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Historical Personages from 
Randver Randvér or Randver was according to Sögubrot and the Lay of Hyndla, the son of Radbart the king of Gardariki and Aud the daughter of Ivar Vidfamne. In these two sources Aud had Randver's brother Harald Hildetand in a previous marriage. According to Hervarar saga both Randver and Harald Hildetand and were the sons of Valdar and Alfhild, the daughter of Ivar Vidfamne. This saga relates that Ivar appointed Valdar the king of Denmark, and when Valdar died, he was succeeded by Randver. When his brother Harald, had reclaimed Götaland (or Gotland depending on the manuscript), Randver died hastily in England, and was succeeded by Sigurd Ring as the king of Denmark (probably as Harald's viceroy). He was married to Ingild, the daughter of an unknown Swedish king. He was succeeded by his son Sigurd Ring. Sigurd Ring Sigurd Ring (Old Norse: Sigurðr hringr) (ca 750) was a Swedish king mentioned in sources such as Norna-Gests þáttr, Gesta Danorum, Hervarar saga and Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum. He was the nephew of the Danish king Harald Hildetand who put him on the Swedish throne. He beat his uncle at the colossal Battle of Bråvalla, and became the ruler of Denmark as well. He ruled until he became very old. Then he fell in love with a beautiful girl, Alvsol of Vendsyssel, but was not allowed to marry her. Sigurd attacked Alvsol's brothers, but was mortally wounded during the battle. Alvsol had already died of poison so as not to be taken by Sigurd. Sigurd had the girl and her brothers put on a ship which he steered out to the sea as the ship burnt. He was the father of Ragnar Lodbrok. Ragnar Lodbrok Ragnar Lodbrok ("Hairy-Breeches", Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden and Denmark who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. According to the Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, Ragnar belonged to the Swedish Yngling Dynasty. Both Saxo and Icelandic sources describe him as the son of Sigurd Ring, a king of Sweden who conquered Denmark, but they are divided on whether Ragnar mainly resided in Sweden or in Denmark. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life. Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church. Raids - He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader. France - By 845, he was a powerful ruler and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshone his own achievements. In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire as it was then known. Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by certain followers of the Asatru religion. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s grandson Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out. England - After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle II of Northumbria. Aelle's men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!" Legacy - One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing tafl, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone. Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Aelle in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedingly painful death. Also directing his attacks against England, Ubbe, another of Ragnar's sons, accompanied by his brother Hingua, led an attack on the monasteries of Bardonnay and Croyland, and in the Monastery of Medeshampstede his army slew 80 monks, according to tradition. It is also held that Ubbe sacked York at one point, and eventually captured Edmund, King of Mercia, and was granted the lands south of the Tyne and north of Nottingham. There is also a belief that some Ubbe's descendants were among the Vikings who eventually settled in Normandy. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. Ivar was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of course responsible for by killing Aelle. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the Danes a generation later. Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Scandinavians). Mythology - Bragi Boddason is said to have composed the Ragnarsdrápa for the Swedish king Björn at Hauge. However, this does not correspond to what we know about the historical Ragnar. It is consequently said that in the Norse sagas, he was identified with a Swedish king Ragnar (770-785), the son of Sigurd Ring. According to legend, he married Aslaug and became the son-in-law of Sigurd the Völsung. Björn Ironside Björn Ironside (Old Norse: Björn Járnsíða, Swedish: Björn Järnsida) Swedish king (ca 785-800) was a legendary viking from the 8th century. He was one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok. He pillaged in Italy and took part in the conquest of Paris with his father Ragnar Lodbrok. He acquired the name Ironside because he was never wounded in battle. This invulnerability was attributed to his mother Aslaug's use of seid in order to make him impervious to iron and steel. According to Hervarar saga he inherited Sweden from his father while his brother Sigurd Snake-Eye inherited the remainder of Scandinavia. The dynasty he founded is called the House of Munsö by modern historians, because a local tradition claims that he is buried in Björnshögen at Husby on the island of Munsö. Many of his dynasty were to be named Björn. He had two sons, Refil and Erik Björnsson, and Erik succeeded him on the throne. Eric I of Sweden Erik Björnsson was one of the sons of Björn Ironside, and according to Hervarar saga he succeeded his father on the Swedish throne. The saga states that he ruled for a short time, and was succeeded by his nephew Erik Refilsson. Both Erik Björnsson's sons, Anund Uppsale and Björn at Hauge, were to be kings of Sweden. Eric II of Sweden Erik Refilsson was a Swedish king of the House of Munsö. According to Hervarar saga, he succeeded his uncle Erik Björnsson as the king of Sweden. He was succeeded by his cousins Anund Uppsale and Björn at Hauge. According to Hervarar saga, he was a powerful warlord and a rich king: Þá tók ríkit Eiríkr, sonr Refils; hann var mikill hermaðr ok allríkr konungr. Apparently, he was such a successful king that Rimbert relates that at Ansgar's second visit in Birka it was suggested among the people that Erik (Erik who preceded Björn) was to be elevated to god instead of the new god. Björn at Haugi Björn at Haugi ("Björn at the Barrow"), Björn på Håga, Björn II or Bern was according to Hervarar saga a Swedish king and the son of Erik Björnsson who ruled together with his brother Anund Uppsale. Björn was called at Haugi as his hall was at Håga (Haug meaning "Barrow" and named after a large barrow in the area, see image) near Uppsala. His brother Anund Uppsale had his hall at Gamla Uppsala, which was the religious centre. The historical existence of Björn and Anund is confirmed by Rimbert. He relates of a king Björn, the brother of Anund (Anoundus), who succeeded a king Erik (as in Hervarar saga) who asked the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious to send Christian missionaries to Sweden. The emperor responded in 829 by sending Ansgar. Björn received Ansgar at his court on the island of Adelsö and gave him permission to found a Christian congregation in Birka[1]. In his Edda Snorri Sturluson quotes many stanzas attributed to Bragi Boddason the old (Bragi Boddason inn gamli), a court poet who served several kings, especially King Björn at Hauge (see Bragi and Hervarar saga). This Bragi was reckoned as the first skaldic poet, and was certainly the earliest skaldic poet then remembered by name whose verse survived in memory. For Björn, Bragi composed Ragnarsdrápa about Björn's ancestor Ragnar Lodbrok (see the Britannica of 1911, [2]). The existence of the two brothers, Björn and Anund, is not only supported by Rimbert, but also by Adam of Bremen who relates that Björn and Anund preceded Olaf. However, Hervarar saga only mentions Erik Anundsson, who was the father of Björn (III) Eriksson (the father of Eric the Victorious and Olof (II) Björnsson) (see Diarchy). Harald I of Denmark Harald Bluetooth Gormson (Danish: Harald Blåtand, Old Norse: Haraldr blátönn, Norwegian: Harald Blåtann, German: Harald Blauzahn), was born 911, the son of King Gorm the Old, king of Jutland (that is, peninsular Denmark) and of Thyra (also known as Thyre Danebod) a supposed daughter of Harald Klak, Jarl of Jutland, or daughter of a noblemen of Sønderjylland who is supposed to have been kindly disposed towards Christianity. He died in 986 having ruled as King of Denmark from around 958 and king of Norway for a