King of Haithabu

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Denmark in the Viking Age

The kings of Haithabu is a Danish dynasty that ruled a historical state structure in Scandinavia from the end of the 8th to the end of the 9th century, i.e. for about 100 years, with the center of Haithabu , which was the forerunner of the later united Kingdom of Denmark is seen. However, one can only speak of a kingdom of Haithabu to a very limited extent, as the territorial possessions of these kings were very variable and often scattered over different parts of Scandinavia and therefore typical national features such as a clearly defined national territory and a clearly delineated national people are missing.

The beginnings of the dynasty can be traced back to the second half of the 9th century with a king named Sigfred, also called Sigfried or Sigurd, who ruled from around 777 to 798 and is considered the first king of Haithabu. In total, there are 16 kings in the approximately hundred-year history of the dynasty, but due to ongoing internal rivalries and external conflicts with Scandinavian or Frankish rulers, they usually only had a short reign. Probably the most important representative of the house was Godfrid Halfdanson, who ruled as the 6th King of Haithabu from 807 to 810 and made the city the center of his empire, which included not only Jutland , but also large parts of Scandinavia such as Westerfold, Värmland , Hedmark and Vestmar.

The basis of the rule of the kings of Haithabu was the economic and strategic importance of the city of Haithabu, which, thanks to its convenient location on the isthmus between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the south of the Jutland peninsula, has become the main regional hub for trade between Scandinavia , Western Europe , the North Sea region and the Baltic States and thus developed into an economic and power-political factor. This bloom did not last long, however, as Haithabu was destroyed in the middle of the 11th century, abandoned by the population and then forgotten for centuries. It was not until the 20th century that excavations took place that allowed a glimpse into everyday life at the time of the kings of Haithabu.

Haithabu as the basis of rule

Map showing the location of the Schlei, the Trene and the Eider

The eponymous center of this state entity was the Viking settlement and later city of Haithabu ( Old Norse Heiðabýr from heðr 'Heide', and býr 'Hof'; (about "Heidehof") Danish / Swedish : Hedeby , Latin : Heidiba ), which until this cession Area of ​​Germany in the 19th century was considered the oldest city in Denmark.

Haithabu is mentioned for the first time in 804 in the Vita Caroli Magni (Life of Charlemagne) by Einhard , the director of Charlemagne's court school . The settlement, which had been established decades before that time by independent Swedish Vikings as a trading post, was later subjugated by Danish princes.

Already at the beginning of the 9th century the settlement gained supraregional importance because, as the Reichsannalen , the Annales regni Francorum report, the sixth king of Haithabu, Godfrid Halfdanson (807-810), in 808 a competing Slavic trading center called Reric , the was probably located near Wismar , destroyed and caused the merchants to move from there to Haithabu. He is also credited with strengthening the Danewerk ( Danish : Danevirke), the defenses that were started in 737. which stretched as an earth wall in the south of Jutland from east to west across the peninsula. The inclusion of the walls of Haithabu in the Danewerk is ascribed to him.

The strategic location between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the south of the Jutland peninsula was decisive for the rise of Haithabu . The place was at the end of the Schlei , which is a navigable waterway for ships from the Baltic Sea. From there, the goods only had to be transported around 15 km overland to the Treene River , from where they could be brought by ship over the Eider to the North Sea. This made it possible to avoid the laborious and dangerous bypass of the Jutland peninsula due to the Skagerrak . In addition, an ancient north-south trade route, the so-called Ochsenweg , ran close by and that the Eider , which flows a few kilometers south of Haithabu, has marked the border with the Franconian Empire since 811 , which brought significant trade advantages.

With the active support of the ruling dynasty, Haithabu therefore developed into the main trading center for trade between Scandinavia , Western Europe , the North Sea region and the Baltic States from the second half of the 9th century , with trade relations occasionally extending as far as Constantinople and Baghdad . As a result, the settlement grew, so that Haithabu became the second largest city in Scandinavia in the early Middle Ages after Uppåkra (in southern Sweden's Skåne ) and thus the oldest Danish city.

