General Notes

1  NAME /Ragnald/ I
1  DEAT
2  DATE 894
bk&q chart 27 on p 439 "Danish and Norse Kingdoms--Earls of Orkney" a
nd pp 385, 440, 441-2, 498
p 498 "William (the Conqueror) was descended from RAGNALD, the ancest
or of the earls of Orkney."
p 385 (under Olaf the White) ". . . The historical record is vague about O
laf's fate.  One record suggests that he became involved with RAGNALD in t
he battle to clear the Orkneys of Norse pirates and was killed at the batt
le of Hafrsfiord in 872.  . . . He (Olaf) was hailed as the greatest rul
er of the western seas."
p 440 [NB1] The jarl or earl of More on the west coast of Norway, who foug
ht alongside the future king Harald Finehair in establishing a united Norw
ay.  Harald married Ragnald's sister Swanhilda.  During this civil war ma
ny Norwegians were driven out of Norway and settled in the Shetlands and O
rkney, called the Nordreys by the Norse (as distinct from the Sudrey
s, or Hebrides and Man), which they used as a base to attack Norway and No
rse ships.  The traditional view is that around 874 Harald sent Ragna
ld to the Hebrides to bring these islands under his authority.  During t
he expedition Ragnald's son, Ivar, was killed.  As a consequence, once Rag
nald had conquered the islands, Harald granted them back to him in recompe
nse for his son.  The more recent view is that Ragnald may have set out ea
rlier on the expedition to conquer the Nordrey pirates himself and work
ed in league with Olaf the White, who was the Norse king of Dublin.  Accor
ding to this view Olaf granted Ragnald the Orkneys around the year 8
71 or earlier.  However, Ragnald had no desire to remain in the isl
es so in 875 (or earlier) Ragnald gave the islands to his brother Sigur
d, and returned to Norway where he continued to fight on behalf of the kin
g.  This created enemies and around the year 894 he was burned alive in h
is hall by two of Harald's sons by another wife.  Ragnald had three childr
en by his wife Ragnhild.  In addition to Ivar, who died, there was Rolf, w
ho became the first Duke of Normandy, and Thori, who succeeded him as Ja
rl of More.  He also had several illegitimate sons, two of whom (Hallad a
nd Einar I) became later earls of Orkney.