Vikings / Famous Vikings / Ivar the Boneless
Ivar the Boneless
Leader of the Great Heathen Army
- In Old Norse
- Ívarr hinn Beinlausi
- Lived
- died c. 873
- Role
- Leader of the Great Heathen Army
Ivar was a commander of the Great Heathen Army that landed in East Anglia in 865. The army seized York in 866, killed the Northumbrian kings Ælla and Osberht in 867, and in 869 defeated and killed King Edmund of East Anglia. Many historians identify him with Ímar, who besieged Dumbarton Rock in 870 and died in 873 as "king of the Norsemen of all Ireland and Britain", founding the Uí Ímair dynasty. The origin of his nickname is unknown.
Known for
- Led the Great Heathen Army's conquest of York (866–867)
- Linked to the killing of St Edmund of East Anglia (869)
- Probably the Ímar who founded Dublin's Uí Ímair dynasty
In the story
York
Kings of York: the full list of rulers
The Great Heathen Army in England
In 865 a coalition of Viking war-bands landed in East Anglia, not to raid but to conquer. Moving each autumn…
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On the timeline
Events that name Ivar the Boneless
5 events. Each opens in the timeline.
- 865 CE Great Heathen Army Lands In the autumn of 865 a 'great heathen army', as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle calls it, lands in East Anglia and takes up winter…
- 1 November 866 CE Great Army Captures York The Great Army rides north from East Anglia, crosses the Humber and seizes York on All Saints' Day while Northumbria is split by…
- 21 March 867 CE Northumbrian Kings Fall at York Osberht and Ælla unite and assault the Vikings in York. Part of their army breaks through the decayed Roman walls, but it is cut…
- 20 November 869 CE Death of King Edmund The Great Army rides back across Mercia into East Anglia and winters at Thetford. King Edmund fights it and is killed, and the…
- 873 CE Death of Ímar The Annals of Ulster record the death of Ímar and give him the title 'king of the Northmen of all Ireland and Britain'. Co-ruler…
Sources
Wikipedia — Ivar the Boneless Wikipedia — Great Heathen Army Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Ivar the BonelessPicture: Ivar_the_Boneless_pillar, Lynden Wade · CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.