Sichfrith or Sigfrith ( non, Sigfrøðr), also known as Sichfrith Jarl, was a ninth-century Norse or Norse-Gael

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 ...

who claimed the kingship of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

in 893, but it is unclear if he ever ruled. Later historians have linked him with two individuals of the same name. The first, a

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

who a led a fleet south and landed troops in

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

in 893, and the second, a King of

Jórvík Scandinavian York ( non, Jórvík) Viking Yorkshire or Norwegian York is a term used by historians for the south of Northumbria (modern-day Yorkshire) during the period of the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century, when it was do ...

who reigned from 895 until around 899.

Biography

Sichfrith is mentioned by name only once in contemporary Irish Annals: According to

Downham Downham is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It borders the London Borough of Bromley, and is located north of Bromley and south of Catford. Downham was named in honour of Lord Downham, who was ...

, it is possible Sichfrith was able to claim the throne of

by belonging to the same kin-group as the three sons of

Ímar Ímar ( non, Ívarr ; died c. 873), who may be synonymous with Ivar the Boneless, was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century who founded the Uí Ímair dynasty, and whose descendants would go on to dominate the Ir ...

who ruled Dublin consecutively from 873 until at least 893. Both Sichfrith and his rival to the kingship, Sitriuc mac Ímair, left Ireland in 893 to war in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. Sitriuc returned the following year but it is not clear if he or Sichfrith remained king. A commander named Sichfrith led the

n fleet against

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

in 893.

, p. 73;

Chronicon In historiography, a ''chronicon'' is a type of chronicle or annals. Examples are: * ''Chronicon'' (Eusebius) * ''Chronicon'' (Jerome) *'' Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham'' *''Chronicon Burgense'' *'' Chronicon Ambrosianum'' *'' Chronicon Compostellan ...

, IV.3 Though there is no way to know for sure if this Sichfrith and the one mentioned in the Irish Annals are the same, it is certainly plausible, and it is likely that there was contact between the

kingdoms of Northumbria and Dublin during this period. Two competing theories have been put forward for Sichfrith's origins. Smyth has proposed Sichfrith was a Northumbrian who sailed to Dublin after his fleet landed troops in Wessex. According to this theory Sichfrith failed to take the city and caused the split noted by the '' Annals of Ulster''.

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

instead proposes that Sichfrith was a Dubliner who left for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

after he failed to take the throne. Smyth's explanation is considered more likely since Æthelweard in his ''

'' implies Sichfrith was a Northumbrian. Coins bearing the name Sigfrøðr were found in the

Cuerdale Hoard The Cuerdale Hoard is a hoard of more than 8,600 items, including silver coins, English and Carolingian jewellery, hacksilver and ingots. It was discovered on 15 May 1840 on the southern bank of a bend of the River Ribble, in an area called Cu ...

, indicating a king of that name ruling

until about 900, succeeding Guthfrith.

, p. 79 Smyth and others have proposed that this Sigfrøðr is the same person as the Sichfrith mentioned in the Irish Annals and by Æthelweard. These coins are the only evidence for a king of Jórvík of that name.

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

gives the approximate dates of 895 until 899 for his reign.

, p. 464

References

Citations

Primary sources

* *

Secondary sources

* * * * in

External links

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one ...

. The Corpus of Electronic Texts includes the ''Annals of Ulster'' and ''the Four Masters'', the ''Chronicon Scotorum'' and the ''Book of Leinster'' as well as Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress. {{Dublin Monarchs 9th-century Irish monarchs Monarchs of Dublin Year of birth unknown