Ivarr the Boneless Ragnarsson

Ivar known in Old Norse as Ivarr “Beinlauss” possible meaning, bone-loose or bone-less. (Could it be that he suffered from brittle bone disease or was he simply double jointed or could he have been exceptionally tall and loose limbed). What ever his disability was, if it was indeed a disability, it certainly did not affect his mind. He was already the King of Dublin when he masterminded and led, along with his brothers, Halfdan and Ubbe the great Danish army that arrived in three to four hundred longships to land in East Anglia in 865.

With this great army over wintering in his country King Edmund played it canny and supplied them with horses (maybe he hoped that by doing so, they would move on and he would be rid of them). The ploy seems to work for in the spring of 866 the great army with Ivar at its head rode north. On reaching York he found a civil war in progress, King Osbert and King Aelle were at each other’s throats and the city was largely undefended. In November 866 the Danes captured and immediately set about strengthening the city’s defences.

In March 867 the rivals Osbert and Aelle ceased hostilities, agreed to join forces and attempted to retake York. The attempt failed, Osbert was killed during the battle, Aelle was captured and died horribly by being subjected by Ivar and his brothers to the death of the Blood Eagle. (Laying him down on this face, they cut his ribs from his spine, ripped them apart and pulled his lungs out through his back). This was done in revenge for the death of their father Ragnarr Lothbrok. Aelle had 20 years previously, cast him into a pit full of vipers and denied him the right to die with a sword in his hand.

What was left of the Royal Court of the Angles fled north to the Capital of Bernicia, Bamborough? The Danes renamed York as Jorvik and after settling the puppet king Ecgberht on the throne, Ivar led the army south again, this time into Mercia and captured Nottingham. They were besieged in the city by a joint army belonging to King Bughred of Mercia and King Aethelred of Wessex. A compromise was reached (Most likely the payment of Danegelt) and Ivar and his army returned to Jorvik.

In 869, Halfdan stayed in Jorvik, while Ivar and Ubbe attacked and overcame the army of King Edmund of East anglia, making the kingdom their own. Edmund escaped, but was captured the following year, after being used by the Danish archers for target practice, was sacrificed to Odin and had his head cut off. Edmund’s brother, Edwold fled to Cerne Abbas and became a hermit. The Danes placed Oswald, a puppet king on the throne of East Anglia. The Fens were ravaged and when the people took refuge in Peterborough Abbey the Danes slaughtered them and destroyed the Abbey.

Ivar returned briefly to Jorvik and then set sail for Dublin where he was reunited with Olaf The White, who seems to have been left in charge of Dublin. (Dublin, from Dubh meaning black and Linn, meaning pool, it may have referred to a pool of dark water in a branch of the river Liffey that does not exist today). Olaf had arrived in Dublin in 853 and had already spent many years in southern Pictland taking hostages and collecting tribute. When Ivar and he met up again they launched an attack against the ancient capital of Strathclyde.

Ivar headed northwest from Jorvik, while Olaf sailed up the Clyde at the head of a large fleet and they came together at the capital Dun Breattann, (Fortress of the Britons) Dumbarton Rock. Unable to gain access they besieged the fortress. (Something the Danes did rarely). The stronghold held out for four months until the well on the rock dried up (It is possible that the Danes somehow diverted the water supply). After destroying the fortress the Danes stayed the winter in Strathclyde and returned to Dublin with their booty in the spring. It took 200 ships to carry away the plunder and slaves. (The slaves would have been transported to North Africa and sold to Arab traders).

One of The prisoners was King Artgal of Strathclyde and a ransom demand was sent to his son Rhun. Unfortunately for Artgal, Rhun was ambitious and he approached his wife’s brother King Constantine ruler of Alba, who sent gifts to Dublin with the request that Artgal be killed. Ivar accepted and Rhun became king on the death of his father.

Ivar retired to Dublin and hailed as ‘King of the Northmen of all Ireland and Britain and died peacefully in 873. At his own request his body was brought back to England for burial. It is said that William the Conqueror had the body dug up and destroyed.

But was that really the case, in the ‘Book of Hyde’ written in the 14th century, the Chronicler said that Hingwar (Ivarr?) Drowned 5 years later, while crossing the ford at Hungerford on the way to Edlington.

Copyright Ó Fred Watson October 2007