Pepin or Pippin (April 770/3 – 8 July 810), born Carloman, was the son of Charlemagne and King of the Lombards (781–810) under the authority of his father.

Pepin was the second son of Charlemagne by his then-wife Hildegard.^[1] He was born Carloman, but was rechristened with the royal name Pepin (also the name of his older half-brother Pepin the Hunchback, and his grandfatherPepin the Short) when he was a young child. He was made "king of Italy"^[2] after his father's conquest of the Lombards, in 781, and crowned by Pope Hadrian I with the Iron Crown of Lombardy.

He was active as ruler of Lombardy and worked to expand the Frankish empire. In 791, he marched a Lombard army into the Drava valley and ravaged Pannonia, while his father marched along the Danube into Avar territory. Charlemagne left the campaigning to deal with a Saxon revolt in 792. Pepin and Duke Eric of Friuli continued, however, to assault the Avars' ring-shaped strongholds. The great Ring of the Avars, their capital fortress, was taken twice. The booty was sent to Charlemagne in Aachen and redistributed to all his followers and even to foreign rulers, including King Offa of Mercia. A celebratory poem, De Pippini regis Victoria Avarica, was composed after Pepin forced the Avar khagan to submit in 796.^[3] This poem was composed at Verona, Pepin's capital after 799 and the centre of Carolingian Renaissance literature in Italy. The Versus de Verona (c. 800), an urban encomium of the city, likewise praises king Pepin.^[4] The "Codex Gothanus" History of the Lombards hails Pepin's campaign against Benevento and his liberation of Corsica "from the oppression of the Moors."^[5]

His activities included a long, but unsuccessful siege of Venice in 810. The siege lasted six months and Pepin's army was ravaged by the diseases of the local swamps and was forced to withdraw. A few months later Pepin died.

He had one or more mistresses, whose names are not certainly known, and whose ancestry is not known from any reliable source although one has been conjectured to have been called Bertha, and she has been called the daughter of William of Gellone, count of Toulouse. He had one son and five daughters: (Adelaide, married Lambert I of Nantes; Atala; Gundrada; Bertha; and Tetrada), all of whom but the eldest were born between 800 and Pepin's death and died before their grandfather's death in 814. Pepin's son was Bernard. Pepin was expected to inherit a third of his father's empire, but he predeceased him. The Lombard crown passed on to his illegitimate son Bernard, but the empire went to Pepin's younger brother Louis the Pious.

Poppo I (died 839-841) was a Frankish count in the Grapfeld (Grabfeld) from 819-839. Probably a descendant of the Robertian count Cancor, he became the ancestor of the Frankish House of Babenberg (Popponids).

Poppo was a "leading man of the Franks" in 838-839, when he and several other noblemen, including Gebhard, Count of the Lahngau, Count Adalbert of Metz and Archbishop Odgar of Mainz opposed Louis the German's revolt against Emperor Louis the Pious.

Poppo was probably the father (or grandfather) of Henry of Franconia, Duke Poppo (II) of Thuringia and Egino. A notable descendant of Poppo's is Queen Elizabeth II.

Ragnhild Eiriksdatter (Ragnhildur Eiríksdóttir) (ca. 870 – 897) var en av Harald Hårfagres hustruer. Hun kaltes Ragnhild «Den mektige» Eiriksdatter foruten også for «Den rike».

Det sies at Harald Hårfagre ga slipp på ni av konene sine da han fikk Ragnhild.

Hun var datter av Eirik 2. («Den mektige») Eriksson, konge av Jylland (ca. 840 – 891) og Gisela hustru (f. ca. 840). Sammen med Harald Hårfagre fikk hun sønnen Eirik Blodøks, ca. 895 – 954.^[1]

Hun levde bare tre år etter at Eirik ble født, derfor kom han til oppfostring hos Tore herse Roaldsson i Fjordane.

Ragnhild Sigurdsdatter (Ragnhildur Sigurðardóttir) var gift med Halvdan Svarte. Hun var barn av Sigurd Hjort Helgesson (ca. 810 -) og Tyrne Haraldsdotter (ca. 822 -). Hun ble født ca. år 840, på Ringerike, død ca. 858.

Sammen med Halvdan Svarte fikk hun Harald Hårfagre, ca. år 850.

Kommentar: I følge Heimskringla var Ragnhild ca. tjue år da da hun giftet seg, så årstallene ovenfor stemmer ikke helt.

Snorre forteller i Heimskringla om Ragnhilds drøm før Harald ble født:

«Dronning Ragnhild drømte store drømmer. Hun var en klok kvinne. Engang drømte hun at hun syntes hun sto ute i hagen sin og tok en torn (en nål i en spenne) ut av serken. Og mens hun sto og holdt på tornen, vokste den slik at den ble en lang tein, og den ene enden nådde jorden og ble straks rotfast, og like etter var den andre enden av treet høyt opp i luften; så syntes hun treet var så stort at hun nesten ikke kunne se toppen på det, og det var et under så tykt som det var; nederste delen av treet var rød som blod, og treleggen oppover var fager og grønn, men oppe i greinene var det snehvitt; det var mange store greiner på treet, noen langt oppe og noen langt nede, og greinene var så store at hun syntes de bredde seg over hele Norge og enda lenger.»

Denne drømmen tolkes av mange som et varsel om sin sønn som skulle komme. Den grønne stammen var et tegn på blomstring av hans rike, øverst var treet hvitt, noe som tydet på at han ville bli gammel og hvithåret. Mange kvister og greiner på treet varslet om at han ville få mange avkom, som ville bli spredd utover hele landet.

Ragnvald Knaphövde (Knapphode) var konge av Sverige i 1125–1126 og blir bare nevnt i vestgøtalovens kongeliste. Hans foreldre er ukjent, men det har vært antydet at han kan ha vært en sønn av en Olof Näskonung eller Inge Stenkilsson den eldre, men han var uansett i slekt med den stenkilske ætten eller med de gamle kongene fra Uppsala for å kunne bli valgt til konge.

I og med kong Inge den yngres død på begynnelsen av 1120-tallet kom Sverige inn i en urolig tid. Det historiske kildegrunnlaget for perioden er magert, men en av de personer som navnes er kong Ragnvald Knaphövde. Han ble på midten av 1120-tallet valgt til konge av uppsveaerne og østgøtene. Vestgøtene hadde derimot valgt den danske prinsen Magnus den sterke til sin konge.

Da Ragnvald hadde blitt valgt til konge ved Morasteinen bega han seg ut på den obligatoriske reisen rundt i Sverige, den såkalte «Eriksgata», for å bli akseptert som konge ved de lokale tingene. Da han kom til Vestergøtaland, men uten å ha sikret seg gisler i henhold til gammel sed og skikk ble han overfalt av lagmannen og bøndene og slått i hjel ved Karleby i nærheten av dagens Falköping i 1126.

Tilnavnet knaphövde kommer av at Ragnvald skal ha hatt et særdeles lite og rundt hode.

Hans datter Ingrid Ragnvaldsdatter (død en gang etter 1161) ble gift med kong Harald Gille, konge av Norge i tiden 1130–1136, og hun fødte ham Inge Haraldsson, også kalt for Inge Krokrygg (1135–1161).

Reginar I Longneck^[1] (c. 850 – 915)^[2] was the Duke of Lorraine from 910 until his death. He stands at the head of the clan of Reginarids, an important Lotharingian noble family.

He was the son of Gilbert, Count of the Maasgau, and a daughter of Lothair I of whom the name is not known (Hiltrude, Bertha, Irmgard, and Gisela are good candidates).

He succeeded his father in the Maasgau and was the lay abbot of Echternach between 897 and 915, of Maastricht from before May 898, and of Stablo and Malmedy between 900 and 902.

He was the Count of Mons when in 870 he and Franco, Bishop of Liège, led an army against the Vikings in Walacria. He, as Duke of Hesbaye and Hainault, and Radbold led aFrisian army with against the forces of Rollo a little later, but were forced back to his fortresses.

In an 877 capitulary from Quierzy, he appears alongside his father as one of the regents of the kingdom during Charles the Bald's absence on campaign in Italy. A Reginar appears at the Siege of Paris in 886, but this may be an uncle or nephew. The name "Reginar" or "Reginhar" (French: Régnier or Rainier) was commonplace in his family.

