Sigfred
| Sigfred | |
|---|---|
 Sigfred as depicted in 1710 | |
| King of the Danes | |
| Reign | c. 770–c.798/804 |
| Predecessor | unknown (Harald Wartooth?) |
| Successor | Gudfred |
| Born | 8th century Denmark |
| Died | c.798/804 Denmark |
| Dynasty | Sigfredian |
| Religion | Norse paganism |
Sigfredwas an eighth centuryDanishking who is known to have reigned from before 777 to after 798. Fragments of his reign can be traced viaFrankishsources.
Assistance to Widukind
[edit]King Sigfred is first mentioned in 777 when theSaxonchiefWidukind,leader of the resistance againstCharlemagne,fledSaxonyin the face of the Frankish onslaught. Widukind found refuge with Sigfred, but the Frankish annals do not say in detail what kind of assistance the Danish king may have provided. At any rate, Charlemagne made no attempt to subordinate or threaten the Danes during his Saxon campaigns.[1]German chronicles, to better espouse the family tree of Widukind's heirs, stated that he was married to Sigfred's daughter Geva.[2]
Frankish diplomacy
[edit]In the summer of 782, Charlemagne led his armed forces to the sources of theLippe River,staying there for some time. On this occasion he received envoys from Sigfred, although the details of the negotiations are not disclosed. Shortly after, Widukind left his Nordic refuge and returned to Saxony where he successfully egged the population to rebel against the Frankish king.[3]He then led the Saxon resistance until 785 when he finally submitted to Charlemagne. For several years there is no mention of the Danish king, but in 798 Charlemagne sent one of his trustees, Godeskalk, on a diplomatic mission to Sigfred. On his return, Godeskalk was slain by the rebellious Saxons living to the north-east of theElbe.When the Franks put down the rebellion they were helped by the prince of theObotrites,Drozko,who would later on be dealt with by Sigfred's successorGudfred.[4]Poems by theLombardliteratiPeter of PisaandPaulus Diaconusconvey a very negative image of Sigfred. Peter wrote that Charlemagne had let him choose between being fettered, imprisoned, or sent to convert Sigfred. In a poetic reply, Paulus castigated the Danish king as a wild beast who ruled over other wild animals; an uncouth pagan who would nevertheless be unable to stand up against the mighty Frankish ruler. If he dared molest Peter and his entourage and refuse Christianisation, he would quickly be led before Charlemagne's throne in fetters, abandoned byOdin(Waten) andThor(Thonar).[5]It is interesting that the characterization is similar to that accorded toOngendus,one of Sigfred's predecessors in the early 8th century.[6]The poems also indicate that the Danes had started to draw some attention from the Carolingian elite by this time. The reign of Sigfred had ended by 804 when another ruler,Gudfred,is mentioned in the Frankish annals.
Place in early Danish history
[edit]Nothing is known about Sigfred's relationship toGudfred,who succeeded him as king of Denmark c. 804–810, or later kings such asHemming(810–812),Harald 'Klak' Halfdansson(812-813, 819–827) andHorik I(813–854). Since the nameSigfredwas borne by a nephew of Gudfred, he is often taken to have been the father of Gudfred, since children were often named after their grandfathers.[7]
The approximate dates of Sigfred's reign, and references to a King Harald who may have been either a predecessor, co-ruler or immediate successor of Sigfred, has led to speculations about a link with the legendary Swedish and Danish rulerSigurd Hring.[8]According to the sagas, Sigurd Hring defeated the Danish rulerHarald Wartoothat theBattle of Brávellir2-3 generations before the firstDanish conquest of Englandbut the historicity of Hring, Wartooth and the battle are uncertain. According to theTale of Ragnar Lodbroksaga, Sigurd Hring was the father of the legendary Viking leaderRagnar Lodbrok.Modern scholarship is in agreement that part of the genealogy of the early Viking Age kings of Denmark is ofHigh medievalera documentation.[9]
It has been theorized that Sigfred's father wasOngendus,or Angantyr, which is problematic because there is more than half a century between them. The two kings may nevertheless have been related since a Danish prince Angantyr is known to have flourished in 811, and the name is extremely unusual.[10]The recurrence of the names Angantyr, Sigfred, Harald and Gudfred throughout the 8th and 9th centuries suggests that the kings of the earlyViking Agewere mutually related.
References
[edit]- ^Einhards Jahrbücher,Anno 777[1],p. 64.
- ^D. Schwennicke (1984),Europäische Stammtafeln,Vol. II. Marburg. Tafel 104.
- ^Einhards Jahrbücher,Anno 782[2],p.69.
- ^Einhards Jahrbücher,Anno 798[3],p. 95.
- ^Johannes Steenstrup (1881), "Nogle Efterretningar fra udenlandske Kilder om Danmark i Oldtiden",Historisk Tidskrift,p. 231[4]
- ^H. Hellmuth Andersen (1985), "Vandt sig hele Danmark",Skalk,p. 22; Dan Hemming (1979),Guldhornens tale.Copenhagen, p. 178; Alcuin,Das Leben des heil. Willibrord[5],p. 14.
- ^Einhards Jahrbücher,Anno 812[6],p. 123.
- ^For this Harald, seeEinhards Jahrbücher,Anno 812[7],p. 123.
- ^Alfred P. Smyth (1977),Scandinavian kings in the British Isles 850-880.Oxford.
- ^Einhards Jahrbücher,Anno 811[8],p. 121.