Editing Ragnar Lodbrok (section)

== Ragnar's sons ==
[[File:Rayner Lothbroc Saga by Norstedts 1880.jpg|thumb|upright|The saga as published by [[Norstedts]] in a large-size illustrated version (1880).]]
The [[Great Heathen Army]] is said to have been led by the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, to wreak revenge against King Ælla of Northumbria who had previously executed Ragnar by casting him into a pit full of venomous snakes.<ref>''Sagan om Ragnar Lodbrok och hans söner'' [[Norstedts]], Stockholm 1880 pp. 82 ff</ref> Among the organizers were at least some of the brothers: [[Ivar the Boneless]], [[Ubba]], [[Halfdan Ragnarsson|Halfdan]], [[Björn Ironside]], [[Hvitserk]], and [[Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye]], all of whom are known as historical figures, save the slightly more dubious Hvitserk.{{sfn|Holman|2003|p=220}} Ivar the Boneless was the leader of the Great Heathen Army from 865 to 870, but he disappears from English historical accounts after 870.<ref>Forte, Angelo; Oram, Richard; Pedersen, Frederik (2005). Viking Empires (First ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0521829922}}</ref> The Anglo-Saxon chronicler [[Æthelweard (historian)|Æthelweard]] records Ivar's death as 870.<ref>Giles, J. A., ed. (2010). ''Six Old English Chronicles: Ethelwerd's Chronicle, Asser's Life Of Alfred, Geoffrey Of Monmouth's British History, Gildas, Nennius And Richard Of Cirencester''. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. {{ISBN|978-1163125991}}</ref> [[Halfdan Ragnarsson]] became the leader of the Great Heathen Army in about 870 and he led it in an invasion of Wessex.<ref>Forte, A; Oram, RD; Pedersen, F (2005). ''Viking Empires''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-82992-2}}. p. 72</ref> A great number of Viking warriors arrived from Scandinavia, as part of the Great Summer Army, led by King [[Bagsecg]] of Denmark, bolstering the ranks of Halfdan's army.<ref>Hooper, Nicholas Hooper; Bennett, Matthew (1996). The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-44049-1}}. p. 22</ref>

According to the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', the Danes battled the West Saxons nine times, including the [[Battle of Ashdown]] on 8 January 871, where Bagsecg was killed.<ref>Costambeys, M (2004). "Hálfdan (d. 877)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/49260}}</ref> Halfdan accepted a truce from the future [[Alfred the Great]], newly crowned king of Wessex.<ref>Forte, A; Oram, RD; Pedersen, F (2005). ''Viking Empires''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-82992-2}}. pp. 72–73</ref> After Bagsecg's death, Halfdan was the only remaining king of the invading host. He may also have been a King of part of Denmark ([[Jutland]]?), since a co-ruler [[Sigfred and Halfdan|Halfdan]] is mentioned in Frankish sources in 873.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10015821?page=76| title = ''Die Jahrbücher von Fulda und Xanten'', p. 62| access-date = 17 January 2023| archive-date = 19 March 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230319201259/https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10015821?page=76| url-status = live}}</ref> According to late sagas Björn Ironside became King of Sweden and Uppsala, although this presents chronological inconsistencies.<ref>Carl Bernadotte et al. (1956), ''Sveriges hundra konungar''. Stockholm: Biblioteksböcker, p. 81.</ref> Björn had two sons, [[Erik Björnsson|Erik]] and [[Refil Björnsson]]. His son Erik became the next king of Sweden, and was succeeded in turn by [[Erik Refilsson]], the son of Refil.<ref>{{cite journal|editor1=Tolkien, Christopher|editor2=Turville-Petre, G.|date=1956|title=Hervarar Saga ok Heidreks|location=London|journal=Viking Society for Northern Research|page=69|url=http://www.vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Text%20Series/Hervarar%20saga%20ok%20heidreks.pdf|access-date=20 October 2019|archive-date=1 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801054322/http://www.vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Text%20Series/Hervarar%20saga%20ok%20heidreks.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye is perhaps the same person as [[Sigfred and Halfdan|Sigfred]], brother of Halfdan, who was king in Denmark together with Halfdan in 873.<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/mcturk.htm ''Kings and kingship in Viking Northumbria'', by] [[Rory McTurk]] (University of Leeds) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926171200/http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/mcturk.htm |date=26 September 2008 }}</ref> According to the sagas Sigurd became King of [[Zealand]], [[Skåne]] and the lesser Danish Isles.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.germanicmythology.com/FORNALDARSAGAS/ThattrRagnarsSonar.html| title = ''The Tale of Ragnar's Sons'', Chapter 3| access-date = 20 October 2019| archive-date = 22 September 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130922060849/http://www.germanicmythology.com/FORNALDARSAGAS/ThattrRagnarsSonar.html| url-status = live}}</ref> Sigfred-Sigurd possibly succeeded his brother Halfdan as King of entire Denmark in about 877, and may be the Viking king Sigfred who was killed in West Francia in 887.<ref>P.A. Munch (1852), ''Det norske Folks Historie'', Vol. I: 1. Christiania: Tonsberg, pp. 642–48.</ref>