Reginar was originally a supporter of Zwentibold in 895, but he broke with the king in 898. He and some other magnates who had been key to Zwentibold's election three years earlier then took the opportunity provided by the death of Odo of West Francia to invite Charles the Simple to become king in Lotharingia. His lands were confiscated, but he refused to give them up and entrenched himself at Durfost, downstream from Maastricht. Representatives of Charles, Zwentibold, and the Emperor Arnulf met at Sankt Goar and determined that the succession should go to Louis the Child. Zwentibold was killed by the rebels in battle in August 900.

At first, Louis appeared to be opposed to Reginar when he appointed Gebhard as his deputy in Lotharingia, but the two were never at war. In 908, Reginar recuperated the Hainault after the death of Sigard. Then, after the death of Gebhard in 910, in battle with the Magyars, Reginar appears as his successor. He led the magnates in opposing Conrad I of Germany and electing Charles the Simple their king. He was given the title marchio by Charles in 915. He never appears as the Duke of Lorraine, but he was definitely the military commander of the region under Charles. He himself was succeeded by his son Gilbert; however, the Reginarids did not succeed in establishing their supremacy in Lotharingia like the Liudolfings or Liutpoldings did in the duchies of Saxony and Bavaria.

Family

By his wife Hersinda (or Alberada), who predeceased him, Reginar left the following children:

• Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine
• Reginar II, Count of Hainaut
• Balderic, Bishop of Utrecht
• Frederick, Archbishop of Mainz
• a daughter, who married Berengar, Count of Namur

Balderic of Utrecht, Bishop of Utrecht, listed as child of Reginar and Hersinda above, is attached to the biography which claims that he was an uncle of Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine, and the son of different parents.

Robert III (800–834), also called Rutpert, was the Count of Worms and Rheingau of the illustrious Frankish family called the Robertians. He was the son of Robert of Hesbaye.

By his wife Waldrada d'Orleans he had his only recorded son Robert the Strong. His first cousin was Ermengard, wife of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious. His cousin Chrodogangwas Archbishop of Metz and abbot of the Lorsch Abbey. An uncle of Robert was Count Cancor, founder of the Lorsch Abbey. Via Robert the Strong he was grandfather of two kings ofWestern Francia named Odo and Robert. He was the great-great-grandfather of Hugo Capet, the founder of the Capetian dynasty that ruled France until the French Revolution in 1792, and then again from 1814 until 1848 with the exception of the Hundred Days in 1815.

Rudolph I (859 – October 25, 912) was King of (Upper or Transjurane) Burgundy from his election in 888 until his death.

Rudolph belonged to the elder Welf family and was the son of Conrad, Count of Auxerre and Waldrada of Worms. From his father he inherited the lay abbacy of St Maurice en Valais, making him the most powerful magnate in Upper Burgundy - present-day western Switzerland and the Franche-Comté.

After the deposition and death of Charles the Fat, the nobles and leading clergy of Upper Burgundy met at St Maurice and elected Rudolph as king. Apparently on the basis of this election, Rudolph claimed the whole of Lotharingia, taking much of modern Lorraine and Alsace - but his claim was contested by Arnulf of Carinthia, the new king of East Francia or Germany, who rapidly forced Rudolph to abandon Lotharingia in return for recognition as king of Burgundy. However, hostilities between Rudolph and Arnulf seem to have continued intermittently until 894.

Rudolph's relationships with his other neighbours were friendlier. His sister Adelaide married Richard the Justiciar, duke of Burgundy (the present day Burgundy, part of west Francia). His daughter another Adelaide married Louis the Blind of Provence (Lower Burgundy), and his daughter Willa married Boso of Tuscany.

Rudolph was succeeded as king of Burgundy by his son, Rudolph II. Rudolf I's widow, queen Guilla, married in 912 Hugh of Arles.

This Rudolph is frequently confused with his nephew Rudolph of France, who was the second duke of Burgundy and ninth king of France.

Rzepicha (pronounced [ʐɛˈpixa]) (also Rzepka) was the wife of the semi-legendary Piast the Wheelwright (founder of the Piast dynasty) and the mother of Siemowit. She is mentioned inGallus Anonymus' Polish Chronicle (Cronicae et gesta ducum sive principum Polonorum),^[1] where her name is explicitly referred to twice.

According to Gallus Anonymus, she lived in the 9th century. Her ancestors are unknown. In the story described in the chronicle she keeps a house together with Piast and hospitably entertains two guests who came to Piast to celebrate their son's first haircut.

Siegfried (or Sigefroy) (c. 922 – 28 October 998) is considered the first count of Luxembourg. He was actually count in the Moselgau and the Ardennes. He was also the advocate of the abbeys of Saint-Maximin de Trêves and Saint-Willibrord d'Echternach. He is speculated to be the son of Count Palatine Wigeric of Lotharingia and Cunigunda. He is the founder of the House of Luxembourg, a cadet branch of the House of Ardennes.

He had possessions from his father in Upper Lorraine. If his title of "count" is not in dispute, the extent of the lands he possessed remains unclear.^[1]:19 The dispersed and limited nature of his territories may have induced him to engage in an expansionist policy. From 958, he set his eyes on the territories of count Warner in the region of Bodeux, near the Benedictine Abbey of Stavelot. However, the abbot of Stavelot, Werinfried, reluctant to have an amibitious landowner as his neighbour, acquired the village of Bodeux himself in 959.^[1]:19

As Siegfried's ambitions to expand towards the Meuse had failed, and as he was unwilling to move towards the powerful episcopal cities of Trier or Metz, which ruled out expanding towards the Moselle, he turned his attention towards a meander in the Alzette valley.^[1]:19

In the mid-10th century, Siegfried acquired the rocky promontory known as Lucilinburhuc and its immediate surrounding area in this meander, as well as usage rights for the river, from the Abbey of Saint-Maximin in Trier; this was in exchange for a plot of land he owned near Feulen.^[1]:19 The deed for the exchange was not drawn up until 987; although the plots of land involved were tiny, the transaction was evidently a significant one: the document bears the seals of Bruno, archbishop of Cologne and brother of emperor Otto I; Henry, archbishop of Trier; and Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine, who was Siegfried's brother.^[1]:20

Historical knowledge of the early years of the fortress and town of Luxembourg, as it would become known, is limited. It is known that in 963 Siegfried built a stronghold, a castellum Lucilinburhuc, around which a town started to grow. In fact, whether he built a new structure, or restored an existing building on the site, is another unknown.^[1]:20 Siegfried gradually extended his territory towards the west, whilst making sure not to encroach on the Abbey's lands, as well as those of the emperor, Otto.^[1]:20

Though he used the title of count, the title "count of Luxembourg" was only applied to William some 150 years later.

Siegfried remained a loyal servant of the Holy Roman Emperors: at the death of Otto II in 983, he fought at the side of the widowed Empress consort and regent Theophanu against the ambitions of Lothair of France.^[1]:20

Around 950, he married Hedwig of Nordgau (937–992), daughter of Eberhard IV of Nordgau. They had the following issue:

• Henry I of Luxembourg
• Siegfried, cited in 985
• Frederick I, Count of Salm and Luxembourg, married Ermentrude of Gleiberg, daughter of Heribert I, Count of Gleiberg and Ermentrud (Imizi).
• Dietrich, bishop of Metz
• Adalberon, canon of Trier
• Gislebert (d.1004), count in the Moselgau
• Cunigunda, married Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
• Eve, married Gerard, Count of Metz
• Ermentrude, abbess
• Luitgarde, married Arnulf, Count of Holland
• a daughter, married Thietmar

Siemomysł or Ziemomysł (died c. 950–960^[1]) was the third pagan Polans duke of the Piast dynasty, and the father of Poland's first historical ruler, Mieszko I. He was listed by Gallus Anonymous in his Gesta principum Polonorum and was the son of Lestek, the second known Duke of the Polans. According to Gallus' account and historical research, Siemomysł has been credited with leaving the lands of Polans, Goplans and Masovians to his son Mieszko I, who further expanded them during his reign.^[2]

According to modern Polish historian Henryk Łowmiański, Siemomysł aided the Ukrani uprising against the Germans in 954 AD.

He supposedly reigned from around 930 (although some historians believe that he reigned from around 950). Siemomysł united the lands of Polanie, Goplanie, and Mazowszanie(however, some historians think that perhaps his father did it first). His burial place is unknown.

Siemomysł's wife (or wives) is unknown. There is a theory that Włodzisław's (prince of the Lędzianie tribe) daughter could have been Siemomysł's wife, but there is no historical evidence to support this. Formerly it was thought that his wife was named Gorka, but Oswald Balzer refuted this view in 1895.