few years probably around 970. Some sources state that he was forcefully deposed by his son Sweyn as king. His biography is summed up by this runic inscription from the Jelling stones: "Harald, king, bade these memorials to be made after Gorm, his father, and Thyra, his mother. The Harald who won the whole of Denmark and Norway and turned the Danes to Christianity." The Norse sagas presents Harald in a rather negative light. He was forced twice to submit to the renegade Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong of the Jomsvikings- first by giving Styrbjörn a fleet and his daughter Tyra, the second time by giving up himself as hostage and an additional fleet. Styrbjörn brought this fleet to Uppsala in Sweden in order to claim the throne of Sweden. However, this time Harald broke his oath and fled with his Danes in order to avoid facing the Swedish army at the Battle of the Fýrisvellir. [WH Note: wikipedia.com has an extensive article on Harald Bluetooth and the Christianization of Scandinavia.] Tyra Tyra was the daughter of Harold Bluetooth and his third wife Gyrid. She married the disinherited Swedish prince Styrbjörn Starke and had the son Torkel Styrbjörnsson, who had the daughter Gytha Thorkelsdóttir. Gytha married Godwin, Earl of Wessex and had the son Harold II of England. Styrbjörn Styrbjörn the Strong (Styrbjörn Sterki) or Styrbjörn the Swedish Champion (Styrbjörn svía kappi) (c. 960- c. 984) was according to the Norse sagas the son of the Swedish king Olof, and the nephew of Olof's co-ruler and successor Eric the Victorious. At his father's death, which probably took place in the 970s, Björn could claim greater right to the throne of Sweden than Eric's own soon to be born son. Ulf Ulf Jarl (Jarl is a title, corresponding to English Earl) belonged to a prominent Swedish family since he was the son of Thorgils Sprakalägg who is considered to have been the son of Styrbjörn the Strong and Tyra, the daughter of Harald Bluetooth. He was consequently closely related to both the Swedish and Danish royal houses. Ulf joined Canute the Great's expedition to England. In c. 1015, he married Canute's sister Estrid and was appointed the Jarl of Denmark which he ruled when Canute was absent. He was also the foster-father of Canute's son Harthacanute. When the Swedish king Anund Jakob and the Norwegian king Saint Olaf took advantage of Canute's absence and attacked Denmark, Ulf convinced the freemen to elect Harthacanute king, since they were miscontent with Canute's absenteeism. This was a ruse from Ulf since his role as the caretaker of Harthacanute would make him the ruler of Denmark. When Canute learnt of what had happened in 1026, he returned to Denmark and with Ulf Jarl's help, he defeated the Swedes and the Norwegians at the Battle of the Helgeå. This service, did not, however, make Canute forgive Ulf for his coup. At a banquet in Roskilde, the two brothers-in-law were playing chess and started arguing with each other. The next day, the Christmas of 1026, Canute had one of his Housecarls kill Ulf Jarl in the church of Trinity. The accounts of the two brothers and Ulf's death are contradictory. Ulf was the father of Sweyn Estridson, and thus the ancestor of Danish royal house which would rule Denmark 1047-1375. Estrid http://www.packrat-pro.com/su.htm Estrid Margarete Svendsdatter b abt abt 967, Denmark d 09 May buried Cathedral, Roskilde, Denmark Parents: Sveyn I Forkbeard Haraldsson & Sigrid Storrada Spouse: Ulf Thorgilsson Child: Biorn Ulfiusson Estridsen Thorgils Sprakalägg Torkel Styrbjörnsson, Torgils, Sprakalägg or Sprakling is considered to have been the son of the disinherited Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong, the son of king Olof (II) Björnsson of Sweden. His mother was Tyra, the daughter of Harold Bluetooth (king of Denmark and Norway). He died at the Battle of Swold. Siward Sigurd the Dane, also known as Siward, was an English nobleman in the eleventh century, and the earl of Northumbria. Siward was a descendant of the Danish royal family, whose ancestors had arrived in England a few generations earlier as part of the Norse colonization of Britain. He was the hereditary ruler of Northumbria. He served as a general to Harthacanute and Edward the Confessor, and gained great renown for his