Anund Uppsale
Encyclopedia
Anund Uppsale or Anoundus, English exonym: Anwynd of Upsala, (Old Norse
: Önundr Uppsali) ruled Sweden
together with his brother Björn at Haugi
, according to Rimbert
and Hervarar saga
(he and Björn are also mentioned by Adam of Bremen
). He is called Uppsale because he stayed at Old Upsala
, the era's religious centre.
Rimbert
recounts that Anoundus and his brother Björn, succeed king Erik and that Anund was driven away from his country. The reason is unknown.
Sometime in the 840s, Anund returns to Sweden with a large Danish host of 21 longship
s and 11 of his own, because Anund had promised them rich plunder in Birka
, and they arrived when Björn at Hauge was far away. Anund demanded one hundred marks of silver, which was granted. The Danes felt tricked and wanted to make a surprise attack on Birka
in order to burn it and plunder it, but then Anund tried to avert their plans. He asked them to draw lots about whether it was the will of the Aesir that Birka should be destroyed. The outcome was that the destruction of Birka would bring bad luck to the Danes. They then asked where to go for plunder and the answer was to go to a Slavic town. The Danes left Birka but returned with rich booty.
Anund then stayed to seek reconciliation with his people and his son Erik succeeded him on the Swedish throne.
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: Önundr Uppsali) ruled Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
together with his brother Björn at Haugi
Björn at Haugi
Björn at Haugi , Björn på Håga, Björn II or Bern was according to Hervarar saga a Swedish king and the son of Erik Björnsson, and Björn ruled together in diarchy with his brother Anund Uppsale:This account dates king Björn to the first half of the 9th century, as his nephew Eric Anundsson was...
, according to Rimbert
Rimbert
Saint Rimbert was archbishop of Bremen-Hamburg from 865 until his death.A monk in Turholt , he shared a missionary trip to Scandinavia with his friend Ansgar, whom he later succeeded as archbishop in Hamburg-Bremen in 865...
and Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas. It is a valuable saga for several different reasons beside its literary qualities. It contains traditions of wars between Goths and Huns, from the 4th century, and the last part is used as...
(he and Björn are also mentioned by Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
). He is called Uppsale because he stayed at Old Upsala
Gamla Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
, the era's religious centre.
Rimbert
Rimbert
Saint Rimbert was archbishop of Bremen-Hamburg from 865 until his death.A monk in Turholt , he shared a missionary trip to Scandinavia with his friend Ansgar, whom he later succeeded as archbishop in Hamburg-Bremen in 865...
recounts that Anoundus and his brother Björn, succeed king Erik and that Anund was driven away from his country. The reason is unknown.
Sometime in the 840s, Anund returns to Sweden with a large Danish host of 21 longship
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
s and 11 of his own, because Anund had promised them rich plunder in Birka
Birka
During the Viking Age, Birka , on the island of Björkö in Sweden, was an important trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as Central and Eastern Europe and the Orient. Björkö is located in Lake Mälaren, 30 kilometers west of contemporary Stockholm, in the municipality of Ekerö...
, and they arrived when Björn at Hauge was far away. Anund demanded one hundred marks of silver, which was granted. The Danes felt tricked and wanted to make a surprise attack on Birka
Birka
During the Viking Age, Birka , on the island of Björkö in Sweden, was an important trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as Central and Eastern Europe and the Orient. Björkö is located in Lake Mälaren, 30 kilometers west of contemporary Stockholm, in the municipality of Ekerö...
in order to burn it and plunder it, but then Anund tried to avert their plans. He asked them to draw lots about whether it was the will of the Aesir that Birka should be destroyed. The outcome was that the destruction of Birka would bring bad luck to the Danes. They then asked where to go for plunder and the answer was to go to a Slavic town. The Danes left Birka but returned with rich booty.
Anund then stayed to seek reconciliation with his people and his son Erik succeeded him on the Swedish throne.