Children

• Mieszko I of Poland
• Czcibor (died after 972)
• unknown son (died 963)

Siemowit (also Ziemowit) was, according to the chronicles of Gallus Anonymus, the son of Piast the Wheelwright and Rzepicha. He was considered one of the four legendary Piastprinces, but is now considered as a ruler who existed as a historical person.^[1]

He became the Duke of the Polans in the 9th century after his father, Piast the Wheelwright, son of Chościsko, refused to take the place of legendary Duke Popiel. Siemowit was elected as new duke by the wiec.^[2] According to a popular legend, Popiel was then eaten by mice in his tower on the Gopło lake.^[3]

The only mention of Siemowit, along with his son, Lestek, and grandson, Siemomysł, comes in the medieval chronicle of Gallus Anonymus.^[4]

Siemowit's great grandson, Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty, is considered the first ruler of Poland to be baptized, though evidence of Arian Christians predating his reign was discovered in south Poland.

Sigurd Fåvnesbane var en germansk helt som ifølge legenden var sønn av Sigmund og Hjørdis. Sigurd klarte å drepe dragen Fåvne med sverdet Gram og sikret seg dermed en stor skatt. Hans liv er beskrevet i heltediktene i Den eldre Edda og i det tyske Nibelungenlied (diktet om Nivlungene) og i Volsungesaga.

En kan gå ut fra at sagnet er spunnet sammen av forskjellige historiske hendelser fra forskjellig tid. Motivet går igjen på kunstverk fra middelalderen, spesielt er det i norsk kontekst kjent en portal fra Hylestad stavkirke hvor det er utskåret flere motiver fra sagnet.

Dersom sagnet om Sigurd ses symbolsk er det ifølge nyere litteraturforskning mye som taler for at Sigurd Fåvnesbane er identisk med cheruskerkongen Arminius (16 f.Kr. – 21 e.Kr.).^[1] I år 9lokket han tre av keiser Augustus' legioner (lindorm, ca. 6 km lange tog av soldater) i et bakhold, ved Teutoburger Wald (Gnitaheide, rundt 1150 stadfestet av den islandske abbeden Nikulás) og tilintetgjorde disse, senere kjent som slaget ved Teutoburgerskogen. Etter dette nederlaget ga romerne opp å utvide romerriket nordover. Arminius var det romerske navnet, det germanske navnet er ikke kjent, men en vet at de fleste menn i ætten på denne tiden hadde navn som begynte med Segi. Et interessant indisium er at Sigurd i diktene ofte blir symbolisert av en hjort, noe som egentlig ikke passer riktig til en hærfører - men hjorten var kjeruskenes totemdyr.

Sigurd Håkonsson ladejarl (født ca. 890 død 962) var jarl av Trøndelag og Håløygaland. Han arvet jarletittelen etter sin far som var en alliert av Harald Hårfagre under rikssamlingen og som etablerte Lade gård som hovedsete for ladejarlene. Sigurds far døde engang mellom 900 og 920.

Sigurd var sønn av Håkon Grjotgardsson Ladejarl, og bror til Grjotgard Håkonsson, Herlaug Håkonsson, Åsa Håkonsdatter. Han ble gift med Bergljot Toresdatter, datter av Tore Ragnvaldsson Mørejarl (Tore Teiande), og han fikk sønnen Håkon Sigurdsson Ladejarl med henne. Brødrene Grjotgard og Herlaug falt i slaget ved Solskjel. Søsteren Åsa ble gift med kong Harald Hårfagre^[1] og fikk fire barn med ham: Guttorm, Halvdan Svarte, Halvdan Kvite (de var tvillinger) og Sigfred.

Da motstanden mot kong Eirik Blodøks i løpet av kort tid vokste seg massiv, tok Sigurd initiativ til å hente den yngste sønnen til Harald Hårfagre. Håkon den gode (Adalsteinfostre), fra sin fosterfar kong Adalstein i England. Sigurd hadde under kong Håkon den godes tid både en selvstendig posisjon i Trøndelag og en innflytelsesrik stilling som kongens venn og rådgiver. Han søkte spesielt å megle mellom kongen og folk under kongens forsøk på å innføre kristendommen.^[2] Sigurd jarl holdt hardt på den gamle troen mens kong Håkon var blitt døpt i England og var kristen. Dette ga Sigurd en sterk posisjon i den hedensk-dominerte Trøndelag.

Høsten 962 ble Sigurd overfalt av Harald Gråfell og hans bror Erling på Aglo (nå Skatval) i Stjørdal og brent inne mens han var på gjestebud. Denne ugjerningen førte til det varige uvennskapet mellom Hårfagreætta og ladejarlene. Ved å alliere seg med danskekongen Harald Blåtann klarte Sigurds sønn Håkon Sigurdsson Ladejarl å ikke bare opprettholde sitt jarledømme, men var i realiteten norsk enehersker fra 970 til 995.

Sigurd Hart or Sigurd Hjort was a legendary king of Ringerike in Norway, who appears in Ragnarssona þáttr and in Halfdan the Black's saga.

Ragnarssona þáttr informs that he was the son of Helgi the Sharp (the great-great-grandson of king King of Ringerike) of the Dagling dynasty and Aslaug. She was the daughter of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (one of Ragnar Lodbrok's sons) and Blaeja, the daughter of king Aelle II of Northumbria. When Sigurd Hart was only twelve years old he slew a berserker named Hildibrand in a duel, and eleven other men. He married Ingeborg, the daughter of the Jutishchieftain Harald Klak. Sigurd and Ingeborg had the children Guttorm and Ragnhild. When his uncle king Fróði of Ringerike died, Sigurd went to Norway to succeed him as king.

Ragnarssona þáttr and Halfdan the Black's saga relate that a berseker from Hadeland named Haki killed Sigurd, but lost a hand in the fight. Then Haki went to Sigurd's residence at Stein and took Sigurd's children Ragnhild and Guttorm. Haki returned with the children and all the loot to Hadeland. Before Haki recuperated from his wounds and could marry the 15 or 20 year old Ragnhild, she was captured a second time, by Halfdan the Black. Halfdan and Ragnhild were the parents of Harald Fairhair.

Excerpt from Halfdan the Black's saga:^[1] Sigurd Hjort was the name of a king in Ringerike, who was stouter and stronger than any other man, and his equal could not be seen for a handsome appearance. His father was Helge Hvasse (the Sharp); and his mother was Aslaug, a daughter of Sigurd the snake-eyed, who again was a son of Ragnar Lodbrok. It is told of Sigurd that when he was only twelve years old he killed in single combat the berserk Hildebrand, and eleven others of his comrades; and many are the deeds of manhood told of him in a long saga about his feats. Sigurd had two children, one of whom was a daughter, called Ragnhild, then twenty years of age, and an excellent brisk girl. Her brother Guthorm was a youth. It is related in regard to Sigurd's death that he had a custom of riding out quite alone in the uninhabited forest to hunt the wild beasts that are hurtful to man, and he was always very eager at this sport. One day he rode out into the forest as usual, and when he had ridden a long way he came out at a piece of cleared land near to Hadeland. There the berserk Hake came against him with thirty men, and they fought. Sigurd Hjort fell there, after killing twelve of Hake's men; and Hake himself lost one hand, and had three other wounds. Then Hake and his men rode to Sigurd's house, where they took his daughter Ragnhild and her brother Guthorm, and carried them, with much property and valuable articles, home to Hadeland, where Hake had many great farms.

Sigurd Orm-i-auga var en av sønnene til den legendariske danske vikinghøvdingen Ragnar Lodbrok og hans hustru, den likeså legendariske Åslaug Sigurdsdatter, også kalt for Kråka^[1]. Sigurd var bror til Ivar Beinlause, Halvdan Kvitserk, Bjørn Jernside, Eirik Vindhatt og noen til, og i den grad Sigurd selv og brødrene hans var historiske skikkelser spilte de en betydelig rolle i småkongedømmene rundt Nordsjøen, det vil si Norge, Sverige, Danmark, Englandog til dels også Irland på slutten av 700-tallet og begynnelsen av 800-tallet.

Sigurd Orm-i-augas betydning ligger i hans mytologiske forbindelse som mellomledd til de gamle tider for såvel det danske som det norske kongehuset. Denne forbindelsen betydde en direkte nedstamming fra Odin selv. Forutensagaene nevnes Sigurd Orm-i-auga også i Roskilde-krøniken.