A royal mint may have existed in Haithabu early on, where the silver coins of Charlemagne produced in Dorestad were copied. and where coins were still being made at the time of King Canute of Denmark .

As early as 850, probably by Archbishop Ansgar of Hamburg , the first Christian church was built in Haithabu, the existence of which is documented in written sources, but has not yet been proven archaeologically. After all, a church bell from the early 10th century was found during excavations .

Haithabu site plan-MJ

The dynasty

The kings of Haithabu

Both in Zealand and in Jutland there were a number of rival small kingdoms in the early Middle Ages, which remained in Jutland until the time of King Gorm the Elder (* before 900, † around 958). The House of the Kings of Haithabu developed from one of these dynasties.

Sigfred I, also known as Sigefrid or Sigurd (* around 750, † 798), who ruled from around 777 to 798, is considered the first historically tangible king of Haithabu and ancestor of the dynasty. However, there are conflicting theories about its origin.

One thesis follows the tradition of the Icelandic sagas , according to which Sigfred was of Swedish origin, since he is identified there with Sigurd Ring Randversson (* around 770-812) from the Skjoldung family , who was identified by his uncle Harald Hildenand (Harald Kriegszahn), King in Sweden and Denmark, was appointed sub-king in Uppland (in Sweden), but defeated his aging uncle around 740/50 in the battle of Bråvalla (in Östergötland ) and thereby rose to king in Västergötland Svealand and Denmark. He was the father of King Ragnar Lodbrok , who, according to tradition, ruled Denmark from 812 to 845.

The other thesis is based on documentary evidence that Sigfred I was not of Swedish, but of Danish origin and probably a descendant of King Angantyr (Ongendus). This is considered the first Danish king to be mentioned in contemporary sources, as he appears in the biography of St. Willibrord, Bishop of Utrecht (695-739), who tried to proselytize him around the year 710 - in vain. The construction of the first Danube, which began around the year 737, is attributed to this king.

A high point in the power development of the kings of Haithabu was the reign of King Godfrid Halfdanson , who made Haithabu the center of his empire at the beginning of the 9th century and, in addition to large parts of Jutland, also as king in Westerfold, in Hedeland, in Värmland (province in the southwest of Sweden), in Hedemarken (district in today's province (Fylke) Hedmark in the southwest of Norway ) and in Vestmar ( Grenland , district in the Norwegian province of Telemark ). According to other sources, his empire extended from Schleswig via Funen , Zealand and the other islands to Skåne. He is considered to be Denmark's first unifier.

Also important was Harald Klak Halfdansson (* around 800, baptized 826 in Mainz, † falls near Walcheren in 844), 10th King of Haithabu (812–814), King in Jutland (813–819, 827–839, 840–844) , King of Friesland (832–844), Lord of Rüstringen (a Frisian Gau in the Middle Ages ) (819–827) - as a fief of Emperor Ludwig the Pious - co-regent in the Land of Stormarn and in the Land of the Abotrites .

Through his daughter Reinhilde / Reginlind Godfridsdotter, who married Thiadrich from the Immedinger family, Godfrid Haraldson contributed to the fact that this dynasty continued to live through the female line, which not only included practically all European ruling dynasties, but also a large number of people today Booth counts.

The importance of the rulers of Haithabu can be seen in the fact that they had alternating - sometimes peaceful, even family, but often warlike - relationships with their southern, first Saxon, then Frankish neighbors, and also because the city was an early destination for foreign travelers. For example, the city was visited by the presumably Anglo-Saxon traveler Wulfstan von Haithabu and mentioned in his travelogue, who - together with the report of another traveler, Ottar von Halogaland - survived by chance, as both belonged to that of Alfred the Great , King of England (871-899), arranged translation of the Historiae adversum Paganos by the late antique historian Paulus Orosius († around 480), had been inserted. According to this, Wulfstan undertook a sea voyage through the Danish straits to “Haedum” (Haithabu) and further along the southern Baltic coast to the trading post Truso around the year 880 and mentioned the name “Denmark” for the first time in his description next to Haithabu.

