Ímar

For the legendary figure, seeIvar the Boneless.For the folk band, seeÍmar (band).

Ímar
King of the Norsemen of all Ireland and Britannia
Reign	873
King of Dublin
Reign	c. 857–873
Died	c. 873
Issue	Bárid Sitriuc Sichfrith
Dynasty	Uí Ímair(founder)
Father	Gofraid

Ímar(Old Norse:Ívarr[ˈiːˌwɑrː];died c. 873), synonymous withIvar the Boneless,was a powerfulVikingleader inIrelandandScotlandin the mid-late ninth century. He was the progenitor of theUí Ímairdynasty, who would go on to dominate theIrish Searegion for several centuries. He was the son of the king ofLochlann,identified in the non-contemporaryFragmentary Annals of IrelandasGofraid.TheFragmentary AnnalsnameAuisleandAmlaíb Conungas his brothers. Another Viking leader,Halfdan Ragnarsson,is considered by some scholars to be another brother. TheIrish Annalstitle Amlaíb, Ímar and Auisle "kings of the foreigners". Modern scholars use the title "Kings of Dublin"after the Viking settlement which formed the base of their power. Some scholars consider Ímar to be identical toIvar the Boneless,a Viking commander of theGreat Heathen Armynamed in contemporary English sources who also appears in theIcelandic sagasas the eldest son of the legendary VikingRagnar Lodbrokby third wifeAslaug.

During the late 850s and early 860s, Ímar was involved in a protracted conflict withMáel Sechnaill,overking of theSouthern Uí Néilland the most powerful ruler in Ireland. The cause of the conflict is uncertain, but it may have been sparked by competition for control ofMunsterand its resources. Ímar allied successively withCerball,King ofOsraigeandÁed Findliath,overking of theNorthern Uí Néillagainst Máel Sechnaill. Máel Sechnaill died in 862 and his lands were split, effectively ending the conflict. Following this Ímar and his kin warred with several Irish leaders in an attempt to expand their kingdom's influence. Ímar disappears from the historical record in Ireland between the years 864 and 870; this is consistent with Ímar being identical to Ivar the Boneless - Ivar was active in England between these two dates and he is not mentioned by English sources after 870. In 870 the annals record thatDumbarton Rock,the chief fortress of thekingdom of Strathclyde,was successfully captured by Ímar and Amlaíb following a four-month-long siege.

Ímar died in 873 and is given the title "King of the Norsemen of all Ireland and Britain" in contemporary annals. TheFragmentary Annalsrecord that Ímar's father also died that year, and it is believed that at that time their combined territory encompassedDublin,theIsle of Man,theWestern Isles,Orkney,and large parts of the northern and western Scottish coast includingArgyll,CaithnessandSutherland.

Background

Norse contact with Scotland predates the first written records in the 8th century, although the nature and frequency of these contacts is unknown.Excavations on the island ofUnstin Shetland indicate that Scandinavian settlers had reached there perhaps as early as the mid-7th centuryand from 793 onwards repeated raids byVikingson the British Isles are recorded. "All the islands of Britain" were devastated in 794withIonabeing sacked in 802 and 806.TheFrankishAnnales Bertinianimay record the conquest of theInner Hebridesby Vikings in 847.Scholarly interpretations of the period "have led to widely divergent reconstructions of Viking Age Scotland",especially in the early period, andBarretthas identified several competing theories, none of which he regards as proven.Donnchadh Ó Corráinnotes: "when and how the Vikings conquered and occupied the Isles is unknown, perhaps unknowable".

The earliest recorded Viking raids in Ireland occurred in 795.Over time, these raids increased in intensity, and they overwintered in Ireland for the first time in 840–841.In 841 alongphortwas constructed atÁth Cliath(Irish forhurdled ford), a site which would later develop into the city of Dublin.Longphorts were also established at other sites around Ireland, some of which developed into larger Viking settlements over time. The Viking population in Ireland was boosted in 851 with the arrival of a large group known as "dark foreigners" – a contentious term used to refer to the newly arrived Vikings, as opposed to the "fair foreigners",i.e.,the Viking population which was resident prior to this influx.A kingdom inViking Scotlandwas established by the mid ninth-century, and it exerted control over some of the Vikings in Ireland. By 853 a separatekingdom of Dublinhad been set up which claimed control over all the Vikings in Ireland.

The main historical sources for this period are the Norsesagasand theIrish annals.Some of the annals, such as theAnnals of Ulster,are believed to be contemporary accounts, whereas the sagas were written down at dates much later than the events they describe and are considered far less reliable. A few of the annals, such as theFragmentary Annals of Irelandand theAnnals of the Four Masters,were also compiled at later dates, in part from more contemporary material and in part from fragments of sagas.According toDownham,"apart from these additions [of saga fragments], Irish chronicles are considered by scholars to be largely accurate records, albeit partisan in their presentation of events".

