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Ragnvald Ulfsson the Old (beginning 11th century) was a
jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...
of
Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...
or
Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...
and was married to a sister of King
Olav Tryggvason Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken (Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King of N ...
.Winroth 1995–1997:616


Biography

According to
Snorri Snorri (; ) is a masculine given name. People with the name include: * Snorri Þorbrandsson, a character in the Icelandic ''Eyrbyggja saga'' * Snorri Goði or Snorri Þorgrímsson (963–1031), a prominent chieftain in Western Iceland, featured i ...
, Ragnvald was the son of jarl
Ulf Tostesson Ulf Tostesson was a jarl in Sweden, jarl and the son of the Viking Skogul Toste. He was the brother of Sigrid the Haughty, and his son was Ragnvald Ulfsson. Geats 11th-century Swedish people Swedish jarls {{Sweden-royal-stub ...
. He was also the foster-son of
Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker Torgny the Lawspeaker ( Old Icelandic: ''Þorgnýr lögmaðr'' , Swedish: ''Torgny Lagman'') is the name of one of at least three generations of lawspeakers by the name ''Þorgnýr'', who appear in the ''Heimskringla'' by the Icelandic scholar and ...
. Through his aunt
Sigrid the Haughty Sigrid the Haughty (Old Norse:''Sigríðr (hin) stórráða''), also known as ''Sigrid Storråda'' (Swedish), is a Scandinavian queen appearing in Norse sagas. Sigrid is named in several late and sometimes contradictory Icelandic sagas composed ge ...
, he was the cousin of Swedish King
Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung, (Old Norse: ''Óláfr skautkonungr'') sometimes stylized as ''Olaf the Swede'' (c. 980–1022), was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in ...
. He was married to
Ingeborg Tryggvasdotter Ingeborg Tryggvasdotter was the daughter of Tryggve Olafsson (died 963), the great-granddaughter of Harald Fairhair, and the sister of Olaf I of Norway. She married the Swedish earl Ragnvald Ulfsson, first the earl of Västergötland and later of ...
, daughter of Tryggve Olavsson, son of
Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf Olaf Haraldssøn Geirstadalf Digerbein (Agder, c. 877 - Tønsberg, c. 934), was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdatter, daughter of Øystein Jarl. Biography The saga ''Heimskringla'', written in Iceland in the ...
and grandson of King
Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from  872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...
. When Olaf Haraldsson became king of Norway in 1015, a war erupted with Sweden and
Norwegians Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the N ...
forces had pillaged in
Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...
. But then Norwegian King Olaf proposed to the Swedish princess
Ingigerd Olofsdotter Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden, also known as Irene, Anna and Saint Anna (1001 – 10 February 1050), was a Swedish princess and a Grand Princess of Kiev. She was the daughter of Swedish King Olof Skötkonung and Estrid of the Obotr ...
, the daughter of Sweden's King
Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung, (Old Norse: ''Óláfr skautkonungr'') sometimes stylized as ''Olaf the Swede'' (c. 980–1022), was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in ...
. This would result in peace and a royal alliance which would favor Ragnvald who was related to both parties. However, at the
Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...
at
Gamla Uppsala Gamla, alt. sp. Gamala ( he, גַּמְלָא, The Camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights. It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 81 ...
, Ragnvald and his foster-father Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker had to persuade King Olof Skötkonung to promise his daughter to King Olaf, whom he did not like. When the Swedish king failed to deliver his daughter, Ragnvald realized that he was in trouble. He has not only fallen out of grace with the Swedish king, but he could also expect the revenge of the Norwegians. During a visit by the
skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...
Sigvatr Þórðarson Sigvatr Þórðarson or Sighvatr Þórðarson or Sigvat the Skald (995–1045) was an Icelandic skald. He was a court poet to King Olaf II of Norway, as well as Canute the Great, Magnus the Good and Anund Jacob, by whose reigns his floruit ca ...
, Ragnvald learned that Prince
Yaroslav I the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was als ...
of
Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
had proposed to Ingigerd, and so he developed the idea that King Olaf should marry
Astrid Olofsdotter Astrid Olofsdotter (Norwegian: ''Astrid Olavsdatter''; English: ''Aestrith'') (died 1035) was the queen consort of King Olaf II of Norway. Biography Astrid was born to King Olof Skötkonung of Sweden and his Obotritian mistress Edla. She was th ...
, an illegitimate daughter of
Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung, (Old Norse: ''Óláfr skautkonungr'') sometimes stylized as ''Olaf the Swede'' (c. 980–1022), was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in ...
, who was staying with Ragnvald. Sigvat promised to deliver the proposal and the Norwegian king accepted. Ragnvald delivered
Astrid Astrid is a feminine given name of Scandinavian origin, a modern form of the name Ástríðr. Derived from the Old Norse Ássfriðr, a compound name composed of the elements (a god) and (beautiful, fair). Variants * Assan (diminutive) (Swed ...
at
Sarpsborg Sarpsborg ( or ), historically Borg, is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg. Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neigh ...
in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and she married the King Olaf after Christmas of 1019. King
Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung, (Old Norse: ''Óláfr skautkonungr'') sometimes stylized as ''Olaf the Swede'' (c. 980–1022), was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in ...
was now so upset that he intended to hang Ragnvald at the next Thing. However, when Ingigerd Olofsdotter married
Yaroslav I the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was als ...
, she received
Staraja Ladoga Staraya Ladoga (russian: Ста́рая Ла́дога, p=ˈstarəjə ˈladəɡə, lit=Old Ladoga), known as Ladoga until 1704, is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near ...
(''Aldeigjuborg'') and
Ingria Ingria is a historical region in what is now northwestern European Russia. It lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus in the north and by the River Narva on the border with Est ...
(''Ingermanland'') as a wedding gift from Yaroslav. Ingigerd managed to arrange that Ragnvald became the jarl of both Staraja Ladoga and Ingria. Consequently Olof Skötkonung let Ragnvald depart with Ingigerd in the summer of 1019.


