Ragnall ua Ímair
Encyclopedia
Ragnall (died 920 or 921) was a Norse
overlord or emperor of northern Britain
, including Northumbria
, the entire Irish Sea
region including the Isle of Man
, south to Waterford
and briefly much of the Irish province of Munster
, and then returning to Britain, briefly York
as distinct from Northumbria at this time. According to the majority of modern scholars, at his height he was the most powerful Norse ruler the Anglo-Celtic
Isles had yet seen. Ragnall was one of the grandsons of Ímar, the dynasty known as the Uí Ímair
or House of Ivar, along with his contemporary kinsmen Sihtric Cáech and Gofraid
. Although once questioned, the identity between the Ragnall of the Irish Sea and Ragnald of northern Britain is no longer in doubt. He may or may not have ruled territory in western and northern Scotland including the Hebrides
and Northern Isles
, but contemporary sources are silent on this matter.
in 873. Whether this Ímar is to be identified with the leader of the Great Heathen Army
, or with Ivarr the Boneless, is less certain. In the period between the death of Ímar and the expulsion of the Northmen and Norse-Gaels from Dublin in 902, it is not certain that any descendants of Ímar played a notable part in the politics of the region. Members of the kindred appear to have led armies against the Picts
following their expulsion, but these were killed and the armies destroyed in 904 by Constantín son of Áed, the king of Alba.
or Irish Sea
coasts of Britain where the historical record sheds almost no light on events, the area in question extending from the Isle of Man
through the Hebrides
to the Northern Isles
, as well as the coasts opposite. They reappear again in 914 when Ragnall and his kinsman Sihtric Cáech are recorded leading fleets in the Irish Sea. Ragnall defeated the fleet of a certain Barid son of Ottar off the Isle of Man that year. Some historians place the first Battle of Corbridge
in this year, following the account in the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto
, which can be read as implying two battles, and propose that Ragnall became king of Northumbria in 914 or before.
for a period and raiding Munster
from it along with his friend or deputy Ottir Iarla
. Ragnall was later opposed by the High King of Ireland
Niall Glúndub
for twenty days but this confrontation or stand-off ended without engagement. The army of Leinster
which Niall summoned to join him was defeated by Sihtric. By the end of 917, Sihtric re-entered or re-founded Dublin.
and the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
record only one Battle of Corbridge
, and that in 918. The Annals of Ulster record Ragnall, with his kinsman Gofraid and two earls, Ottir Iarla and Gragabai, leaving from Waterford to fight against Constantín son of Áed, the king of Alba. Constantín, according to northern Anglo-Saxon
sources, was assisting Ealdred son of Eadwulf
, ruler of all or part of Northumbria
. The battle was indecisive, but this appears to have been enough to allow Ragnall to establish himself as king at York
.
, Hrotheweard
, rather than with Ragnall. The southern Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Elder
, made some manner of agreement with Ragnall and the other northern kings in about 920, the exact nature of which is unclear. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
states that they "chose Edward as father and lord", and perhaps this indicates that Ragnall acknowledged Edward's overlordship, although many scholars have contested this as unlikely.
Ragnall died in 921, "king of the fair foreigners and the dark foreigners
" according to the Annals of Ulster. It may be that he was already dying in 920 when the Irish annals note the departure of Sihtric from Dublin, replaced there by the third grandson of Ímar, Gofraid. Sihtric succeeded Ragnall as king of the Northumbrians at York.
has recently been suggested by Alex Woolf
.
, the dynamic king of Waterford and briefly king of Dublin, was probably Ragnall's grandson.
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
overlord or emperor of northern Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, including Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
, the entire Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
region including the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, south to Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
and briefly much of the Irish province of Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
, and then returning to Britain, briefly York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
as distinct from Northumbria at this time. According to the majority of modern scholars, at his height he was the most powerful Norse ruler the Anglo-Celtic
Anglo-Celtic
Anglo-Celtic is a term used to describe people of British and Irish descent. The term today is mainly used outside of Britain and Ireland, particularly in Australia but also in Canada, New Zealand and the United States, where a significant diaspora is located....
Isles had yet seen. Ragnall was one of the grandsons of Ímar, the dynasty known as the Uí Ímair
Uí Ímair
The Uí Ímair , or Dynasty of Ivar, were an enormous royal and imperial Norse dynasty who ruled Northern England, the Irish Sea region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest...
or House of Ivar, along with his contemporary kinsmen Sihtric Cáech and Gofraid
Gofraid ua Ímair
Gofraid was a Norse-Gael king of Dublin and, for a short time, king of Northumbria...
. Although once questioned, the identity between the Ragnall of the Irish Sea and Ragnald of northern Britain is no longer in doubt. He may or may not have ruled territory in western and northern Scotland including the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
and Northern Isles
Northern Isles
The Northern Isles is a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney...
, but contemporary sources are silent on this matter.
Background
The Ímar from whom the Uí Ímair were descended is generally presumed to be that Ímar, "king of the Northmen of all Britain and Ireland", whose death is reported by the Annals of UlsterAnnals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
in 873. Whether this Ímar is to be identified with the leader of the Great Heathen Army
Great Heathen Army
The Great Heathen Army, also known as the Great Army or the Great Danish Army, was a Viking army originating in Denmark which pillaged and conquered much of England in the late 9th century...
, or with Ivarr the Boneless, is less certain. In the period between the death of Ímar and the expulsion of the Northmen and Norse-Gaels from Dublin in 902, it is not certain that any descendants of Ímar played a notable part in the politics of the region. Members of the kindred appear to have led armies against the Picts
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
following their expulsion, but these were killed and the armies destroyed in 904 by Constantín son of Áed, the king of Alba.
