Siefredus ( non, Sigfrøðr) was a
Norse King of Northumbria
Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles, in what is now northern England and south-east Scotland, was initially divided into two kingdoms: Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by king Æthelfrith around the year 604, and except for occasional ...
.
Numismatic
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
evidence suggests he ruled from around 895 until 900, succeeding
Guthfrith.
Discovery
![Silver penny of Siefredus (YORYM 2000 592) obverse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Silver_penny_of_Siefredus_%28YORYM_2000_592%29_obverse.jpg)
In 1840 a hoard of over 8,000 items (known as 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 Cuer ...
) was found in
Cuerdale
Cuerdale is a civil parish in the South Ribble district of Lancashire, England. It includes ''Cuerdale Hall'' and has no substantive settlements. It originated as a township in the parish of Blackburn, becoming a separate civil parish in 1866. Fr ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, England. A number of
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 ...
n silver coins bearing the inscription (King Siefredus) were found as part of this hoard, indicating the existence of a previously unknown king.
The name of another previously-unknown king,
Cnut
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn rÃki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...
, also appears on coins found in the Cuerdale Hoard. The sequence of coin issues indicates that Cnut ruled after Siefredus, from around 900 until 905. It also suggests Siefredus succeeded
Guthfrith and ruled from about 895 until 900. The names of both Cnut and Siefredus appear on some coins, perhaps indicating they were co-rulers for a period of time.
Identity
The historian
Alfred Smyth and others have proposed that Siefredus may be the same person as the Sigfrith that led a Viking 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. Moreover, it is suggested that he is the same as the
Sichfrith who claimed the
Kingdom of Dublin
Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The Norse refe ...
in that same year.
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
Viking
Vikings ; non, vÃkingr 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 ...
kingdoms of Northumbria and Dublin during this period.
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 ...
, p. 73 Two competing theories have been put forward for Siefredus's origins.
Smyth
Smyth is an early variant of the common surname Smith commonly found in Ireland.Citation: Bardsley, 1901 Shown below are notable people who share the surname "Smyth".
Notable people sharing the Smyth surname
Listed here are people who share the ...
has proposed Siefredus was a Northumbrian who sailed to Dublin after his fleet landed troops in Wessex. According to this theory Siefredus failed to take the city and caused the strife among the Vikings of Dublin noted by the ''
Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrà Ó LuinÃn, ...
''.
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 Siefredus 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 Æthelweard, also spelled Ethelweard, Aethelweard, Athelweard, etc., is an Anglo-Saxon male name. It may refer to:
* King Æthelweard of the Hwicce (''fl''. 7/8th century)
* King Æthelweard of East Anglia (''fl.'' mid-9th century)
* Æthelweard (s ...
in his ''Chronicon'' implies Sichfrith was a Northumbrian.
An altogether different suggestion, put forward by
Cannon and Hargreaves, is that Siefredus is identical to his successor, Cnut.
[ Cannon and Hargreaves, pp. 64–65]
Notes
References
Citations
Sources
* in
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External links
*
{{Northumbrian Monarchs
Monarchs of Jorvik
Viking rulers
9th-century English monarchs
9th-century Vikings