Despite the mostly premature death of the family members due to constant wars and repeated assassinations, the dynasty, from which 16 rulers emerged in a hundred years, lasted until the end of the 9th century and died out in the male line with Knut Rurikson, who was the 16th king of Haithabu and King of Northumberland died in 894.

Family table of the kings of Haithabu

This is primarily based on the representation in the European family tables as well as on Charles Cawley's Medieval Lands .

Angantyr (Ongendus) was a legendary Danish king who is said to have reigned around 710/737 and was described in the report of the Holy Missionary Willibrord unflatteringly as "more savage than any animal and harder than stone". He is considered to be the presumed progenitor of the kings of Haithabu. Angantyr appears neither in the family tree of the kings of Haithabu in the European family tables nor in connection with Charles Cawley.

(One or more intergenerational)

  1. Sigfred / Sigurd is considered the 1st King of Haithabu (* around 750, † 798). The Annales Fuldenses report that “Sigifridi regis Danorum” (Sigfried King of the Danes) sent “Halfdan” with others as envoy to Charlemagne to a meeting at “Lippia”. In the Reichsannalen Annales regni Francorum for the year 777 it is mentioned that Widukind was the only Saxon great who did not appear at the Reichstag in Paderborn at Charlemagne's, but stayed with the Danish King Sigfred, who granted him refuge in 783 (and to his Brother-in-law).
    1. Onund Sigfredson (* around 790)
  2. Harald (* around 750, † fallen in the Irish Sea 804), 2nd King of Haithabu (798–804) ⚭ Imhild von Engern, a daughter of Count Warnechin von Engern and Kunhilde von Rügen .
    1. Halfdan Haraldson (* 775/80, † fallen at Walcheren 810), 3rd King of Haithabu (804), became a vassal of Emperor Charlemagne in 807.
      1. Hemming Halfdanson (* around 795, † died while defending against an attack by Vikings near Walcheren in 837), was captured by the Franks , was liberated in 812 and received the fortress of Walcheren in Friesland from the Franks.
      2. Anulo (Ali) Halfdanson (* before 800, † killed in the Battle of Haithabu in 812), 9th King of Haithabu.
        1. Rörik Alison (* around 800, baptized in Mainz 826, † 882) King of Dorestad and Sylt , was recognized as a Franconian duke in 850.
      3. Harald Klak Halfdansson (* around 800, baptized 826 in Mainz, † fallen near Walcheren 844), 10th King of Haithabu (812–814), King of Friesland (832–844), of Rüstringen (a Frisian Gau in the Middle Ages) ( 819–827), king in Jutland (813–819, 827–839, 840–844) co-regent in the land of Stormarn and in the land of the Abotrites.
        1. Godfrid Haraldson (cl. 857, † murdered 885/886) 5th King of Haithabu (862-880 / 85), 853 King of Dorestad 853, 844-885 King of Rüstringen, was 826 with his parents and 400 members of the entourage in Mainz baptized, the later Emperor Lothar I being his godfather. ⚭ 882 Gisela of Lorraine, from the house of the Carolingians (* around 865, † after 908), an illegitimate daughter of Lothar II, King of Lotharingia (855–869).
          1. Reinhilde / Reginlind Godfridsdatter von Haithabu († 917), ⚭ before 900 Dietrich II. Count in Hamaland, Saxony (von Ringelheim) from the Immedinger family († February 8, 917)? (Descendants: see below in the section Afterlife of the Dynasty).
