- Ælla of Northumbria
Ælla or Ælle (died
21 March 867 ) wasking of Northumbria in the middle of the 9th century. Sources onNorthumbria n history in this period are limited. Ælla's descent is not known and the dating of his reign is problematic. He is a major character in the sagaRagnarssona þáttr (The Tale of Ragnar's sons).Chronicles
Ælla became king after Osberht was deposed. This is traditionally dated to 862 or 863, but may have been as late as 866. [Kirby, p. 196.] Almost nothing is known of Ælla's reign.
Symeon of Durham states that Ælla had seized lands at Billingham, Ileclif, Wigeclif, and Crece, which belong to the church. [Symeon of Durham, p. 654.] While Ælla is described in most sources as atyrant , and not a rightful king, one source states that he was Osberht's brother. [Kirby, p. 197.]The
Great Heathen Army marched on Northumbria in the late summer of 866, seizingYork on21 November 866 . [Higham, pp. 178–179; "ASC" s.a. 867.] Symeon of Durham, theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle ,Asser , and Æthelweard all recount substantially the same version of events in varying detail. Symeon's "Historia Regum Anglorum" gives this account of the battle on21 March 867 where Osberht and Ælla met their deaths at the hands of theVikings : [Dated by Symeon of Durham, p. 654.]In those days, the nation of the Northumbrians had violently expelled from the kingdom the rightful king of their nation, Osbryht by name, and had placed at the head of the kingdom a certain tyrant, named Alla. When the pagans came upon the kingdom, the dissension was allayed by divine counsel and the aid of the nobles. King Osbryht and Alla, having united their forces and formed an army, came to the city of York; on their approach the multitude of the shipmen immediately took flight. The Christians, perceiving their flight and terror, found that they themselves were the stronger party. They fought upon each side with much ferocity, and both kings fell. The rest who escaped made peace with the Danes. [Symeon of Durham, p. 470.]
After this, the Vikings appointed one Ecgberht to rule Northumbria. [Higham, p.179.]
agas
Ragnarssona þáttr (The Tale of Ragnar's sons) adds a great deal of colour to accounts of theViking conquest of York. This associates thesemi-legendary king of Sweden Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons,Hvitserk ,Björn Ironside ,Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye ,Ivar the Boneless , and Ubbe. According to the stories, Ragnar was killed by Ælla, and the army which seizedYork in 866 was led by Ragnar's sons who avenged his death by subjecting Ælla to theblood eagle . [Whitelock, p. 225ff.] Earlier English sources record that both Ælla and Osberht died in battle, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle stating that "both the kings were slain on the spot". ["ASC", s.a. 867.] The main figure in the revenge tales in Ivar, who is sometimes associated with the Viking leaderÍmar , brother ofAmlaíb Conung , found in theIrish annals . Dorothy Whitelock notes that "it is by no means certain that he should be identified with the son of Ragnar, for the name is not uncommon". [Whitelock, p. 227.] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle does not name the leaders in Northumbria, but it does state that "Hingwar and Hubba" slew KingEdmund of East Anglia (Saint Edmund) some years later. ["ASC", s.a. 870.] Hubba is named as a leader of the army in Northumbria byAbbo of Fleury , and by the "Historia de Sancto Cuthberto". Symeon of Durham lists the leaders of the Viking army as "Halfdene, Inguar, Hubba, Beicsecg, Guthrun, Oscytell, Amund, Sidroc and another duke of the same name, Osbern, Frana, and Harold." [Symeon of Durham, p. 654. Whitelock, p. 227, discusses the leaders of the Great Army in various sources.]In film
Ælla was played by
Frank Thring in the movie The Vikings.Notes
References
* Kirby, D.P., "The Earliest English Kings." London: Unwin, 1991. ISBN 0-04-445692-1
* Higham, N.J., "The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350-1100." Stroud: Sutton, 1993. ISBN 0-86299-730-5
*
*External links
* [http://eagle.cch.kcl.ac.uk:8080/pase/DisplayPerson.jsp?personKey=10522 Ælla] at the
Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England .
* [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/oldheathen/055.php The Tale of Ragnar's sons in translation by Tunstall at Northvegr]
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