Ormen i øyet

Sigurd har et av de mest beskrivende tilnavn i den norrøne sagatradisjonen, men det er samtidig noe uklart hva det innebærer. Det kan henspille på en fysisk skavank, at han hadde en misdannelse i øyet som en sirkel i iris som minnet om en slange som biter seg i halen, eller at iris var avlang som hos en katt eller slange. Det kan også ha vært en overført betydning, som at han ga noen «det onde øye» ved intens stirring, kanskje hvis han hadde en skade i øyelokket slik at det ikke lukket seg normalt.

Mytologiske slektsbånd

Sigurd var sammen med brødrene det slektsmessige bindeleddet for både det norske og det danske kongehuset tilbake til rene mytologiske figurer uten historisk relevans, men som hadde relevans i den nære samtiden, blant annet at det ga nedstamming tilbake til Odin. Moren Åslaug eller Kråka var i tillegg en påstått datter av den legendariske Sigurd Fåvnesbane og valkyrjen Brynhild.

I henhold til Snorre Sturlasson var moren til den norske samlingskongen Harald Hårfagre en kvinne ved navn Ragnhild som var datter av Sigurd Hjort, småkonge på Ringerike i Norge. Sigurd var sønn av Åslaug Sigurdsdatter, datter av Sigurd Orm-i-auga. Det gir fire generasjoner mellom Harald Hårfagre og Ragnar Lodbrok som herjet England på begynnelsen av 800-tallet. Flere av sønnene hans var således i live da Harald Hårfagre etter tradisjonen seiret islaget ved Hafrsfjord i 872, noe som setter et spørsmålstegn ved denne forbindelsen.

For Danmark knytter Hardeknut den første sin ætt tilbake til Sigurd Orm-i-auga, skjønt forbindelsen synes like skrøpelig som over, men nok til at Hardeknuts sønn Gorm den gamle, og dennes sønn Harald Blåtann og videre til dennes sønn Svein Tjugeskjegg også etablerte en ætt tilbake til en mytologisk fortid og tidligere tiders helter. Hardeknut, født en gang på 880-tallet, skal ha vært sønnen til en ellers ukjent Svein (Sweyn) i henhold til Tåtten om Ragnarsønnene (Þáttr af Ragnars sonum eller Ragnarssona þáttr), og som igjen var en sønnesønn av Sigurd Orm-i-auga.

Via Sigurd Orm-i-auga og Ragnar Lodbrok stammet altså både det norske som det danske kongehuset tilbake til Odin selv.

Den samme islandske tåtten forteller at da Sigurds far Ragnar døde arvet sønnen Sjælland, Skåne, Halland (i Sverige), danske øyer og Viken i dagens Oslofjordområde. Det synes urimelig at en småkonge hadde makt over så store områder, skjønt deler av de overnevnte er ikke usannsynlig, og Viken er minst sannsynlig, men slekts- og lojalitetsbånd via strategisk giftemål er dog sannsynlig.

Sigurds barn og etterkommere

Sigurd skal ha giftet seg med en «Blaeja» eller «Blæja»^[2], datteren til angelsaksiske kongen Ælla II av Northumbria. Angelsakseren hadde drept faren Ragnar Lodbrok ved å kaste ham ned i en ormegrop. Sigurd og brødrene hans tok senere hevn ved erobre Northumbria og torturerte i hjel kong Ælla. Med sin hustru skal Sigurd ha fått barna Åslaug (gift i Norge) og muligens en Hardeknut (enten farfar til den danske kongen Hardeknut den første, eller identisk med denne)

Sigurds datter Åslaug ble gift med Helge den kvasse (Helgi hinn hvassi), som selv nedstammet fra den mytologiske kong Ring av Ringerike. Deres sønn Sigurd Hjort (Helgesson) (Sigurður hjörtur) giftet seg med Ingeborg, datteren av Harald Klakk, småkonge eller høvding av Jylland i Danmark. Sigurd og Ingeborg fikk barna Guttorm Sigurdsson og Ragnhild Sigurdsdatter. Da deres onkel Frode, småkonge av Ringerike, døde etterfulgte Sigurd Hjort ham som høvding.

Både Tætten om Ragnarsønnene og Halvdan Svartes saga^[3] forteller om Sigurd Orm-i-augas sønnesønn Sigurd Hjort som enestående mann, vakrere og sterkere enn noen annen mann, og allerede i tolvårsalderen skal han ha drept en berserk. Sigurd Hjort skal senere ha blitt drept av en berserk fra Hadeland ved navn Hake (Håkon?) som deretter dro til Sigurds gård og tok datteren Ragnhild og sønnen Guttorm som gisler. Han tenkte å gifte seg med Ragnhild, men såret fra en avhogd hånd fra slaget med Sigurd Hjort plagde ham slik at tvangsbryllupet ble utsatt. Halvdan Svarte, en småkonge på Romerike, hadde hørt om dette og ville erobre Hadeland og selv ekte Sigurd Hjorts datter Ragnhild og slik gikk det, i henhold til sagaen.

Snorre slår fast denne dynastiske forbindelsen: Mor til Ragnhild skal ha vært Tyrne (eller Ingeborg), datter av kong Klakk-Harald i Jylland (Harald Klakk), søster av Tyre Danmarksbot (Tyra Danebod) som var gift med kong Gorm den gamle av Danmark.

Ragnhild Sigurdsdatter blir således mor til Harald Hårfagre og drømmer Norgeshistoriens viktigste drøm: en torn som vokser seg til et tre som strekker seg over hele Norge, og spår således at hennes barn skal bli konge av hele Norge, og gir således Hårfagreætten en dynastisk odelsrett til Norge.

Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden^[1] and most notably the Ramsund carving (c. 1000) and the Gök Runestone (11th century).

As Siegfried, he is one of the heroes in the German Nibelungenlied, and Richard Wagner's operas Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.

As Sivard Snarensven(d) he was the hero of several medieval Scandinavian ballads.

The name Sigurðr is not the same name as the German Siegfried. The Old Norse form would have been Sigruþr, a form which appears in the Ramsund carving that depicts the legend.^[2]Sivard is another variant name of Sigurðr; these name forms all share the first element Sig-, which means victory.

Skofte Ogmundsson eller Agmundsson, også kjent som Skofte fra Giske (død 1103) var en norsk lendmann av Giske-ætten som på begynnelsen av 1100-tallet lot utruste en korsferd.

Skofte var sønn av Ogmund Torbergsson, gift med Gudrun Tordsdatter, datter av Tord Foleson, og far til sønnene Ogmund, Finn og Tord, og døtrene Tora og Ragnhild. Tora ble gift med Åsolv Skuleson på Rein.

Sammen med sine tre sønner dro Skofte omkring 1101 ut på korsferd. De seilte gjennom Gibraltarstredet (Njørvasund) med fem skip, men 1103 døde alle de fire lederne på reisen, og deres følgesvenner, som samme år kom frem tilPalestina, vendte snart tilbake. Omtrent samtidig (10. juli 1103) var den danske kongen Erik Eiegod død på Kypros på vei til Det hellige land. Den neste korsferden som utgikk fra Skandinavia var kong Sigurd Jorsalfares i 1107.

Svanhild Øysteinsdotter (Svanhildi Eysteinsdóttir) var en av Harald Hårfagres hustruer.

Hun var datter av Øystein Jarl, og sammen med Harald Hårfagre fikk hun barna

• Bjørn Farmann (Björn farmann) – ca. 900 – 927
• Olav Haraldsson Geirstadalf (Ólaf Haraldsson) – f. ca. 890
• Ragnar Rykkel (Ragnar rykkill)

Svend "Tronkræver" (død 1104) var søn af Svend Estridsen. Efter at broderen Erik Ejegod var død på Cypern, forsøgte Svend blive hans efterfølger som dansk konge.

På vej til kongevalget på landstinget blev han syg. For at rivalerne ikke skulle komme ham i forkøbet, forsatte han alligevel rejsen, men døde af strabadserne. I stedet blev broderen Niels konge.

Han var far til Henrik Skadelår.

Teutberga (died 11 November 875) was a daughter of Bosonid Boso the Elder and sister of Hucbert, the lay-abbot of St. Maurice's Abbey.