        2. Rolf Haraldson (* around 820, † 870).
        3. Guthorm Haraldson (* 820/23, † fallen 854).
        4. Gisela Haraldsdatter (* around 830, † after 854) ⚭ Erik (co-) King of Haithabu († after 991) (without descendants).
      4. Rurik (Horik) Halfdanson (* around 800, baptized 826, † falls at Walcheren 844) succeeds Harald Klak as 11th King of Haithabu (812–814); King of Friesland (832–844).
        1. Knut Rurikson (* around 820, † 894), 16th - and last - King of Haithabu (885–891) 894 King of Northumberland .
      5. Ragnfrid Halfdanson († fallen 814 before Haithabu), 12th King of Haithabu (812–814).
    2. Harald Haraldson (* 775/780, † 804 murdered in Haithabu), 4th King of Haithabu (804).
    3. Holger Haraldson "Danske" (* 780, † 807).
  1. Halfdan Mildi (* around 750, † 802, buried in Borre), King of Westfold zu Holte ⚭ Lif, heir to King Dag of Westmare.
    1. Sigurd Halfdanson († falls at Bardowick 810), 5th King of Haithabu (804-810).
      1. Ragnvald Sigurdson von Haithabu († died 808 in the fight against the Abotrites).
      2. Hemming Sigurdson († 812), 7th King of Haithabu (810-812), concluded a peace treaty with Emperor Charlemagne in 811, which determined the Eider as the border between the two empires and drove his cousin Horik I. / Erik I. , but died in 812.
      3. Sigurd (Sigfrid) Sigurdson 8th King of Haithabu († died in the summer of 812 near Haithabu).
      4. Hakon (Helkwin) Sigurdson von Haithabu († died in the summer of 812 near Haithabu).
      5. Agantyr Sigurdson von Haithabu († died in the summer of 812 near Haithabu), co-signer of the peace treaty of 811.
    2. Godfrid Halfdanson , also called Godefrid, (Danish Gudrød), 6th King of Haithabu (807-810), King of Westerfold, Hedeland Värmland, Westmare and Hedemarken, († murdered 810). He fought against Charlemagne, is due to his extensive territorial holdings as the first unifier of Denmark and also as a renewer of the Danewerk.
      1. Olav Godfridson (* around 780, † 827), King of Westfold (810–827).
        1. Ragnvald Olavson, King of Westfold.
      2. Erik I. Godfridson (* 780/85, † 854), 13th King of Haithabu (813–854). He and his cousin King Harald Klak fought for rule in southern Jutland and with the Carolingian rulers for suzerainty over the Frisians, the northern Albingians and the Abodrites.
        1. Erik (II.) Erikson (* around 800, † after 870), 14th King of Haithabu (854 - 862).
          1. Erik (III.) Erikson (* around 830, † after 891), (co-) king of Haithabu, ⚭ Gisela von Haithabu (* around 830, † after 854), a daughter of Harald Klak, 10th King of Haithabu
        2. Sigurd Erikson, 15th (co-) king of Haithabu (855–862), († fallen 862)
        3. Ragnhild Erikssdatter "The Rich" of Haithabu, ⚭ around 894 Harald Fairhair , King of Norway .
      3. Godefrid Godfridson (* around 785, † fallen before Haithabu 814).
      4. Rolf Godfridson (* around 790, † died in Friesland 836).
      5. Ragnar Godfridson (* around 790, † died in Friesland 836).
  1. Geva von Haithabu (* around 755 in Jutland, † 807), ⚭ around 775 Widukind († January 7, 810) Duke of the Saxons (777/778).

