1046 - Sweyn Estridson continued his struggle

Viking axehead

Denmark
Sweyn Estridson and Harald Hardrada tried to establish an army to overthrow Magnus.
Soon after Harald Hardrada made peace with Magnus, the viking mentality of always supporting the strongest side and Sweyn Estridson was the weakest and known for bad war luck.
Magnus gave Harald Hardrada a part of his kingdom in return for half of the share in Harald Hardradas Byzantine treasure.

Sweyn did not like Harald Hardradas tradition for plundering and murder, because it was a way to gain unpopularity. Sweyn Estridson continued his struggle weakened.

Viking Jewel

Normandy
An inheritance rebellion against William the Conqueror started with an ambush near Valognes on the Cotentin Peninsula, but the rebels failed. The noble rebels were Gui of Burgundy, Nigel of the Cotentin, Rannulf of the Bessin, Ralph Tesson of Thury, Grimoald of Plessis, and Haimo of Creully, they raised an army of 25000 men.

The rebels tried to capture William the Conqueror but he escaped the ambush, he rode directly to King Henry's royal court in Poissy, and begged the king for help and claimed that a revolt against a loyal duke vassal was a revolt against the king himself. The king of France, Henry raised an army of 10000 men.

Orkney Islands
Ragnvald sneak-attacked Thorfinn the mighty’s longhouse by night and set fire to it. Only a few survived, but among them was Thorfinn the mighty, who cut his way through the wall and ran out into the night, with his wife in his arms. Ragnvald settled down as ruler of the Orkney Islands.Kirkwall mentioned in Orkneyinga saga, when it was recorded as the residence of Ragnvald Brusason
During Yuletide Thorfinn the mighty came back and attacked the longhouse and killed Ragnvald.

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954 - Eric Bloodaxe killed in ambush

England Eric Bloodaxe was expelled from York and he was killed in an ambush. According to English sources, Eric died a death on the road, “treacherously killed by Earl Maccus”. But Scandinavian sources tell another tale: Eric met his enemies as the leader of an outnumbered army and there on the high, wind-scoured pass, he died the glorious death. A poem paid for by his wife told that Eric arrivied at Valhalla, welcomed by Valkyries, to feast by Odin’s side. Erik Rex - Bloodaxe coin Eric Bloodaxe was the son of Harald Fairhair and the Danish royal daughter Ragnhild and he succeeded his father on the Norwegian throne, but because of his cruel and atrocious rule he was driven out of Norway and his younger brother Haakon chosen as king of Norway. Stainmore After the murder on Eric Bloodaxe, Northumbria was again brought back to Edred the Anglo-Saxon king and England was united. The widow of Eric Bloodaxe, Gunhild sailed to Denmark with her sons. They received a warm we...

789 and before the infamous Lindisfarne raid

150 A comb found in Vimose, Denmark, features runes on a bone comb, which was the man's name Harja. The name is thus the oldest Norse name.Archaeologists in Denmark have discovered a small knife inscribed with the country’s oldest runic inscription, hirila, meaning ‘Little Sword’ 400 Oldest runestone in Øverby,SE Norway. 500 Radiocarbon dating reveals that the first walls of Dannevirke was build around 480-500 and some older walls were from around 400. In September 2021 a treasurehunter found a 1 kilo gold treasure of coins and jewels buried outside Jelling. 512 The Greek Procopios a secretary at the Byzantine general Belisarius told that emperor Anastasius Dicorus gave permission to Heruli to settle in Illyria, because the Longobards had driven them out from the area between Donau and Dniester. Here they killed their king Onchon and sent some of their people back to Thule to recruit a new king among their fellow tribesmen. They had free passage through the land of the ...

859 - Vikings attacked Spain & burned the mosques of Sevilla and Algeciras

Claus Deleuran: Bjorn Ironside and Hastein Spain A 3 year long viking raid began. Hastein and Bjorn Ironside led 62 dragon ships south to explore the Mediterranean area. They were first driven off from the west coast of Spain by the local Asturians and later suffered a minor defeat against Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba at Niebla. Claus Deleuran: Vikings looting But then a long series of successful raids happened first: Lisbon, Portugal and then they went through the Straits of Gibraltar sacking Algeciras and burnt down the great mosque in the town and plundered the surrounding countryside. Algeciras became the fleet’s base, and ships sailed over to Morocco, hunting for thralls. Their target was the Princedom of Nakur, a town several kilometres from the coast, near today’s Al-Mazimma . The Vikings terrorised the inhabitants for several days and took Prince Said ibn Idris and numerous women and children prisoner, to be released later in return for ransom money. In Spain th...

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