For political reasons, to forge ties of kinship with the Carolingian dynasty, the imperial family of Francia, in 855 she was married to the Carolingian Lothair II, the second son of Emperor Lothair I.^[1] It is very probably that Lothar II, at the time of marriage, already had a mistress named Waldrada, who, according to historian Baron Ernouf, was of noble Gallo-Roman family,^[2] whose brother, Thietgaud, was the bishop of Trier and her uncle, Ghunter, wasarchbishop of Cologne,^[3] while, according to the Annales Novienses, she was the sister of Ghunter.^[4] According to the Vita Sancti Deicoli, Waldrada was related to Eberhard II, Count of Nordgau (included Strasbourg) family ofEtichonids.^[5]

Soon after their marriage, Lothair's father died and Lothair II inherited Middle Francian territory west of the Rhine stretching from the North Sea to the Jura mountains. Teutberga was not capable of bearing children and Lothair's reign was chiefly occupied by his efforts to obtain an annulment of their marriage, prompted also by his affection for Waldrada. His relations with his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German were influenced by his desire to obtain their support for this endeavor. Although quarrels and reconciliations between the three kings followed each other in quick succession, generally Louis favoured annulment, and Charles opposed it, while neither lost sight of the fact that Lothair had no legitimate sons to inherit his lands.

In 857 Lothair imprisoned Teutberga accusing her of incest with her brother Hucbert before their marriage. A church synod of all the bishops of Lotharingia held at the behest of Lothair II concerning his accusations was presided over by archbishops Ghunter and Thietgaud, both Waldrada's relations.^[6] But Hucbert took up arms on her behalf, and after she had submitted successfully to the ordeal of boiling water, Lothair was compelled to restore her in 858.

Still pursuing his purpose, Lothair won the support of his brother, Emperor Louis II, by a cession of lands and obtained the consent of the local clergy to the annulment and to his marriage with Waldrada, which took place in 862. A synod of Frankish bishops met at Metz in 863 and confirmed this decision. Teutberga escaped and took refuge in the court of Charles the Bald. She appealed to Pope Nicholas I who voided the decision of the synod and Lothair's marriage to Waldrada. An attack on Rome by the emperor was without result, and in 865 Lothair was threatened with excommunication and was convinced that Louis and Charles at their recent meeting had discussed the partition of his kingdom. Lothair accepted the pope's ruling and again took Teutberga back.

Teutberga, however, either from inclination or compulsion, now expressed her desire for an annulment, and Lothair went to Italy to obtain the assent of the new pope, Adrian II. Placing a favourable interpretation upon the words of the pope, he set out on the return journey, when he was seized with fever and died at Piacenza on 8 August 869. Teutberge then retired to the abbey of St. Glossinde of Metz until her death on 11 November 875.

The illegitimate status of Lothair II's only son, Hugo, by Waldrada, was not rectified before Lothair's death, and Lothair's kingdom was divided between his uncles Charles the Bald and Louis the German by the Treaty of Meerssen.

Theobald (c. 854-895), count of Arles, was a Frank from the Bosonid-family.

He was a son of Hucbert and married Bertha, an illegitimate daughter of Lothair II, King of Lotharingia, who was renowned for her beauty and spirit.

They had two sons Hugh of Italy and Boso of Tuscany.

Thorbern Sunesen (Torben) (ca. 1150 – 1198) blev dræbt ved Oder i slaget mod markgreve Otto 2. af Brandenburg.

Han var søn af Sune Ebbesen (død 1186) og Cæcilia. Thorbern Sunesen er begravet i Sorø.

Thyra Danebod var en dansk dronning, gift med kong Gorm den gamle og mor til Harald Blåtann. Man antar at hun ledet en hær mot tyskerne.

Tyra har blitt referert til som en kvinne med stor klokskap. Den eneste skriftlige kilden som bekrefter henne som noe annet en sagndronning er tekstene pårunesteinene på Jellinge. Tilnavnet «Danebod» er avledet av de to siste ord på «Den lille Jellingsteinen»: «Danmarks bod». Det er likevel noe usikkert om teksten henviser til henne eller Gorm, og faktisk også hva ordet betyr.

 

Framsiden av den lille Jellingsteinen.

Foto: Jürgen Howaldt

Da Gorm reiste steinen som minne over Tyra må man gå ut fra at hun døde før ham, altså en gang før år 958. Ut ifra det kan har man antatt at hun ble født helt i begynnelsen av 900-tallet, men vi vet lite om hennes opprinnelse. Det er motstridende opptegnelser om hennes foreldre. Saxo Grammaticus sier at hun var datter av «Æthelred, konge av England», hvilket i så fall må ha vært Ethelred av Wessex, men denne informasjonen regnes ikke som sannsynlig eller troverdig. Snorre Sturlasson, som skrev over 300 år etter at Tyra levde, mener at hennes far var en konge eller jarl av Jylland eller kanskje Holstein (som i dag er et område i Nordtyskland) og het Harald Klakk Halvdansson. Uansett riktighet er Snorre langt mer troverdig enn Saxo.

Tradisjonen vil ha det til at hun var ansvarlig for å bygge Danevirke, en forsvarmur langs grensen helt syd i Danmark. Den lille Jellingsteinen som Gorm reiste, referer som nevnt til henne som «Danmarks bot», mest sannsynligvis i betydningen «den sombøtet på/forbedret/hjalp Danmark». Det kan henspille på at hun ledet en hær mot tyskerne.

Tradisjonen vil også ha det til at før Tyra aksepterte å gifte seg med Gorm insisterte hun på at han bygget et nytt hus som hun kunne sove i for de første tre nettene av vinteren. For hver av nettene drømte hun en drøm. Drømmene ble fortalt på bryllupsfesten og fortolket, skjønt de var ikke originale ved at de imiterer drømmene Farao hadde som ble fortolket av Josef i Første Mosebok: oksespannet som kommer opp av havet (fruktbar høst) og fugler (ære for den konge som skal bli født). Med Gorm født hun senere Harald Blåtann som etterfulgte Gorm som konge av Danmark.

En annen myte som ble fortalt var at hennes datter ble fanget av troll og fraktet vekk til et rike som langt nord, hinsides Hålogaland og Bjarmeland.

Tora Jonsdatter (ca. 1045-ca. 1070 eller senere) var frillen til kong Olav Kyrre (ca. 1050–1093) og fødte kongens eneste sønn, Magnus Olavsson, den senere kong Magnus Berrføtt.

Snorre Sturlasson skriver i den korte Olav Kyrres saga at «Olav, Norges konge, ble gift med Ingerid (Ingrid), datter til Svend (Estridsson) danekonge. Og Olav Sveinsson danekonge ble gift med Ingegjerd, datter til kong Harald, søster til Olav, Norges konge. Olav Haraldsson, som noen kalte Olav Kyrre (den rolige), og mange Olav bonde, fikk en sønn med Tora Jonsdotter. Han fikk navnet Magnus. Han var en vakker gutt og lovte godt; han vokste opp i hirden hos kongen».

Olav Kyrre fikk ikke barn med sin danskfødte dronning, men derimot med sin norske frille Tora. Snorre mener hun var datter av en mann ved navn Jon mens andre kilder oppgir at hennes far het Ragnvald. Mogens Bugge hevder i boken «Våre forfedre» at faren i henhold til manuskriptet Adversaria Huitfeldiana (fra ca. 1600 hvor det finnes en avskrift av islandske annaler som senere har gått tapt) het Ragnvald Jarl. Rundt 1070 var hun gift med jarl Ljot (Eilivsson?). En del år senere fikk hun også barn med Brynjulf Ulvalde som hun var gift med.

Tora Mosterstong (Þóra Morsturstöng) var en av Harald Hårfagres friller. Hun kalles også Thora Mostaff.

Sammen med Harald Hårfagre fikk hun Håkon den gode (Haraldsson) (Hákon Aðalsteinsfóstri), ca. 921 – 961, konge i Norge ca. 935 – 961. Han regnes som uekte barn, fordi Tora var Harald Hårfagres frille.

Ifølge Snorres Harald Hårfagres saga kommer hun fra Horda-Kåres (Hörða-Kára) ætt fra Moster:

«Da kong Harald var nesten 70 år gammel, fikk han en sønn med en kvinne som het Tora og ble kalt Mosterstang, hennes ætt var fra Moster, og hun hadde gode frender, hun var skyld til Horda-Kåre. Hun var en staut kvinne og svært vakker; hun ble regnet som kongens tjenestejente. Det var mange den gang som gjorde tjeneste hos kongen, enda de var av god ætt, både menn og kvinner. Når det gjaldt storfolks barn, var det skikk å være svært nøye med hvem som skulle øse vann over dem og gi dem navn. Da det nå led mot den tid Tora ventet hun skulle føde barnet, ville hun reise til kong Harald, han var da nord på Seim, og hun var på Moster. Hun seilte så nordover på Sigurd jarls skip. De lå ved land om natten, og der fødte Tora barnet oppe på hella ved langangen; det var en gutt. Sigurd jarl øste vann over gutten og kalte ham opp etter sin egen far Håkon Ladejarl; gutten ble snart vakker og stor av vekst og lignet svært på sin far. Harald lot gutten følge moren, og de to var på kongsgårdene mens gutten var liten.»