Afterlife

Afterlife of the dynasty

Due to the death of King Canute Rorikson, the dynasty of the kings of Haithabu died out in the male line in 894. In the female line, the house became extinct with the death of Reinhilde / Reginlind Godfridsdatter von Haithabu in 917. However, this did not mean the biological end of the dynasty, as their descendants spread through marrying out daughters in almost all European ruling houses. Because of the limited documentation, not all daughters of the house have survived, but descendants of three are known.

  • Geva von Haithabu (* around 755 in Jutland, † 807), the sister of Sigfred / Sigurd, the 1st King of Haithabu ⚭ around 775 Widukind († 7 January 810), Duke of Westphalia (Saxony) (777/778) , the progenitor of the Saxon noble family of Immedingen . From this house, Dietrich II., Count in the Saxon Hamaland (von Ringelheim) (cl. 900, † after 929) married Reinhilde von Haithabu (+ 917), whereby his descendants are twice descended from the kings of Haithabu.
  1. Erik Blutaxt Haraldson (* 895, † (murdered) 954), King of Norway 930–935, Jarl (King) of Northumbria 947–948 and 952–954, ⚭ Gunnhild Gormsdottir of Denmark († after 970), a daughter of King Gorm the old man of Denmark. King Erik had eight unmarried sons, including
    1. Harald II. Eriksson , called "Graufell" († falls 970), King of Norway 960–970, and a daughter,
    2. Ragnhild Eriksdatter of Norway who was married to three brothers who ruled as Jarle of Orkney . However, none of Erik's children left any known offspring.
  • Ragnhild / Reinhilde Godfridsdatter von Haithabu († 917), ⚭ before 900 Dietrich II., Count in the Saxon Hamaland (von Ringelheim) from the Immedinger family . This was himself a descendant of Geva von Haithabu and the Saxon Duke Widukind. The couple left behind seven children, the eldest daughter Mathilde the saint (* around 895 in Enger ; † 14 March 968 in Quedlinburg ) from her marriage to Heinrich I the Vogler in 909 (* around 876, † 2 July 936), King of Eastern Franconia (919-936), left an important descendant (including the emperors Otto the Great , Otto II and Otto III , the Salians , the Austrian Babenbergs and the Hohenstaufen as well as the Capetians and the Piasts ) Spread to almost all European dynasties, whereby the genealogical legacy of the kings of Haithabu lives on to this day.

Afterlife of Haithabu

The departure of the dynasty of the kings of Haithabu and with it the disappearance of the state structure they created had no adverse effect on the development of the city, which in the tenth century reached the height of its importance as a trading center. This positive development naturally aroused the covetousness of neighboring powers, making Haithabu a coveted object of controversy between Scandinavian and Franconian rulers, who took turns in possession of the center of the former kingdom.

Swedish Vikings first took power in Haithabu around the year 900 . Later there were clashes between Danish rulers and rulers of the Holy Roman Empire . Heinrich I der Vogler, king in Eastern Franconia, who was connected to the dynasty of the kings of Haithabu through his wife Mathilde von Ringelheim, defeated the Danes under King Knut I in 934 according to the Saxon history Rerum gestarum Saxonicarum libri tres des Widukind von Corvey . in the "Battle of Haithabu" and forced King Canute to be baptized. Thus the area between the Eider and the Schlei initially fell to the East Franconian Empire . In 945, however, the Danish King Gorm "the old" succeeded in recapturing the important trading center for the Danish side.

The travelogue of Ibrâhîm ibn Ya`qûb al-Tartushi , who was commissioned by Caliph Abd ar-Rahman III , allows a look at the Haithabu of the 10th century, which may have differed little from the Haithabu of the royal era . from Córdoba around 961/62, traveled through large parts of Europe and visited Haithabu, among others. Excerpts of the report are available in the work of Abu Abdullah al-Bakri († 1094), Book of Kingdoms and Ways . He describes Haithabu as a large settlement at the other end of the ocean. There are not many goods and riches in the city, but there are wells with fresh water. A few Christians had their own church, but otherwise the residents worshiped Sirius - who for the Moors was a synonym for paganism - to whom eating and drinking feasts were held in honor. When a man slaughtered a sacrificial animal, he would hang it on a stake in front of his house so that passers-by could see his victim. Al-Tartusi was astonished by the local customs - for example that newborns were abandoned in the sea in order to get rid of the trouble of raising them, or that women claim the right to divorce their husbands according to their will . Both women and men would put make-up on their eyes to be beautiful. The aesthetic Moor found it particularly difficult to articulate the northern people. He wrote: "The horrific singing of these people is indescribable - it is worse than the barking of dogs."

The struggle for control of the important trading center Haithabu has meanwhile continued unabated: The son of King Gorm, King Harald Blue Tooth of Denmark and Norway († before 988), lost Haithabu to King Otto II in 974, but was able to manage the city in To bring the year 983 back under his control.