skills as a soldier. He was related to the Scottish royal family, and was either the uncle or the brother-in-law of Malcolm Canmore (one text erroneously calls him his grandfather). Following Macbeth's defeat of Malcolm's father King Duncan I in 1040, the infant Malcolm was sent to Northumbria to be guarded by Siward. In 1053, Edward the Confessor agreed to assist the now adult Malcolm in taking the throne of Scotland, and designated Siward as leader of the English army. Siward's first incursion met with limited success, capturing the fortress Dunsinane in 1054, but Macbeth was not decisively defeated until 1057 at Lumphanan. One of Siward's own sons, Osberne, was killed during the campaign in Scotland. Malcolm's son King David I would later marry Siward's granddaughter Matilda. Siward's descendants also included James I of England, although this was not known during James' time. Siward and Osberne (Young Siward) are both characters in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Waltheof Waltheof, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Northampton (d. 1076) was the last of the Anglo-Saxon earls, remaining in England for a decade after the Norman conquest. He was a son of Earl Siward of Northumbria, and, although he was probably educated for a monastic life, became Earl of Huntingdon and Earl of Northumberland about 1065. After the Battle of Hastings he submitted to William the Conqueror; but when Sweyn II of Denmark invaded Northern England in 1069 he joined him with Edgar Ætheling and took part in the attack on York, only, however, to make a fresh submission after their departure in 1070. Then, restored to his earldom, he married William's niece, Judith, and in 1072 was appointed Earl of Northampton. The Domesday Book (ordered to be prepared by William the Conqueror, and finally completed in 1086) mentioned Waltheof ("Walleff"); "'In Hallam ("Halun"), one manor with its sixteen hamlets, there are twenty-nine carucates [~14 km²] to be taxed. There Earl Waltheof had an "Aula" [hall or court]. There may have been about twenty ploughs. This land Roger de Busli holds of the Countess Judith." (Hallam, or Hallamshire, is now part of the city of Sheffield, in the county of South Yorkshire). In 1075 Waltheof joined the conspiracy against the king arranged by the earls of Norfolk and Hereford; but soon repenting of his action he confessed his guilt to Archbishop Lanfranc, and then to William, who was in Normandy. Returning to England with William he was arrested, and after being brought twice before the king's court was sentenced to death. On the 31st of May 1076 he was beheaded on St. Giles's Hill, near Winchester. Weak and unreliable in character, Waltheof, like his father, is said to have been a man of immense bodily strength. Devout and charitable, he was regarded by the English as a martyr, and miracles were said to have been worked at his tomb at Crowland. Family and children - He was married 1070 with Judith of Lens, daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adeliza, Countess of Aumale and d three daughters, the eldest of whom, Matilda, brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland. One of Waltheof's grandsons was Waltheof (d. 1159), abbot of Melrose. His creation of the earldom of Northampton, however, died with him, and he would remain the last to hold a Saxon-era title until the Earl of Wessex nearly a thousand years later. Judith of Lens Countess Judith (between 1054 and 1055, – after 1086), was a niece of William the Conqueror (Born Normandy). She was a daughter of his half-sister Adeliza, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens. She later became the widow of Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon and Northumbria, whom she betrayed to her uncle and who was executed as a result at Winchester. Judith founded Hitchin church. She had land-holdings in 10 counties in the Midlands and East Anglia. Her holdings included land at: * Grendon * Earls Barton * Potton 