En bronsestatue av henne står i Mostraparken i Mosterhamn, og det er innstiftet en egen Tora Mostrastongpris som deles ut i forbindelse med Kristkongane på Moster (Mostraspelet) som har blitt satt opp av Bømloteateret i Moster Amfi siden 1984.

Tora Skagesdatter (norrønt: Þóra Skagasdóttir) var gift med ladejarlen Håkon Sigurdsson som var norsk regent (jarl av Norge) fra 970 til 995. Hun var datter av Skage Skoftesson som i Snorre Sturlassons Olav Tryggvasons sagabetegnes som «en mektig mann». Sannsynligvis var han herse på Møre, det bekreftes ihvertfall senere at hans sønn Skofte (Toras bror) innehadde den arvelige hersetittelen.^[1] Tora betegnes i Heimskringla som en «usedvanlig vakker kvinne».

Tora og Håkon hadde ifølge Snorre disse barna:

• Svein, jarl av Norge (sammen sin halvbror Eirik) 1000 - 1015. Død ca. 1016
• Heming
• Bergljot, gift med Einar Tambarskjelve
• Sigurd^[2]
• Erling, ofret av sin far under slaget ved Hjørungavåg sju år gammel
• Erlend, drept i kamp mot Olav Tryggvason i 995

Bror til Tora, hersen Skofte Skagesson, ble gift med en frillesønn av Håkon jarl som i Heimskringla kalles Ragnhild, i Fagerskinna kalles hun Ingebjørg. Skofte var en nær venn av Håkon jarl, men ble drept av Håkons eldste sønn Eirik jarl.

Tord Foleson er kjent fra slaget på Stiklestad hvor han var merkesmann for kong Olav Digre (senere helgenerklært). Han gikk i spissen med kongens merke høyt på «den fagre gyldne stand». Han falt under merket 29. juli 1030.

Historien om Tord Foleson har inspirert dikteren Per Sivle til diktet: «Tord Foleson». Siste vers fra dette diktet, her i versjon 1901, blir ofte resitert:

«Mannen kan siga,

men Merket det maa

i Noreg si Jord

som paa Stiklestad staa.

Og det er det stora,

og det er det glupa,

at Merket det stend,

um Mannen han stupa.»

Diktet blir tatt til inntekt for heltedåd og selvoppofrelse i strid, noe som har inspirert mange. Et eksempel er at første verset fantes på NS-monumentet på Stiklestad. Ironisk nok står de to siste linjene (Men merket det stend, um mannen han stupa) på et flernasjonalt minnesmerke over de omkomne i konsentrasjonsleiren Bergen-Belsen.

Tore Teiande Ragnvaldsson (født ca. 862, død før 935) ble jarl over Møre etter faren Ragnvald Mørejarls død i 892.

Han tilbød seg ca. 874, som eldste sønn til Ragnvald Mørejarl, å dra til Orknøyene for å bekjempe de brysomme vikingene der. Hans far avslo imidlertid tilbudet, fordi han hadde bestemt at Tore skulle bli hans etterfølger. Den egentlige grunn var vel at Tore dengang ennå ikke var voksen. Da Ragnvald i 892 brant inne, satte Harald Hårfagre Tore til jarl over Møre, og ga ham sin datter Ålov, henne de kalte Årbot, til ekte. Tore hadde, foruten hele Møre, også Romsdal.

Snorre skriver:
Da kong Harald var 40 år gammel, var mange av sønnene hans voksne karer, de var tidlig modne alle sammen. Da gikk det etter hvert slik at de ble misnøyde med at kongen ikke ga dem noe rike, men satte en jarl i hvert fylke; de mente jarlene var av mindre ætt enn de selv var. En vår la de av sted, Halvdan Hålegg og Gudrød Ljome, med en stor flokk og kom uventet over Ragnvald Mørejarl, kringsatte huset for ham og brente ham inne med 60 mann. Så tok Halvdan tre langskip, fant mannskap til dem og seilte vest over havet. Gudrød satte seg fast i de landene som Ragnvald jarl hadde hatt før. Men da kong Harald hørte dette, dro han straks mot Gudrød med en stor hær, og Gudrød så ingen annen utvei enn å gi seg over til kong Harald, og kongen sendte ham øst til Agder. Kong Harald satte Tore, sønn til Ragnvald jarl, over Møre, og giftet ham med Ålov, datteren sin, hun som ble kalt Årbot. Tore jarl Teiande (den tause) fikk da samme riket som hans far Ragnvald hadde hatt.

Han må være død straks før eller etter Håkon Adelstensfostres tronbestigelse i 935, da han som den mektige mann han var ikke nevnes under Håkons regjering.

Tove av Danmark, Tove fra Venden, (Tófa) (ca. 970) var dronning av Danmark ved sitt giftermål med Harald Blåtann på 960-tallet.^[1]

Tove var datter av den vendiske fyrsten Mistivoj.

Tove reiste en runesten etter sin mor rett ved det nåværende Sønder Vissing kirke (mellom Horsens og Silkeborg). Inskripsjonen lyder: Tófa lét gera kuml, Mistivis dóttir, ept móður sína, kona Haralds hins Góða, Gorms sonar. (Tove, Mistivis datter, Harald den Godes, Gorms sønns kone, lot gjøre kumbl (=runer/minnesmerke) etter sin mor.)^[2]

Det er ikke fastslått om Tove var mor til noen av Harald Blåtanns barn.

Tryggve Olavsson (født mellom 925-935, død 963^[1]) var sønn av Olav Geirstadalv Haraldsson og far til Olav Tryggvason, norsk konge 995-1000. Han var en lokal stormann på Østlandet.

Håkon Adelsteinsfostre var konge på Vestlandet etter Eirik Blodøks. I Trøndelag var han nok anerkjent som øverste herre, men her rådde først og fremst Sigurd Håkonsson Ladejarl. Noen reell innflytelse på Østlandet hadde han neppe.

Ågrip forteller at Tryggve bodde på Ranrike.^[2] Forfatteren av Fagrskinna har ingen opplysninger om hvor han bodde. Snorre forteller at kong Håkon lot brorsønnene Tryggve Olavsson og Gudrød Bjørnsson sitte med styret i Viken. I realiteten var dette dansk område på denne tiden, og det er lite trolig at Snorres beretning har noe for seg. Snorre forteller at da det i 952 brøt ut krig mot Danmark, var Tryggve i vesterviking i Irland og Skottland. Han kom hjem samme vinter og fikk da overdratt kongedømmet i Viken med plikt til å forsvare landet mot ufred. Deretter hersket han i følge Snorre uavhengig i Viken. Men han rådet også i Østfold og på Raumarike. Eirikssønnene angrep ham, men måtte vike. Etter Håkons død i 961 hersket han fremdeles i Viken. I Vestfold hersket hans unge søskenbarn, Gudrød Bjørnsson, men Tryggve var overkonge og den som styrte. I 962 inngikk han forbund med Håkon jarl, og Snorre beretter han han deltok i Håkon jarls konspirasjon mot Eirikssønnene sammen Gudrød Bjørnsson og Dale-Gudbrand.^[3]

Snorre beretter videre at Tryggve skal ha blitt drept øst for Sotenäs ved Veggir i Båhuslen i et bakhold av Gudrød Eiriksson, bror til kong Harald Gråfell

Trygve var gift med Astrid Eiriksdatter, som ifølge sagaen var datter av Eirik Bjodaskalle på Obrestad.

Udo was a 9th-century nobleman of East Francia, a son of Gebhard, Count of Lahngau, and older brother of Berengar I of Neustria. He and his brother were afforded their position in the March of Neustria both by kinship toAdalard the Seneschal and the favour of Charles the Bald.

With his brothers, Berengar and Waldo the Abbot, he took part in the 861 revolt of Carloman of Bavaria, possible his cousin-in-law, against Louis the German. The revolt was crushed and the three brothers fled with their relative Adalard to the court of the West Frankish king, Charles the Bald, who granted them wardship of the march against the Vikings while the march against the Bretons was granted to Robert the Strong.

Charles' patronage of the family provoked the jealousy of the Rorgonids, the most powerful family local to Neustria and then controlling the ducatus Cenomannicus (Maine). In 865, they allied with Saloman of Brittany and attacked the brothers. Charles, to attain peace, took the march back and gave it to Gauzfrid, a Rorgonid.