A few decades later, Harald Hardrada , King of Norway (1047-1066), wanted to take possession of the important trading center in the absence of the rightful owner, Sweyn II. Estridsson , King of Denmark (1047-1074) a battle between the two armies occurred at Haithabu. Although Haithabu was protected by a nine meter high wall with palisades, the largest Viking city in the north came to an end in destruction and fire. After a partial reconstruction, Haithabu was plundered, sacked and finally destroyed in 1066 by Western Slavs , who at that time lived in the areas east of the Kiel Fjord . The remaining population did not rebuild the settlement, but moved to the other bank of the Schlei to Schleswig , which later took on the role of Haithabus as a regional trading center. It is noteworthy that the end of Haithabu occurred in the same year as the Battle of Stamford Bridge and therefore coincides with the end of the Viking Age .

WMH longship 02-06-2013 that sank 1050 in the battle of Haithabu

The city's grounds then remained deserted and forgotten for nine centuries. Politically it followed the fate of Schleswig-Holstein, which was placed under an Austro-Prussian condominium in 1864 and annexed by Prussia in 1866. Today it lies in the Federal Republic of Germany and is part of the municipality of Busdorf bei Schleswig in the Schleswig-Flensburg district .

The first archaeological excavations took place from 1900 on the site of the disappeared city, on the grave fields and on the former fortifications , which were intensified after 1953 by the State Museum for Prehistory and Early History in Schleswig, including the harbor basin and the Viking ship Haithabu 1 , which was destroyed in the battle of 1050, at around 30 meters it was one of the longest Viking ships in the world and was built of wood that was defeated around the year 985.

Due to the remarkable results of the excavations, which among other things made it possible to reconstruct houses from the time of the kings of Haithabu, the remains of Haithabu - together with the Danewerk - are considered the most important archaeological ground monument in Schleswig-Holstein.This led to the creation of the Viking Museum in 1985 Haithabu , which was created near the historical settlement in Busdorf near Schleswig .

File Haithabu Wikinger Museum 3 28-03-2010

swell

  • Widukind von Corvey , Saxony history (Rerum gestarum Saxonicarum libri tres)
  • Annales Fuldenses in: Sources for the Carolingian Empire history . Part 3: Yearbooks of Fulda , Regino: Chronicle, Notker: Acts of Karl . Arranged by Reinhold Rau. 4th edition, expanded by a supplement compared to the 3rd. Darmstadt 2002, pp. 19–177 (Latin text and German translation).
  • Annales regni Francorum ( Annales Laurissenses maiores et Einhardi )
  • Annals of St. Bertin ( Annales Bertiniani ) in the repertory " Historical Sources of the German Middle Ages " '
  • Alcuin's Life of St. Willibrord Translation by CH Talbot in The Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany (London and New York, 1954), sections 9-10. (English) Alcuin's Life of St. Willibrord

literature

  • Volker Helten: Between Cooperation and Confrontation: Denmark and the Franconian Empire in the 9th Century. Cologne 2011.
  • Gwyn Jones: A History of the Vikings. Second Edition, Oxford University Press 1990, ISBN 0-19-215166-5 .
  • Arnulf Krause: The world of the Vikings. Nilol Verlag, Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-86820-183-3 .
  • Walter Markov , Alfred Anderle, Ernst Werner , Herbert Wurche: Small Encyclopedia World History, Volume 1, Page 236. Leipzig 1979.
  • Rudolf Pörtner: The Viking Saga. Econ Verlag, Düsseldorf, Vienna 1990, ISBN 3-430-17517-8 .
  • Sven Hakon Rossel: A History of Danisch Literature , 1992
  • Detlev Schwennicke : European family tables , new series. Volume I, Verlag JA Stargardt, Marburg, 1980
  • Detlev Schwennicke : European family tables , new series. Volume II, Verlag JA Stargardt, Marburg, 1984
  • Archaeological State Museum of the Christian-Albrechts-Universität Schleswig (Hrsg.): Reports on the excavations in Haithabu. 34 vol. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1963ff. ISSN  0525-5791
  • Klaus Brandt, Michael Müller-Wille, Christian Radke (eds.): Haithabu and the early urban development in northern Europe. Wachholtz, Neumünster 2002, ISBN 3-529-01812-0 , ( Writings of the Archaeological State Museum 8)

