briefly restoring control of the northern earldom to his own family. He died later in 1067 while pursuing an outlaw and was succeeded by his kinsman Gospatric.

In Paul Bernardi’s Blood Feud, William the Conqueror has appointed Copsi as earl in the north, and Oslac’s kinsman Osulf of Bamburgh calls his men to resist a ruler many Northumbrians regard as an outsider imposed by the Norman king. Oslac must therefore postpone his blood feud and join a conflict whose stakes extend far beyond his own household. Osulf II of Bamburgh is treated fictionally in Paul Bernardi’s Uprising.