Halfdan Ragnarsson

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Halfdan , Halfdene or Healfden Ragnarsson († 877 in Ireland ), also called Halvdan Kvitserk ( white dress ) because he wore a white robe, was allegedly a son of the legendary Viking leader Ragnar Lodbrok , which is by no means certain, especially since the tradition about Ragnar is very strong is problematic. There are only sparse and sometimes contradicting sources about Halfdan.

Life

Halfdan landed in England with his brothers Ivar the Boneless and Ubba in 865 and later became the leader of the Great Pagan Army . On January 5, 871, he and his Danes won the Battle of Reading , but lost the Battle of Ashdown four days later . From 871 to 872 he was ruler of London, where he had coins struck.

Halfdan undertook raids to Northumbria and Scotland from his winter camp on the Tyne in 874 . In 875 Halfdan finally subjugated Northumbria. A few Vikings already lived there, primarily from Denmark . Halfdan was crowned King of Jorvik , the most important city in northern England, later known as York , that same year . He is said to have been very unpopular because of his alleged cruelty. In 876 he settled Northumbria, with which the "Great Pagan" army again lost one of the most important leaders.

In 877 Halfdan broke a truce between the Danes and the Anglo-Saxons, which had been concluded two years earlier by the West Saxon King Alfred the Great and Halfdan's brother Ubba.

Halfdan was killed in 877 fighting against Norwegians on Strangford Lough in Ireland. In Jorvik, two new kings filled the power vacuum he had left, either immediately after his death or in 883.

Brothers and sons

Other Halfdan's brothers were allegedly Sigurd Orm-i-auga Ragnarsson , Björn Járnsiða Ragnarsson , Rathbarth Ragnarsson, Dunyat Ragnarsson, Agnar Ragnarsson, Regnald Ragnarsson, Eirik Vindhatt Ragnarsson and Fridleiv Ragnarsson. However, only Ubba, Ivar and Halfdan are mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle , the existence of which is so reasonably certain.

reception

Bernard Cornwell has processed the story of the Ragnar sons Halfdan, Ubba and Ivar and the Danish attempt to subjugate England in his book series The Saxon Stories . The television series The Last Kingdom is based on the novels by Cornwell.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Reinhard Barth: Taschenlexikon Wikinger (= Piper. 3420). Piper, Munich et al. 2002, ISBN 3-492-23420-8 , p. 87.

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literature

  • Joseph Stevenson (translator): The Historical Works of Simeon of Durham (= The Church Historians of England. Vol. 3, Part 2). Seeleys, London 1855, ( digitized version ).

Web links

Wikisource: Adams von Bremen Hamburg Church History, translated by Dr. JCM Laurent (1893)  - Sources and full texts
predecessor Office successor
- King of Jórvík
875–877 		Interregnum or Guthfrith I.
personal data
SURNAME Halfdan Ragnarsson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Halfdene Ragnarsson; Healfden Ragnarsson; Halvdan Kvitserk
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Conqueror of Northumbria
DATE OF BIRTH 8th century or 9th century
DATE OF DEATH 877
Place of death Ireland