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ This “Danish” thesis is also followed by Wikipedia in English and Danish
  2. ↑ missing in Charles Cawley's Medieval Lands

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Detlev Schwennicke : European Family Tables New Series. Volume II, The States Outside Germany . Panel 104; Verlag JA Stargardt, Marburg, 1984
  2. ↑ Oswald Holder-Egger (Ed.): Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi 25: Einhardi Vita Karoli Magni. Hanover 1911 (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, digitized version)
  3. ^ Gwyn Jones: A History of the Vikings. Second Edition, page 99; Oxford University Press; 1990, ISBN 0-19-215166-5 .
  4. ↑ Annales Regni Francorum , p. 126 on the year 808
  5. ^ Sven Hakon Rossel: A History of Danisch Literature , 1992
  6. ^ Gwyn Jones: A History of the Vikings. Second Edition, p. 5; Oxford University Press 1990, ISBN 0-19-215166-5
  7. ^ Gwyn Jones: A History of the Vikings. Second Edition, p. 6; Oxford University Press 1990, ISBN 0-19-215166-5 .
  8. ^ Gwyn Jones: A History of the Vikings. Second Edition, page 51; Oxford University Press 1990, ISBN 0-19-215166-5
  9. ^ A b Charles Cawley: Medieval Lands
  10. ↑ Hervarar saga: Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks konungs
  11. ↑ Alcuin (cl. 735-804): Description of the life of Saint Willibrord in Alcuin's Life of St. Willibrord , translated in CH Talbot: The Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany. (London and New York, 1954), chapter 9
  12. ^ Westermann's Great Atlas of World History
  13. ↑ Anton Englert, Athena Trakadas (ed.): Wulfstan's Voyage. The Baltic Sea region in the early Viking Age as seen from shipboard. Maritime Culture of the North , Volume 2, Roskilde 2009, ISBN 978-87-85180-56-8 .
  14. ↑ Detlev Schwennicke : European Family Tables New Series. Volume II, The States Outside Germany. Panel 104; Verlag JA Stargardt, Marburg, 1984
  15. ↑ European Family Tables , New Series, Volume II. The states outside Germany. Panel 104; Verlag JA Stargardt, Marburg, 1984
  16. ^ Alcuin's Life of St. Willibrord, translation by CH Talbot in "The Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany" (London and New York, 1954), sections 9-10. (English) Alcuin's Life of St. Willibrord
  17. ↑ Annales Fuldenses 782, MGH SS I, p. 349
  18. ↑ Annales Fuldenses 837, MGH SS I, page 361
  19. ↑ Chronicon Roskildense I, page 15
  20. ↑ Annales Fuldenses 808 MGH SS I. page 354
  21. ^ Annales Regni Francorum 811, Monumenta Germaniae Historica
  22. ^ Einhardi Annales 811, MGH SS I. page 198
  23. ^ Charles Cawley: Medieval Lands
  24. ↑ Detlev Schwennicke : European family tables , new series. Volume II, Plate 104; Verlag JA Stargardt, Marburg, 1984
  25. ^ Charles Cawley: Medieval Lands
  26. ↑ a b Widukindus Corbeius: Rerum gestarum Saxonicarum libri tres
  27. ↑ According to the saga about the story of the Ragnar sons ( Þáttr af Ragnars Sonum ) chapter 3 at the end he was a son of Sigurd Schlangenauge and therefore of Swedish origin.
  28. ^ Karl Ploetz: Extract from the story. Page 163. Ploetz, Würzburg 1962.
  29. ↑ Walter Markov , Alfred Anderle, Ernst Werner , Herbert Wurche: Small encyclopedia of world history. Volume 1, page 236. Leipzig 1979.
  30. ^ E. Lévi-Provençal: Art. "Abū ʿUbaid al-Bakrī" in The Encyclopaedia of Islam. New Edition Vol. I, pp. 155b-157b.
  31. ^ Arnulf Krause, Die Welt der Wikinger , page 200, Nilol Verlag Hamburg 2012 ISBN 978-3-86820-183-3
  32. ^ Annales regni Francorum A 811
  33. ^ Annales Bertiniani