![]() His name Bloodaxe – could be descriptive of his violent nature for control of Norway. The son of Harald Fairhair, who not only united Norway under one crown but also established a dynasty that would rule Norway until the 14th century CE, was said to have killed his half-brother during his struggle for the throne of Norway. The Vikings had such great names with descriptive monikers, and Erik Bloodaxe (real name Eric Haraldsson) is a great example of this. Photo: Fotokvadrat / Shutterstock Eric Bloodaxe: A pirate or a tyrant? Later sources also credit him with being one of the leaders of the first wave of the Great Heathen Army into England from the mid-860s CE onwards.Įric Haraldsson, a.k.a., "Erik Bloodaxe," was the son of famous Norwegian King Harald Fairhair. Ironside was also said to have founded the Munsö dynasty that would rule over Sweden until 1060 CE. They devastated areas of Southern Spain and France and laid siege as far away as Pisa. A number of later Frankish, Norman, and Arab sources tell of a Viking raid, more than probably led by Ironside, that raided down the Iberian coast and into the warmer climes of Southern Europe. He sailed up the Seine (like father, like son) and laid waste to riverside communities further inland than his father had reached.Īside from laying waste to many Frankish communities, Ironside is best remembered for his raids into the Mediterranean Sea. Ironside then commanded a huge flotilla of longboats and sailed south to the Frankish kingdoms. The Danes had a custom where the sons of a king had to leave the realm in order to prevent any political intrigues or coup attempts. Later French sources, compiled in the 11th century CE, tell of how Ironside had to leave the Danish realm at the request of his father. This was the case for Björn Ironside, one of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok.Īgain, like his father, we have limited historical or contemporary sources to shed some factual light on his life, but he was believed to have lived in the middle of the 9th century CE. When your father was said to be the scourge of the Frankish realms, a famous Viking warrior and hero, it is safe to assume that you will more than likely follow in your father's footsteps. Björn Ironside - raiding Northern and Southern Europe Some scholars have pointed to the fact that Ragnar Lothbrok may well be a compilation of Viking warriors and raiders that terrorized the Frankish kingdoms and the British Isles during their blitzkrieg raids during the 9th century CE. The Viking forces were led by a chieftain called "Ragnar" however, there has been an ongoing debate about whether this Ragnar was Ragnar Lothbrok. In 845 CE, a Viking force sailed up the river Seine and laid siege to, and eventually sacked, Paris. Saxo focuses on Ragnar's constant campaigning in the British Isles. Here, Ragnar is said to have slain the Swedish King Frö, aided by a feisty shield-maiden named Lagertha, who he ends up marrying. The first more historically based mention of Lothbrok, however, comes from Saxo Grammaticus' seminal Gesta Danorum, compiled in the very early 13th century CE. His sons swore vengeance and led the first wave of the "Great Heathen Army" that invaded the British Isles from 866 CE. Wanting to outshine his more illustrious family, he sailed to conquer England with two ships but was defeated by an Anglo-Saxon force and thrown into a snake pit. Sagas, including The Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, Tale of Ragnar's Sons, and the Heimskringla, paint Lothbrok as a warrior who, amongst other things, wore clothes that gave him a magical form of protection, killed a giant snake and married the famous Kraká. What little we know about his actual life is pieced together from sagas written hundreds of years after he was supposed to have lived during the 9th century CE. ![]() The supposed son of a Swedish king (Sigurd Ring) and grandson of a Danish one (Randver), the historicity of Ragnar is still part of a heated debate amongst scholars. Ragnar Lothbrok: Fact or fiction?įrom the late 8th century CE onwards, Viking warriors left their homelands in Scandinavia to wreak havoc on coastal communities throughout Northern Europe.Īccording to many sagas and legends, one of the most fierce early Viking warriors and raiders was Ragnar Lothbrok. Today, we look today at the top 5 most elite Viking warriors. ![]() The Vikings dominated Northern European history for a span of over two centuries, and military tactics and strategies changed dramatically in this time by the societies they raided, traded, and helped settle.
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