Bjaðmunjo Mýrjartaksdóttir
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Bjaðmunjo Mýrjartaksdóttir (Gaelic: Blathmuine ingen Muirchertach; fl. 1102/1103) was a daughter of a Muirchertach Ua Briain, High King of Ireland. In 1102 whilst still a child, she was married to
Sigurðr Sigurd ( non, Sigurðr ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon and was later murdered. It is possible he was inspired by one or more figures from the Frankish Merovin ...
, son of Magnús Óláfsson, King of Norway. At this time, Magnús appears to have been in the process of setting up his son as king over the
Earldom of Orkney The Earldom of Orkney is the official status of the Orkney Islands. It was originally a Norse feudal dignity in Scotland which had its origins from the Viking period. In the ninth and tenth centuries it covered more than the Northern Isles (' ...
, the
Kingdom of the Isles The Kingdom of the Isles consisted of the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Firth of Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or North ...
, and the
Kingdom of Dublin Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norsemen, Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The N ...
. The marriage temporarily bound Muirchertach and Magnús together as allies before the latter's death the following year. Sigurðr thereupon repudiated Bjaðmunjo, and left for Scandinavia, where he proceeded to share the Norwegian kingship with his brothers.


Background

Bjaðmunjo was a daughter of Muirchertach Ua Briain, High King of Ireland. In the late eleventh century, following the death of his father, Muirchertach seized control of the
Kingdom of Munster The Kingdom of Munster ( ga, Ríocht Mhumhain) was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland which existed in the south-west of the island from at least the 1st century BC until 1118. According to traditional Irish history found in the ''Annals of the Four M ...
and moved to extend his authority throughout
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
as High King of Ireland. In so doing, he gained control of the Norse-Gaelic
Kingdom of Dublin Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norsemen, Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The N ...
, and as a result began to extend his influence into the nearby
Kingdom of the Isles The Kingdom of the Isles consisted of the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Firth of Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or North ...
. There is uncertainty concerning the political situation in the Isles in the last decade of the eleventh century. What is known for sure is that, before the end of the century, Magnús Óláfsson, King of Norway led a marauding fleet from
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
into the Irish Sea region, where he held power until his death in 1103. The catalyst for this Norwegian intervention may have been the extension of Muirchertach's influence into the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
region following the death of
Gofraid Crobán, King of the Isles Godred Crovan (died 1095), known in Gaelic as Gofraid Crobán, Gofraid Meránach, and Gofraid Méránach, was a Norse-Gaelic ruler of the kingdoms of Dublin and the Isles. Although his precise parentage has not completely been proven, he was c ...
. The region appears to have degenerated into chaos following Gofraid's demise, and Magnús seems to have taken it upon himself to reassert Norwegian authority. Magnús made two expeditions into the Irish Sea region. One arrived in 1098; the other in 1102. The focus of the second overseas operation appears to have been
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
itself. Following an apparent Norwegian conquest of Dublin, Magnús and Muirchertach negotiated a peace agreement, sealed through the marriage of Magnús' son,
Sigurðr Sigurd ( non, Sigurðr ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon and was later murdered. It is possible he was inspired by one or more figures from the Frankish Merovin ...
, and Bjaðmunjo herself.


Marriage

The marriage agreement between Magnús and Muirchertach is noted in several sources. The ''
Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...
'' and the ''
Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Flood myt ...
'' reveal that the marriage took place in 1102. Other sources reporting the marriage include the twelfth-century '' Ágrip af Nóregskonungasǫgum'', the thirteenth-century '' Orkneyinga saga'', and '' Magnúss saga berfœtts'' within the thirteenth-century ''
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, derive ...
''. Sigurðr was apparently twelve years old at the time of the marriage, Power (1986) p. 122. although Bjaðmunjo's age is uncertain. The remarkably young age of the newlyweds, and the fact that the union is recorded at all in historical sources, suggests that a
dynastic marriage Royal intermarriage is the practice of members of ruling dynasties marrying into other reigning families. It was more commonly done in the past as part of strategic diplomacy for national interest. Although sometimes enforced by legal requiremen ...
was required for the conclusion of peace between their fathers. There seems to be some confusion in several historical sources regarding the marriage. For example, the twelfth-century '' Historia ecclesiastica'' states that Magnús himself married the daughter of an Irish king in about 1093. According to ''Morkinskinna'', Magnús was at one point set to marry a certain Maktildr, described as an "emperor's daughter". It is possible that Maktildr represents
Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
, a woman who was a sister of the reigning Étgar mac Maíl Choluim, King of Scotland, and who is known to have married
Henry I, King of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...
in 1110. In fact, the episode concerning Magnús and Maktildr in ''Morkinskinna'' may have influenced the erroneous claim preserved by the same source and the thirteenth-century ''
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 ...
'', that Sigurðr married a daughter of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, King of Scotland. At about the same time as the marriage between Bjaðmunjo and Sigurðr, the former's father secured yet another marital alliance through another daughter and Arnulf de Montgomery, Earl of Pembroke, an English magnate in the midst of a revolt against the reigning King of England.


Ramifications

Just prior to the settlement of peace between the Uí Briain and the Norwegians, Muirchertach was not only contending with the arrival of Magnús, but was also locked in an extended struggle with Domnall Mac Lochlainn, King of Cenél nEógain. The agreement of a year's peace between Muirchertach and Magnús, however, turned Magnús from an enemy into an ally. Whilst Magnús appears to have intended for Sigurðr to rule over his recently-won overseas territories—a region stretching from Orkney to Dublin—Muirchertach appears to have intended to exert influence into the Isles through his new son-in-law. In fact, during the following year, Muirchertach and Magnús cooperated in military operations throughout Ireland. Unfortunately for Muirchertach, and his long-term ambitions in Ireland and the Isles, Magnús was slain in Ulster in 1103. Thereupon ''Morkinskinna'' and ''Fagrskinna'' reveal that Sigurðr immediately repudiated Bjaðmunjo—their marriage apparently having been unconsummated—and returned to
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 the ...
. There Sigurðr proceeded to share the Norwegian kingship with his two brothers,
Eysteinn Eysteinn (Swedish: Östen; died ca 600) was the son of Eadgils and Yrsa of Saxony. He was the father of Ingvar. The Eysteinn tumulus ''(Östens hög)'' in Västerås near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians. The ...
and Óláfr. It was over one hundred and fifty years until another King of Norway ventured into the Isles. Duffy (2002) p. 59.


See also

* Bjaðǫk, a Gaelic wife/mistress/concubine of Haraldr gilli, King of Norway. Haraldr gilli himself claimed to be a son of Magnús by another Gaelic woman.


Notes


Citations


References


Primary sources

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Secondary sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjadmunjo Myrjartaksdottir 12th-century Irish women Irish princesses Medieval Gaels from Ireland O'Brien dynasty Place of death unknown Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown