Vikings / Famous Vikings / Björn Ironside
Björn Ironside
Viking chieftain; legendary king of Sweden
- In Old Norse
- Bjǫrn Járnsíða
- Lived
- Role
- Viking chieftain; legendary king of Sweden
Björn Ironside appears in Frankish annals as Berno, a Viking chief active on the Seine in the 850s who submitted to Charles the Bald in 858. Norman writers of the 11th century make him co-leader, with Hastein, of the great raid into the Mediterranean in 859–862 that struck Spain, North Africa, southern France and Italy. Icelandic sagas call him a son of Ragnar Lodbrok and the founder of the Swedish House of Munsö; a mound on Munsö is traditionally called his grave.
Known for
- Seine Viking leader 'Berno' of the 850s
- Mediterranean expedition with Hastein, 859–862
- Legendary founder of the Swedish Munsö dynasty
In the story
Sweden
Kings of the Swedes: the full list of rulers
Björn Ironside and Hastein: the Mediterranean raid
In 859 a fleet said to number 62 ships left the Loire, rounded Spain and passed the Strait of Gibraltar: the…
Stop by stop → Follow it on the map →
Places
- 1Oissel (Seine island base), France
- 2Luni, Italy
- 3Munsö, Sweden (traditional burial mound)
On the timeline
Events that name Björn Ironside
3 events. Each opens in the timeline.
- 28 December 856 CE Vikings Burn Paris Danish fleets return to the Seine in 856, winter at Jeufosse and later fortify the island of Oissel above Rouen. On 28 December…
- 859 CE Vikings Enter the Mediterranean A fleet of about sixty ships from the Loire, led according to later tradition by Björn Ironside and Hastein, sails down the… Date or details approximate
- c. 860 CE Raiders on the Rhône, Pisa and Luna After wintering on the Camargue, the Mediterranean fleet rows up the Rhône, plundering Nîmes, Arles and Valence before being… Date or details approximate