A charter of 879 mentions Udo and his brothers taking part in the foundation of the college of Gemünden. Evidently, the death of Louis the German in 876 had allowed them to return to the court of Carloman.

He left a son, Conrad, Duke of Thuringia, who was the founder of the Conradine dynasty and father of Conrad I of Germany. One younger son, Rudolf, became Bishop of Würzburg, and another, Gebhard, became Duke of Lotharingia.

Ulf Torgilsson (død 1026 i Roskilde) var jarl av Danmark. Han var sønn av Thorgils Sprakalägg, som igjen ansees å være sønn av Styrbjørn Sterke og Tyra Haraldsdatter, datter av Harald Blåtann. Torgilsson ble ca. 1015 gift medEstrid Sveindsdatter av Danmark (Knuts søster). Han var far til Svein II Estridsson, konge av Danmark.

Ulf deltok i Knut den stores invasjon av England. Han ble utnevnt til jarl av Danmark og regjerte landet i Knuts fravær. Han var også fosterfar til Knuts sønn Hardeknut. Svenskekongen Anund Jakob og den norske Olav den helligeutnyttet Knuts fravær til å angripe Danmark. Ulf fikk da overtalt de danske frimennene til å velge den unge Hardeknut til konge, siden de var misfornøyd med Knuts opphold utenfor Danmark. Som Knuts varetaker gjorde dette trekket Ulf til Danmarks egentlige hersker.

Da Knut i 1026 fikk høre om det som hadde skjedd dro han tilbake til Danmark. Med Ulfs hjelp slo han svenskene og nordmennene i slaget ved Helgeå. Dette var imidlertid ikke nok til at Knut kunne tilgi Ulf for kuppet. Ved en fest i Roskilde spilte de to svogerne sjakk og kom i krangel. Dagen derpå, juledag 1026, lot Knut en av husmennene sine drepe Ulf jarl i Treenighetskirken i Roskilde. Beretninger om de to svogerne og drapet på Ulf er motstridende.

Ulf var far til Svend Estridson og ble således stamfar til Danmarks konger fra 1047 til 1375.

Valdemar Sejr, Valdemar II av Danmark (1170 - 28. mars 1241 i Vordingborg),^[1] sønn av Valdemar I den store, var dansk konge fra 1202 til 1241. Han etterfulgte sin bror Knut, som døde barnløs.

I 1188 ble han hertug av Slesvig. Den danske ekspansjonen, som Valdemar den store hadde påbegynt ble videreført under Knut, og også under Valdemar Sejr. Først erobret hanHolsten, senere Ditmarsken, Lübeck og Hamburg.

Vratislaus (or Wratislaus) I (Czech: Vratislav I.) (c. 888 – c. 921), a scion of the Czech Přemyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 915 until his death.

He was a son of Duke Bořivoj I of Bohemia by his wife Ludmila and the younger brother of Duke Spytihněv I.

By his wife Drahomíra, a Hevellian princess, Vratislaus had at least two sons, Wenceslaus and Boleslaus, both of whom succeeded him as Bohemian dukes. Střezislava, the wife of the Bohemian nobleman Slavník, founder of the Slavník dynasty, is also held to be a daughter of Vratislaus by some historians.

Upon the death of his elder brother Spytihněv in 915, Vratislaus became Bohemian duke at a time when his duchy had already distanced itself from the political and cultural influence of Great Moravia and fallen under East Frankish, especially Bavarian influence. The Annales Fuldenses report that in the year 900 the Bavarians had attacked Moravia in alliance with the Bohemians. On the other hand, Vratislaus supported the Magyars in their 915 campaign against the Duchy of Saxony under Duke Henry the Fowler.

Vratislaus is credited with the establishment of St. George's Basilica at Prague Castle and also with the foundation of the Silesian city of Wrocław (Vratislavia). He died in battle against the Magyars, possibly in 919, although 921 is more often conjectured.

Waldrada of Worms (aka, Waldraith of Toulouse (born 801, date of death unknown) was the second wife of Conrad II, Duke of Transjurane Burgundy. They had two known children, Adelaide of Auxerre and Rudolph I of Burgundy.
She was first married to Robert III of Worms, in 819 in Wormgau, Germany. This marriage brought in 820 a son, Robert IV the Strong. The marriage ended when Robert III died in 822.

Some say her father was Saint William of Gellone. However, this may be unlikely. It is also unlikely that she is the wife of Conrad. While having been born supposedly between 790 and 801, she certainly could have been William's daughter, these dates are likely not accurate if she was also Conrad's wife. This is because her progeny with Conrad were born ca. 849 and 859, respectively. If these dates are accurate, then Waldrada had these children between the ages of 49 and 59 years old, at best. Given that menopause occurs in modern times between ages 45–55, it is possible that she was Adelaide's mother. Her being Rudolph's mother is more problematic.

What is more likely is that she and the wife of Conrad are two different people. One possible solution is that the Waldrada who married Conrad II and Robert III is the daughter of Waldrada, wife of Adrian, Count of Orléans (767-824), who may (key word) be the daughter of William of Gelone. This is all conjecture, however.

Welf (or Hwelf) I of Altdorf (died 825) was master of several counties in the southern Rhineland & Bavaria. His family became politically powerful when Louis the Pious chose his oldest daughter as his 2nd wife. Though Welf himself never became publicly prominent, his family became interwoven with the Carolingian dynasty.

He is the oldest known member of the Elder House of Welf. Welf is mentioned only once: on the occasion of the wedding of his daughter Judith with Emperor Louis the Pious in 819.

Marriage and issue

Welf married Hedwig, Duchess of Bavaria, daughter of the Saxon count Isambart; Hedwig was abbess of Chelles. They had the following children:

• Judith, Roman Empress and Frankish Queen, died 843;
• Rudolph, died 866;
• Conrad, Count of Paris, ancestor of the Welf kings of Burgundy;
• Hemma, Frankish Queen, married to Louis the German, son of Louis the Pious, died 876.

Wigeric or Wideric (French: Wigéric or Wéderic) (died before 923) was the count of the Bidgau (pagus Bedensis) and held the rights of a count within the city of Trier. He received also the advocacy of the Abbey of Saint Rumbold^{[Note 1]} at Mechelen from Charles III of France. From 915 or 916, he was the count palatine of Lotharingia. He was the founder of the House of Ardennes.

Medieval historians have been unable to precisely pin down Wigeric's origins or rise to power. He possessed lands in the region of Bitburg, in the middle Moselle valley, in the Gutland, the western Eifel, and the Meuse region.^[1]:16

At the death of Louis the Child, the Lotharingians rejected the suzerainty of Conrad I and elected Charles of France as their king. At the time, the military authority in Lotharingia was assigned to Count Reginar I of Hainaut (died 915), but at his death it fell to Wigeric, who became count palatine, exercising as such the military authority in Lotharingia.

Wigeric founded the monastery of Hastière, of which he also assumed the advocacy.

There is no historical trace of Wigeric after 919: he probably died between 916 and 919, and was buried in the monastery of Hastière.

Family

Wigeric's first wife Eva died, leaving him a widower. He then married Cunigunda, daughter of Ermentrude, granddaughter of Louis II of France, and therefore a descendant of Charlemagne.^[1] Their children were:

• Frederick (died 978), count of Bar, the duke of Upper Lorraine from 959
• Adalberon (died 962), bishop of Metz
• Gilbert (died 964), count in the Ardennes
• Sigebert (fl. c. 942)
• Gozlin (died 942), count of Bidgau, married Uda of Metz, father of:

  • Godfrey the Prisoner
  • Adalberon, Archbishop of Reims

• Siegfried, count of Luxembourg

Some genealogies record two other children, Henry and Liutgard, who were in fact son and daughter of another Wigeric, son of Roric, a contemporary living in the shire of Bidgau-Trier.

Wigeric and Cunigunda were the founders of the dynasty of the House of Ardennes. Its three branches -- Ardennes-Verdun, Ardennes-Bar and Ardennes-Luxembourg -- dominated Lorraine for a century and a half. The Ardennes family extended from Laon and Reims to Trier and Cologne, from Metz and Verdun to Liège and Anvers. Its descendants were to appear in the following positions:

• Dukes of Upper and Lower Lorraine (959-1046 and 1012-1100 respectively)
• Bishops of Metz (929-1072)
• Bishops of Laon (977-1031)
• Bishops of Reims (969-989)
• Bishops of Verdun (984-988)
• Bishops of Trier (1004-1015)

Willa, known as Willa of Tuscany, was the daughter of Boso of Tuscany. She was the wife and queen consort of Berengar II of Italy. She was the mother of Adalbert, Guy, Conradand Rozala of Italy.

