The son of the legendary Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, Ivar the Boneless conquered Britain, establishing Scandinavian rule there for a century. The campaign gathered a huge army of the ancestors of modern Danes, Danes, with whom Ivar took revenge on the enemies for the death of his father.
The exploits of the famous Ivar (Ivor the Viking) are sung in many legends. There are many blank spots in his life, it is surrounded by myths. The son of the Danish king managed to excel in military affairs..
Reasons for the hike
The renowned warrior was only one of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Due to inaccuracies in the documents, the date of birth of the Viking is unknown. From an early age, Ivar was trained in the art of war. From his son, the father raised a real Viking, for whom there is nothing but hiking and capturing prey.
The ninth century turned into a series of Scandinavian raids for Europe. Britain and France suffered most from them. Ivar the Boneless devoted his life to wars. The mystery of the name of the conqueror has not been solved to this day.
According to some versions, the warrior received the nickname for his unprecedented dexterity. There is also a variant of what was nicknamed Ivar for an unknown illness. But, even if we take the second option for the truth, the illness did not prevent the long campaign.
In 865 Jarl Ragnar, the father of a Viking, was shipwrecked off the British coast. The legendary king was executed by the King of Northumbria, Ella II. News of the death of the leader almost instantly reached Denmark.
As soon as Ivar found out about what had happened, Danish history turned sharply. The children of the deceased began a hike to a distant island, which became the place of their father's last refuge. In the fall of 865, a great army on drakkars marched towards Britain.
The first approaching fleet was noticed by the peasants from the coast of Kent. It was difficult to surprise the British with the appearance of a pagan. They have appeared here more than once. However, no one remembered such a number of sails.
Capture of East Anglia
According to some reports, Ivar collected at least three hundred ships in his squadron. This figure seemed incredible in the ninth century. Halfran and Ubba set out with their brother. After the first victories, the flotilla moved on.
East Anglia was a new target. Very soon it became clear to the enemy that the raid was not a one-off character. The Danes decided to stay in Britain for a long time. The gigantic fleet and the wooden figures of dragons mounted on the ships inspired panic.
The pagan army attached great importance to symbolism. The Vikings believed that wooden monsters would help ward off evil spirits and bring victory over enemies. The boats not only easily crossed the seas of the north, but also excellently moved in shallow water.
This feature played into the hands of Ivar. The Viking led ships with supplies to the British outback along the river channels. Revenge was not the only reason for a long hike. After a long crisis caused by the fall of the Roman Empire, trade began to grow.
Streams of goods poured into Europe. New cities were founded. In the rich settlements, strong fortifications were not provided. The Vikings had a chance to get rich and very poorly guarded prey.
There were other reasons for the appearance of the giant flotilla. There was a struggle between the power of the king and the kings. The monarchs sought to take control of the invasions, and the warriors accustomed to freedom were antipathetic to such a desire.
In 854, for this reason, King Horik the First was defeated. He made peace with the ruler of France, a hindrance to his compatriots. After his death for a long time, Denmark remained without a power capable of keeping the Vikings from adventurous voyages.
Conquest of Northumbria
Ragnar and his sons could not help but use this opportunity. Many supporters rallied around. In 866, the Danes who captured France learned about the creation of a camp in East Anglia by Ivar. From all over Scandinavia, pagans moved to him. The pirates who had finished raids across Europe also rushed to the leader.
In Britain, Ragnar's descendants stayed throughout the winter. As the number of their camps increased, clouds were gathering over the head of King Edmund. Even after the supporters who received the richest ransom from the ruler Karl the Bald joined them, the Vikings did not leave.
Ivar the Boneless had more ambitious plans. Before a long campaign, the commander carefully prepared himself. He rejected the usual foot strategy, relying on the cavalry army. For this purpose, strangers took horses from local residents.
The cavalry significantly accelerated movement in unfamiliar terrain. The Vikings got to the place of the battle on horseback. Then, on foot, they fought shield to shield. The army was becoming a single organism.
Divided by seven kingdoms, England was in a very difficult situation. The rulers were at enmity, only the arrival of strangers forced the monarchs to unite. Only it didn't always work out. Ivar was well aware of the situation.
Therefore, Northumbria was the first on his way. On the eve of the parish, the former ruling Osbert was expelled. His place was taken by Ella II, who caused the death of Ragnar. It was this kingdom that suffered the most from civil strife.
The nobility was split. Half stood up for the usurper, others wanted the return of Osbert, the rightful ruler. In early November 866 the Danes invaded Northumbria. On this day, residents celebrated All Saints Day.
On such a day, weapons were to be forgotten by all the inhabitants of the kingdom. They gathered peacefully in temples. The 10,000-strong Viking army took everyone by surprise. The lords did not dare to take measures to protect their homeland until the last minutes in the hope that the threat would pass.
Capture of Britain
Both the new and old rulers fled. The Ragnarsson entered York. The city became Danish for a hundred years. The Vikings spent the winter in it. In the spring of 867, the exiled kings managed to make up. They attacked York on 23 March. The first success was guaranteed by surprise. But the army of kings fell into a trap.
The army broke into the city through the gaps in the walls and found itself in a close circle of Vikings. The formidable strategist Ivar turned out to be no less good than the warrior. After Ivar Ragnarsson became master of Northumbria, he abdicated the throne. King Egbert became his protege. The Vikings' new ruler obeyed in everything.
Now the host moved to Mercia. Its ruler Burgred, terrified, rushed to Wessex for help. The Vikings made a temporary camp at Nottingham. The new alliance failed to defeat the invaders in any way. It was impossible to take them by storm. As a result, Mercia paid a considerable ransom to the outsiders to leave the country.
In 1969 the Danes returned to York. Gathering his strength, Ivar moved on. After a successful campaign, very little is known about Beskostny's further actions.
There is information that the Viking died shortly after his return. However, according to the second version, after the celebration of the victory, the army was divided.
One part of it remained in Britain. Another went to Ireland. It was headed by Ivar. He had previously opposed the Picts, the indigenous inhabitants of the country. Wealth was seized without difficulty.
The key to success was the fragmentation of Ireland and the lack of defense. But the population managed to master weapons and a real battle for freedom began.
According to medieval sources, Ivar died in 873. For a long time, neither the circumstances of his death, nor the place of burial remained unclear. Only by chance in the seventeenth century was the tomb of the legendary leader found.
The legend has survived that the enemies could not capture the country where the Viking rested. This was confirmed during the foray of King Harald. It is unclear whether this is a myth or true, but Ivar became the hero of many legends. In Danish history, there are very few such outstanding military leaders.
