Ragnar Lodbrok Family
  
Bristol, England



Ragnar "Lodbrok/Shaggy-Breeches"
King of Danmark

b. about , Denmark
  d.   Jutland, Denmark
buried: ?
 
1m. sheldmaiden Lagertha "a skilled amazon" [Saxo. p542]
divorced for her "ill of trustworthiness"[Saxo. p543]

2m. noble woman Thøra Borgarhjortr
d. "of violent malady"[Saxo. p548]
father: King Herodd of Sweden [Saxo. p543]


3m. Aslaug "Kraka" (Sigurdsdatter) Sigurdottir (a Norse Queen)
  b.
d.
her father: King Aella
her mother:

his father:   Swedish King, Sigurd Hring
his mother: A
Children with Aslaug
Ivar/Iwar "The Boneless" Ragnarsson*#

d. 870-873
m. Gudrodsson, Ragnvald of Agder*
Erik "Wind Hat" *Ragnarsson


m. Helgi the Keen*
Sigurd/Siward "Snake in the eye" Ragnarsson*# King of the Danmark
b. about 783 Jutland, Denmark
d. about 865 Hord, Jutland, Denmark      
m. Heluna E. Elladatter, (dau of King Ella)
Ubba/Hubba/Ubbe/Ubbi Ragnarsson# (he may also be a misreading for Ivar in ancient texts)


m. unknown
Halfdan Ragnaarsson#
King of Northumbria, pretender to the throne of Kingdom of Ireland

d. 877 in the Battle of Strangford Lough, Ireland

Radbard. *



Harald*



 
*Saxo Grammanticus                           # wikipedia.org

Much of the history of these early families may be invented mythology.  Care needs to be taken about the birth dates, and lineage.  

The stories about Ragnar Lodbrok were probably  exaggerated but are also interesting for it's apparent confirmation of the Viking raids down into England, Scotland, Ireland, the Normandy coast and into the Mediterranean. They were written down by Saxo Grammaticus, a monk, about 1200 and may have been based on family lore.  They have been used over the centuries with additions, deletions and reinterpretations.  This family may have left no written since much of the written record was kept by Catholic monks in the churches.  Stories of family valor may have been used to amplify the right of the heirs to their royal standing.


The Great Heathen Army invaded the British Isles beginning about 865. Ubba seems to have led the main army. 

"As a boy Sigurd was close to his father and accompanied Ragnar on a hazardous expedition through Russia to the Hellespont. Later on in life he is said to have sojourned for a time in Scotland and the Scottish Islands, like all wise men." Wikipedia.org

"Ragnar showed on this occasion the most merciful moderation toward the slayer his dearest son, since he sufficiently satisfied the the vengeance which he desired, by the exile of the culprit rather than his death.  This compassion shamed the Russians out of any further rage against such a king, who could not be driven even by the by the most grievous wrongs to inflict death upon his prisoners.  Ragnar soon took Caxo back into favour, and restored him to his country upon his promising that he would every year pay him his tribute barefoot, like a suppliant, with twelve elder,  also unshod.  For he thought it better to punish a prisoner and a suppliant gently, than to draw the axe of bloodshed; better to punish that proud neck with constant slavery than to sever it once and for all. Then he went on and appointed is son Erik, surnamed Wind-hat, over Sweden.  Here while Fridleif and Siward were serving under him, he found that the Norwegians and Scots had wrongfully conferred the title of king on two other men.  So he first overthrew the usurper to the power of Norway, and let Biorn have the country for his own benefit. 
      Then he summoned Biorn and Erik, ravaged the Orkneys, landed at last on the territory of the Scots, and in a three-days' batter wearied out their king Murial, and slew him.  But Ragnar's sons, Dunwat and Radbard, after fighting nobly, were slain by the enemy.  So that the victory their father won was stained with their blood. He returned to Denmark, and found his wife Swanloga had in the meantime died of disease.  Straightway he sought medicine for his grief in loneliness, and patiently confined the grief of his sick soul within the wall of his house. But this bitter sorrow was driven out of him by th sudden arrival of Iwar, who had been expelled from the kingdom.  For the Gauls had made him fly, and had wrongfully bestowed royal power on a certain Ella, the son of Hame.  Ragnar took Iwar to guide him, since he was acquainted with the country, gave orders for a fleet, and approached the harbour called York.  Here he disembarked his forces, and after a battle which lasted three days, he made Ella, who had trusted in the valour of the Gauls, desirous to fly. The affair cost much blood to the English and very little to the Danes.  Here Ragnar completed a year of conquest, and then, summoning his sons to help him, he went to Ireland, slew its king Melbrik, besieged Dublin which was filled with wealth of the barbarians, attacked it, and received its surrender.  There he lay in camp for a year; and then sailing through the midland sea (The Mediterranean Sea - EC) he made his way to the Hellespont.  He won signal victories as he crossed all the intervening countried, and on ill-fortune anywhere checked his steady and prosperous advance.
     Harald, meanwhile, with the adherance of certain Danes who were cold-hearted servants in the army of Ragnar, disturbed his country with renewed sedition, and came forward claiming the title of king.  He was met by the arms of Ragnar returning from the Helles pont: but being unsuccessful, and seeing that his resources of defence at home were exhausted, he went to ask help of Ludwig, who was then stationed at Mainz.  But Ludwig, filled with the greatest zeal for promoting his religion, imposed a condition on the Barbarian, promising him help if he would agree to follow the worship of Christ.  For he said there could be no agreement of hearts between those who embraced discordant creeds. Anyone, there fore, who asked for help, must fist have a fellowship in religion.  No men could be partners in great works who were separated by a different form of worship.   This decision procured not only salvation for Ludwig's guest, but the praise of piety for Ludwig himself, who, as soon as Harald had gone to the holy font, accordingly strengthened hi with Saxon auxiliaries. Trusting in these Harald built a temple in the land of Sleswik with much care and cost, to hallowed to God.  Thus he borrowed a pattern of holy way fro the worship of Rome.  He unhallowed, pulled down the shrines that had been profaned by the error of misbelievers, outlawed the sacrificers, abolished the (heather) priesthood, and was the first to introduce the religion of Christianity to his uncouth country.  Rejecting the worship of demons, he was zealous for that of God.  Lastly, he observed whth the most scrupulous care whatever concerned the protection of religion.  But he began with more piety that success.  For Ragnar came up, outraged the holy rites he had brought in, outlawed the true faith, restored the false one to the old position, and bestowed on the ceremonies the same honour as before. As for Harald, he deserted  and cast in his lot with sacrilege.  For though he was a notable example by his introduction of religion, yet he was the first who has see to neglect it, and this illustrious promoter of holiness proved a most infamous forsaker of the same.  [Saxo bk 9 p. 560-563]


Ragnar_Lodbrok%27s_sonsAugustMalmstrom.jpg
King Aella's messengers before Ragnar Lodbrok's sons
by August Malmstrom (1857)
wikimedia.com

When king Ælla of Northumbria learns of the pillaging army, he musters an overwhelming force and defeats Ragnar's army. Ragnar is dressed in a silken jacket which Aslaug had made and nothing can pierce it. Finally, he is taken prisoner and thrown into a snake pit. However, as the snakes do not bite him, the Englishmen take off his clothes and then the snakes kill him for good.

Ragnar's sons attack England but Ivar does not want to fight as the English army is too large; he fears they will lose and will have to go home again. Ivar, however, stays in England and asks Ælla for wergild, claiming that he can not go home without some compensation to show his brothers. Ivar only asks for as much land as he can cover with an ox's hide. He cuts it into such a fine long string of hide that he can encircle an area large enough for a city. When this is done, he lays the foundations for a city which becomes York. He allies himself with all of England and finally all the chieftains in the region become loyal to Ivar and his brothers.

Then, Ivar tells his brothers to attack England. During the battle Ivar sides with his brothers and so do many of the English chieftains with their people, out of loyalty to Ivar. Ælla is taken captive and in revenge Ragnar's sons carve the blood eagle from him. (ritualized form of torture pulling his lungs through his back - wikipedia) [Saxo bk 9 - 380]

Ivar becomes king over north-eastern England which his forefathers owned (i.e. Ivar Vidfamne and Sigurd Ring), and he has two sons, Yngvar and Husto. They obey their father Ivar and torture king Edmund the Martyr and take his realm.

Ragnar's sons pillage in England, Wales, France and Italy, until they come to the town of Luna in Italy. When they come back to Scandinavia, they divide the kingdom so that Björn Ironside has Uppsala and Sweden, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye has Zealand, Scania, Halland, Viken, Agder, all the way to Lindesnes and most of Oppland, and  receives Reidgotaland (Jutland) and Wendland.

Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye marries king Ælla's daughter Blaeja and they have a son named, Harthacnut, who succeeds his father as the king of Zealand, Scania and Halland, but Viken rebels and breaks loose. Harthacanute has a son named Gorm, who is big and strong but not as wise as his ancestors.  [wikipedia.org/wiki/Tale_of_Ragnar%27s_Sons]
______________________

"Halfdan took what may have been the remnants of the "great army" (865) up into Northumbria, making a base for the next winter(874/5) by the River Tyne.  The army duly 'conquered the land', and ravaged further afield; but a year or so later, in 876, Halfdan and his men 'shared out the land of the Northumbrians, and they proceeded to plough and to support themselves', representing the establishment of the Scandinavian settlements in the northern part of the area which came to be known as the Danelaw.  Three other kings, named as Guthrum, Oscetel, and Anwend, left Repton in 874 'with a great force; which may have been more or less recognizable as the 'great summer army', which may have been more or less recognizable as the 'great summer army' of 871, and went thence to Cambridge.  [Sawyer 55]

... Viking armies which had been on a campaign in England for several years decided that the time had come for them to abandon one form of activity for another; as we have seen , in 876 Halfdan and his men 'shared out the land of the Northumbrians, and they proceeded to plough and to support themselves'; in 877 members of another army 'went into Mercia and shared out some of it, and gave some to Coelwulf'; and in 880 Guthrum's army went into East Anglia, 'and settled there and shared out the land '. It is the case that English people remained in the areas affected by Scandinavian settlement, no doubt in large numbers, but under subjection to the Danes.  It is also the case that while some members of the Viking army active in England from 892 to 896 settled laterly in East Anglia, or in Northumbria, there is no explicit evidence that the Danes were joined in the late ninth or early tenth century by any substantial number of settlers coming to England direct from Scandinavia.  [Sawyer 63]

Source:

FMG -  Foundation for Medieval Genealogy- Danish Kings
                 http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/DENMARK.htm#_Toc196361191
Nationalmuseet, Jellingprojektet
Royal Genealogy Database. http://www.hull.ac.uk
Sawyer, Oxford Illustrated  History of the Vikings, Oxford University Press, New York. 1999, 2001
Saxo Grammaticus Heimskringla, translated by Oliver Elton. The Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus in two vol.  Norroena Society, London, 1905   -     Hathi Trust Digital Library -    https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89065537417;view=2up;seq=46;size=75
Weaton, Henry. History of the Northmen: Or, Danes and Normans, from the earliest times to the Conquest of England by William of Normandy. John wikipedia.org
Murray, London, 1831
wikitree.com

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