She mistreated Adelaide when Berengar held her captive for several months in 951. The chronicler Liutprand of Cremona, raised at the court at Pavia, gives several particularly vivid accounts of Willa's character.^[1] After Berengar's deposition, she was held captive in a German nunnery.

William I (c. 950 – after 29 August 993), called the Liberator, was Count of Provence from 968 to his abdication. In 975 or 979, he took the title of marchio or margrave. He is often considered the founder of the county of Provence. He and his elder brother Rotbold II were sons of Boso II of Arles and Constance of Viennois, daughter of Charles-Constantine. They both carried the title of comes or count concurrently, but it is unknown if they were joint-counts of the whole of Provence or if the region was divided. His brother never bore any other title than count so long as William lived, so the latter seems to have attained a certain supremacy.

In 980, he was installed as Count of Arles. His sobriquet comes from his victories against the Saracens by which he liberated Provence from their threat, which had been constant since the establishment of a base at Fraxinet. At the Battle of Tourtour in 973, with the assistance of the counts of the High Alps and the viscounts of Marseille and Fos, he definitively routed the Saracens, chasing them forever from Provence. He reorganised the region east of the Rhône, which he conquered from the Saracens and which had been given him as a gift from King Conrad of Burgundy. Also by royal consent, he and his descendants controlled the fisc in Provence. With Isarn, Bishop of Grenoble, he repopulated Dauphiné and settled an Italian count named Ugo Blavia near Fréjus in 970 in order to bring that land back to cultivation. For all this, he figures prominently in Ralph Glaber's chronicle with the title ofdux and he appears in a charter of 992 as pater patriae.

He donated land to Cluny and retired to become a monk, dying at Avignon, where he was buried in the church of Saint-Croix at Sarrians. He was succeeded as margrave by his brother. His great principality began to diminish soon after his death as the castles of his vassals, which he had kept carefully under ducal control, soon became allods of their possessors.

Marriage and issue

He married 1st Arsenda, daughter of Arnold of Comminges^[1] and their son was:

• William II (or III) of Provence.^[1]

He married 2nd (against papal advice) in 984, Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou, daughter of Fulk II of Anjou and Gerberga, and their daughter was:

• Constance of Arles (986–1034), married Robert II of France.

William III (915 – 3 April 963), called Towhead (French: Tête d'étoupe, Latin: Caput Stupe) from the colour of his hair, was the "Count of the Duchy of Aquitaine" from 959 and Duke of Aquitaine from 962 to his death. He was also the Count of Poitou (as William I) from 935 and Count of Auvergne from 950. The primary sources for his reign are Ademar of Chabannes,Dudo of Saint-Quentin, and William of Jumièges.

William was son of Ebalus Manzer and Emilienne. He was born in Poitiers. He claimed the Duchy of Aquitaine from his father's death, but the royal chancery did not recognise his ducal title until the year before his own death.

Shortly after the death of King Rudolph in 936, he was constrained to forfeit some land to Hugh the Great by Louis IV. He did it with grace, but his relationship with Hugh thenceforward deteriorated. In 950, Hugh was reconciled with Louis and granted the duchies of Burgundy and Aquitaine. He tried to conquer Aquitaine with Louis's assistance, but William defeated them. Lothair, Louis's successor, feared the power of William. In August 955 he joined Hugh to besiege Poitiers, which resisted successfully. William, however, gave battle and was routed.

After the death of Hugh, his son Hugh Capet was named duke of Aquitaine, but he never tried to take up his fief, as William reconciled with Lothair.

He was given the abbey of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand, which remained in his house after his death. He also built a library in the palace of Poitiers.

His father was duke Ebles Manzer, who already was a man in his middle years when he was born in about 913. According to the chronicle of Ademar de Chabannes, his mother was daughter of Rollo of Normandy. On the other hand, the less reliable Dodo has William III himself to marry in about 936 a daughter of Rollo. The lady (more likely his mother) was Geirlaug, in gallic usage Gerloc.

William III married a lady named or renamed Adèle, perhaps about 936, which might have been a match arranged by William I of Normandy for him.

With his wife Adèle, he had at least one child whose filiation is clearly attested:

• William, his successor in Aquitaine. He abdicated to the abbey of Saint-Cyprien in Poitiers and left the government to his son.

Many genealogies accept the high likelihood that their daughter was:

• Adelaide, who married Hugh Capet

But her parentage is not reliably testimonied in documentation of their epoch, instead it is regarded only as a good possibility by usual modern genealogical literature.

Zinken Hopp, egentlig Signe Marie Hopp (født Brochmann 9. januar 1905 i Ullensvang, død 3. september 1987 i Bergen), var en norskforfatter, kulturarbeider og oversetter.

Zinken Hopp huskes i ettertid best for barneboka Trollkrittet (1948); boka er tydelig inspirert av Alice i Eventyrland og bidro til å introdusere nonsenssjangeren i norsk barnelitteratur. I tillegg skrev hun i flere sjangre: kulturhistoriske bøker, dikt og reiseskildringer, hun oversatte barnebøker, underviste i kunsthistorie og var teateranmelder for Aftenposten fra 1947 til 1971.

In Ragnarssona þáttr, Helgi the Sharp, prince of Ringerike (Old Norse: Helgi Hvassi) was son of king Ring II of Ringerike and the brother of Guðrøðr, the king of Ringerike and they lived in the 9th century.

Ragnar Lodbrok's sons Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, Björn Ironside and Hvitserk had raided in France and after Björn had gone home to Sweden, his brothers were attacked by emperor Arnulf of Carinthia. In the battle 100,000 Danes and Norwegians fell, including Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye and king Guðrøðr.

Helgi escaped from the battle with Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye's banner, sword and shield. He went to Denmark and informed Sigurd's mother Aslaug of her loss. Since the next king, Harthacnut, was still too young to rule, Helgi stayed in Denmark as its regent. There, Helgi married Harthacanute's twin sister, also named Aslaug, and they had the son Sigurd Hart.

King Æthelbald of Wessex or Ethelbald (Old English: Æþelbald) was the second of the five sons of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and Osburh.^[1] He was king of Wessex from 858 to 860.^[2]

He witnessed his father's charters as a kings' son in the 840s, and in 850 he received the rank of Ealdorman. In 855 he became regent of Wessex while his father, Æthelwulf, visitedRome,^[1] his elder brother Æthelstan having died in 851 or shortly after.^[3] His younger brother Æthelbert became king of Kent.^[1]

Æthelwulf returned a year later, having taken as his second wife, the Carolingian King Charles the Bald's thirteen-year-old daughter Judith.^[4] According to Alfred the Great's biographer,Asser, during Æthelwulf's absence there may have been a plot hatched to prevent the king's return either by Æthelbald, or by Ealhstan, Bishop of Sherborne and Eanwulf, Ealdorman ofSomerset, or by all three. It is probable that Æthelbald was involved in such a plot because of his father's marriage to Judith.^[2] The marriage to a Frankish princess who had her own royal lineage could have produced heirs more throne-worthy than Æthelbald.^[1]

To avoid a civil war, Æthelwulf allowed Æthelbald to continue to rule Wessex itself (or the western part of Wessex^[2]) while he took Kent and the other eastern parts of the kingdom.^[4] Ann Williams dates the start of Æthelbald's reign to 855, regarding father and son as joint kings from Æthelwulf's return from Rome in 856 until his death in 858.^[5] The absence of any coins in Æthelbald's name during this period suggests the coinage continued to be in Æthelwulf's name until his death. Æthelbald then became the king of Wessex, while Æthelbert again became king of Kent.

Judith's charisma as a Carolingian princess was so great that rather than lose the prestige of the connection Æthelbald then married her, in spite of strong clerical opposition, as marriage to a widowed stepmother was considered incestuous.^[6] Little is known of his reign and only one charter survives, witnessed by king Æthelbald, king Æthelbert and Judith, suggesting that he was on good terms with his brother.^[1]

Æthelbald died at Sherborne in Dorset on 20 December 860. Asser, who was hostile to Æthelbald both because of his revolt against his father and because of his uncanonical marriage, described him as "iniquitous and grasping", and his reign as "two and a half lawless years".

Hole Bygdebok Bind 3 side 385+389

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Etter farens død var hun i tjeneste hos slektninger på Stadum i 1756

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Hole Bygdebok Bind 4 Side 349+352+951, fra Snekkerstua under Svarstad.

I 1865 husmann i Strømstad under Svarstad.