Uhtred Tyndale GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 2001-07 > 0994619954 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: toddsylvania@aol.com (Toddsylvania) Subject: Uhtred of Tyndale Date: 08 Jul 2001 19:19:14 GMT Uhtred of Tyndale is said to have married Princess Bethoc, daughter of King Donald III of Scotland. Is there any contemporary evidence to suggest that he was the son of Waltheof II of Northumberland and wife Judith? If Uhtred was the son of Waltheof, then why did he not inherit his father's titles? Waltheof had several daughters who married notable figures of the times (namely Simon St. Liz, Robert Fitz Richard de Clare, and King Edgar). Moreover, Uhtred is said to have been the progenitor of the families of Johnston of Annandale and his daughter, Hextilda, is said to have married Richard Comyn. Any real information pertaining to the life of Uhtred of Tyndale would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Todd A. Johnson ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Therav3@aol.com Subject: Re: Uhtred of Tyndale Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 16:44:09 EDT Sunday, 8 July, 2001 Hello Todd, The connection you reference, as outlined below, is valid, but there is confusion over the name Waltheof that is muddying the waters. Waltheof of Tynedale was the father of Uhtred, but this was not Waltheof, Earl of Huntingdon and Northampton. That Waltheof, sometimes referred to as Waltheof II (an ancestor having been Waltheof of Northumbria, pre-conquest) was married to Judith, niece of the Conqueror, and was executed for treason 31 May 1076, at Winchester. He had issue, including a daughter Matilda whose husbands (Simon de St. Liz and David, later King of Scots) and descendants by both husbands were Earls of Huntingdon and Northampton (sometimes also Northumberland). Waltheof of Tynedale's primary claim to fame is as the father of Uhtred, and thereby (as indicated below) ancestor of the Comyns of Tynedale and (more importantly) Scotland. Duncan I = Sibyl, K. of Scots Malcolm III Domnall Ban Waltheof of K of Scots (aka Donalbain) Tynedale 1058-1093 K of Scots 1093-1097 I Bethoc = Uhtred of Tynedale Hextilda = Richard Comyn, heiress of I d. 1182 Badenoch I William Comyn, lord of Lochaber and Badenoch, Earl of Buchan de jure uxoris, d. 1233 What other minor details one might find (little more than given about) as to Uhtred of Tynedale could be found in Scots Peerage, under Comyn, and in Alan Young's book, Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314 (East Linton: Tuckwell Press, 1997). Hope this helps. John Various Sources http://www.asta.chicago.il.us/familytree/index.html RAINEY AND HUGH'S FAMILY The five thousand names on this family tree are ancestors and family members of Loraine (Rainey) Rose and Hugh Cassidy Johnston, the children of Katherine (Kate) Prendergast Flynn and Scott Martin Johnston. The branches of this tree stretch out in every direction, thus names are not limited to direct ancestors. Ursus Beron Male Ursus's Family Spouse: married Children: Hringo Beron, Ulf Thorgills Beron, Gytha Beron Hringo's Family Spouse: Hiordis Queen of Denmark married Children: Siward Fairbairn Armstrong, Margaret Beron Hringo's Heritage Parents: Ursus Beron Siblings: Ulf Thorgills Beron, Gytha Beron http://users.legacyfamilytree.com/northerneurope/f461.htm King Of Uppsala, Olaf II Bjornsson & Ingelberg Of Sula -42790 AKA: Olaf Bjornsson King Of Sweden Born: Abt 928 at: , , Sweden Died: 964 at: Father: Bjorn Ericsson, King Of Uppsala-[115416] (0868-0956) Mother: Ingeborg Thrandotter-[172651] ( - ) Styrbjorn Olafsson, Prince-[172647] Born: 956 at: Of, , Sweden Died: 984 at: Father: King Of Uppsala, Olaf II Bjornsson-[172649] (Abt 0928-0964) Mother: Ingelberg Of Sula-[144277] (Abt 0912- ) Married: Bef 959 Place: Blauzahn, Germany Wife Princess Of Denmark, Thyra Haraldsdottir, Of Denmark-[172648] Husband Thorkel Sprakalog Or Sprakalegg Styrbjornson-[172646] AKA: Thorkils Sprakalegg Born: Abt 965 at: Of, Halland, Sweden Died: at: Father: Styrbjorn Olafsson, Prince-[172647] (0956-0984) Mother: Princess Of Denmark, Thyra Haraldsdottir, Of Denmark-[172648] (Abt 0959-1000) Married: Place: Of, Halland, Sweden Ulf Or Ulsius Thorkilsson, Jarl Of Denmark-[114945] AKA: Wulfsige (Wolf) Jarl Of Denmark Born: Abt 967 at: Of, Halland, Sweden Died: 1027 at: Father: Thorkel Sprakalog Or Sprakalegg Styrbjornson-[172646] (Abt 0965- ) Mother: Sigrid Of Halland-[140532] (Abt 0941- ) Married: Abt 1018 Place: Of, Halland, Sweden |
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