Reappearance
In the following decade it is supposed that the grandsons of Ímar may have been in some part of the AtlanticAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
or Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
coasts of Britain where the historical record sheds almost no light on events, the area in question extending from the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
through the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
to the Northern Isles
Northern Isles
The Northern Isles is a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main island groups: Shetland and Orkney...
, as well as the coasts opposite. They reappear again in 914 when Ragnall and his kinsman Sihtric Cáech are recorded leading fleets in the Irish Sea. Ragnall defeated the fleet of a certain Barid son of Ottar off the Isle of Man that year. Some historians place the first Battle of Corbridge
Battle of Corbridge
The Battle of Corbridge took place at Corbridge in 918. it was important in deciding the fate of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria and the English earldom of Bamburgh...
in this year, following the account in the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto
Historia de Sancto Cuthberto
The Historia de Sancto Cuthberto is a historical compilation finished some time after 1031. It is an account of the history of the bishopric of St Cuthbert—based successively at Lindisfarne, Norham, Chester-le-Street and finally Durham—from the life of St Cuthbert himself onwards. The latest event...
, which can be read as implying two battles, and propose that Ragnall became king of Northumbria in 914 or before.
Waterford and Munster
Ragnall and Sihtric were active in Ireland in 917, leading separate fleets, Ragnall occupying WaterfordWaterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
for a period and raiding Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
from it along with his friend or deputy Ottir Iarla
Ottir Iarla
Ottir Iarla or Jarl Óttar , also Ottir Dub or Óttar the Black, and in English sources Oter comes or Count Óttar, was a jarl who occupied a prominent position among the Norse of Britain and Ireland in the early 10th century. He is believed to be the founder of the settlement, Loch dá Caech in the...
. Ragnall was later opposed by the High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
Niall Glúndub
Niall Glúndub
Niall Glúndub mac Áedo was a 10th century Irish king of the Cenél nEógain and High King of Ireland. While many Irish kin groups were members of the Uí Néill, tracing their descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages , the O'Neill dynasty took their name from Niall Glúndub rather than the earlier Niall...
for twenty days but this confrontation or stand-off ended without engagement. The army of Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
which Niall summoned to join him was defeated by Sihtric. By the end of 917, Sihtric re-entered or re-founded Dublin.
Corbridge
The Irish annalsIrish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
and the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, or Scottish Chronicle, is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth MacAlpin until the reign of Kenneth II . W.F...
record only one Battle of Corbridge
Battle of Corbridge
The Battle of Corbridge took place at Corbridge in 918. it was important in deciding the fate of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria and the English earldom of Bamburgh...
, and that in 918. The Annals of Ulster record Ragnall, with his kinsman Gofraid and two earls, Ottir Iarla and Gragabai, leaving from Waterford to fight against Constantín son of Áed, the king of Alba. Constantín, according to northern Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
sources, was assisting Ealdred son of Eadwulf
Ealdred I of Bernicia
Ealdred was the son of Eadwulf. He was a ruler or nobleman in Northumbria in the early tenth century.Ealdred's father, called "king of the Saxons of the North" by the Annals of Ulster, but only reeve of Bamburgh by the chronicler Æthelweard, died in 913. He may have been ruler of Northumbria...
, ruler of all or part of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
. The battle was indecisive, but this appears to have been enough to allow Ragnall to establish himself as king at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
.
York
Ragnall had three separate issues of coins produced while he ruled York, showing that the machinery of government in Northumbria continued to function after a fashion. It is possible that the day-to-day working of mints and collection of taxes rested with the Archbishop of YorkArchbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, Hrotheweard
Hrotheweard
Hrotheweard was Archbishop of York starting sometime between 904 and 928 and ending with his death in 931.-External links:*...
, rather than with Ragnall. The southern Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
, made some manner of agreement with Ragnall and the other northern kings in about 920, the exact nature of which is unclear. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
states that they "chose Edward as father and lord", and perhaps this indicates that Ragnall acknowledged Edward's overlordship, although many scholars have contested this as unlikely.
Ragnall died in 921, "king of the fair foreigners and the dark foreigners
Dubgaill and Finngaill
Dubgaill and Finngaill, or Dubgenti and Finngenti, are Middle Irish terms used to denote different rival groups of Vikings in Ireland and Britain. Literally, Dub-/Finngaill is translated as "dark and fair foreigners" or "black and white foreigners", and similarly, Dub-/Finngenti as "dark/black" and...
" according to the Annals of Ulster. It may be that he was already dying in 920 when the Irish annals note the departure of Sihtric from Dublin, replaced there by the third grandson of Ímar, Gofraid. Sihtric succeeded Ragnall as king of the Northumbrians at York.
Rognvald of More
The possibility that Ragnall represents the historical prototype of Rognvald Eysteinsson of the Orkneyinga SagaOrkneyinga saga
The Orkneyinga saga is a historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands, from their capture by the Norwegian king in the ninth century onwards until about 1200...
has recently been suggested by Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf is a medieval historian based at the University of St Andrews. He specialises in the history of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the Early Middle Ages, especially in relation to the peoples of Wales and Scotland. He is author of volume two in the New Edinburgh History of Scotland,...
.
Descendants
Ivar of WaterfordIvar of Waterford
Ivar of Waterford was the Norse king of Waterford from at least 969 until his death in the year 1000, and also reigned as King of Dublin, possibly from 989 to 993, and certainly again for less than a year between 994 and 995, returning after his expulsion from the city in 993 by Sigtrygg...
, the dynamic king of Waterford and briefly king of Dublin, was probably Ragnall's grandson.