Marriage

Married to
Ingeborg Tryggvasdotter Ingeborg Tryggvasdotter was the daughter of Tryggve Olafsson (died 963), the great-granddaughter of Harald Fairhair, and the sister of Olaf I of Norway. She married the Swedish earl Ragnvald Ulfsson, first the earl of Västergötland and later of ...
. Children: #
Uleb Ragnvaldsson Uleb Ragnvaldsson was a military leader of Novgorod Republic in conquering of Yugra in 1032.Eilif Ragnvaldsson ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrica ...
Jarl #Ostrida Ragnvalsdatter He has been considered to have fathered king Stenkil,The entry Stenkil in Larsson 2000:33 with Astrid Nialsdotter from Norway. However this is based on later Icelandic sources,Lagerquist 1997:41 and the identification of Ragnvald with Ragnvald the Old of '' Hervarar saga''.Larsson 2002:154–157


Saga sources

Ragnvald is mentioned in the
skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...
ic poem '' Austrfaravísur'', ascribed to
Sigvatr Þórðarson Sigvatr Þórðarson or Sighvatr Þórðarson or Sigvat the Skald (995–1045) was an Icelandic skald. He was a court poet to King Olaf II of Norway, as well as Canute the Great, Magnus the Good and Anund Jacob, by whose reigns his floruit ca ...
,
skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...
of King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway (''Olaf the Holy''), who had been on a diplomatic mission to Sweden. This poem is quoted in the 13th century sagas ''
Fagrskinna ''Fagrskinna'' ( ; is, Fagurskinna ; trans. "Fair Leather" from the type of parchment) is one of the kings' sagas, written around 1220. It is an intermediate source for the ''Heimskringla'' of Snorri Sturluson, containing histories of Norwegian k ...
'' and
Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
's ''
Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...
''. In addition to the poem, ''Fagrskinna'' only briefly mentions Ragnvald, while ''Heimskringla'' contains a more elaborate account of him. This 13th-century prose text is not considered historically reliable. ''Fagrskinna's'' account of Olaf the Holy's betrothal to Ingigerd, and eventual wedding with Astrid, differs significantly from the account in ''Heimskringla''. In ''Fagrskinna's'' account, Ragnvald is not given a prominent role in the proceedings.


Notes


Literature

*Larsson, Lars-Ove (1993, 2000). ''Vem är vem i svensk historia, från år 1000 till 1900''. Prisma, Stockholm. *Larsson, Mats G (2002). ''Götarnas Riken : Upptäcktsfärder Till Sveriges Enande''. Bokförlaget Atlantis AB *Lagerquist, Lars O. (1997). ''Sveriges Regenter, från forntid till nutid''. Norstedts, Stockholm. * Winroth, Anders (1995–1997) "Ragnvald Ulfsson", ''Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon'', volume 29, page 616. * Wisén, Theodor, revised by
Erik Brate Erik Brate (13 June 1857 – 11 April 1924) was a Swedish linguist and runologist. Biography Brate was born in 1857 in Norberg, Västmanland County. In 1887 he married the Swedish painter Fanny Brate, née Ekbom (1861-1940). They had four ...
(1915),
Ragnvald Ulfsson
, ''
Nordisk familjebok ''Nordisk familjebok'' (, "Nordic Family Book") is a Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. Despite their consi ...
'', volume 22, 913–914 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ragnvald Ulfsson Geats Swedish nobility 11th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Swedish jarls