Biography

Ireland circa 900; the Viking settlements of Linns,Dublin,Wexford,Waterford,CorkandLimerickare marked

Arrival in Ireland

Ímar is first mentioned in contemporaryIrish annalsin 857, four years after his brotherAmlaíb Conungis recorded as arriving in Ireland.The laterFragmentary Annals of Irelandsuggest Ímar may have come to Ireland shortly after his brother:

Also in this year,i.e.,the sixth year of the reign ofMáel Sechlainn,Amlaíb Conung, son of the king of Lochlann, came to Ireland, and he brought with him a proclamation of many tributes and taxes from his father, and he departed suddenly. Then his younger brother Ímar came after him to levy the same tribute.

Ímar and Amlaíb were joined in Ireland by another brother, Auisle, sometime before 863. From this date onwards the three brothers are described as "kings of the foreigners" by the annals, but in modern texts they are usually labelled as kings of Dublin, after the Viking settlement which was the base of their power.Lochlann,originally Laithlinn or Lothlend, the land where Ímar's father was king, is often identified withNorway,but it is not universally accepted that it had such a meaning in early times.Several historians have proposed instead that in early times, and certainly as late as theBattle of Clontarfin 1014, Lochlann refers to theNorseandNorse-Gaellands in theHebrides,theIsle of Man,theNorthern Islesand parts of mainlandScotland.Whatever the original sense, by the twelfth century, whenMagnus Barefootundertook his expedition to the West, it had come to mean Norway.

War with Máel Sechnaill

The first mention of Ímar in Irish annals in 857 concerns a war fought between Ímar and Amlaíb Conung againstMáel Sechnaill,overking of theSouthern Uí Néill,and a group of Vikings sometimes known as the Norse-Irish.Máel Sechnaill was the most powerful king in Ireland at the time and his lands lay close to the Viking settlement of Dublin.The fighting began in the previous year: "Great warfare between the heathens and Mael Sechnaill, supported by Norse-Irish" is reported by the Annals of Ulster.

The fighting was focused onMunster;Máel Sechnaill sought to increase his influence over the kings there.He took hostages from the province in 854, 856 and 858,and the power of the over-kings had been weakened in 856 by a Viking raid on the royal centre at Lough Cend, when Gormán son of Lonán, a relative of Munster's over-king, was killed alongside a great many others.This weakness likely drew the gaze of both Máel Sechnaill and the Vikings, and their competition for Munster's resources may have been the cause of the war.Early battles seem to have gone the way of the Vikings: Ímar and Amlaíb "inflicted a rout onCaitill the Fairand his Norse-Irish in the lands of Munster ".Although there is no certain evidence to suggest that this Caitill is the same person as theKetill Flatnoseof later sagas,AndersonandCrawfordhave suggested that they are the same person.

In 858 Ímar, allied withCerball,King ofOssory,routed a force of Norse-Irish at Araid Tíre (east ofLough Dergand theShannonin modern-dayCounty Tipperary).Ossory was a small kingdom wedged between the larger realms of Munster andLeinster.At the beginning of his reign in the 840s, Cerball's allegiance was pledged to the over-king of Munster, but as that kingdom grew weaker Ossory's strategic location allowed opportunities for his advancement.Cerball had previously fought against the Vikings, but he allied with them to challenge the supremacy of Máel Sechnaill and his Norse-Irish allies.The following year Amlaíb, Ímar and Cerball conducted a raid on Máel Sechnaill's heartlands inMeath,and in consequence a royal conference was held at Rathugh (modern-dayCounty Westmeath).Following this meeting Cerball shed his allegiance to the Vikings and formally submitted to Máel Sechnaill in order to "make peace and amity between the men of Ireland".

With their ally turned against them, Ímar and Amlaíb sought a new alliance withÁed Findliath,overking of the NorthernUí Néill,and rival of Máel Sechnaill.In 860 Máel Sechnaill and Cerball led a large army of men from Munster, Leinster,Connachtand the Southern Uí Néill into the lands of Áed Findliath nearArmagh.While the southern forces were encamped there, Áed launched a night attack, killing some of the southern men, but his forces took many casualties and were forced to retreat.In retaliation for this invasion Amlaíb and Áed led raids into Meath in 861 and 862, but they were driven off both times.According to theFragmentary Annalsthis alliance had been cemented by a political marriage:

Áed son of Niall and his son-in-law Amlaíb (Áed's daughter was Amlaíb's wife) went with great armies of Irish and Norwegians to the plain of Mide, and they plundered it and killed many freemen.

In later years, alliance between the Northern Uí Néill and the Vikings of Dublin became a regular occurrence: the Northern and Southern Uí Néill were frequent competitors for supremacy in Ireland, and the uneasy neighbourhood between Dublin and the Southern Uí Néill made the Vikings natural allies for the Northerners.

Later life

Dumbarton Rock(Alt Clut), captured by Ímar and Amlaíb after a four-month siege in 870

Máel Sechnaill died in 862, and his territory in Meath was split between two rulers,Lorcán mac Cathailand Conchobar mac Donnchada.Ímar and Amlaíb, now joined in Ireland by their younger brother Auisle, sought to make use of this change to extend their influence in the lands of the Southern Uí Néill.In 863 the three brothers raidedBregain alliance with Lorcán, and the following year Amlaíb drowned Conchobar atClonard Abbey.Muirecán mac Diarmata,overking of theUí Dúnchada,was killed by Vikings in 863, probably by Ímar and his kin trying to expand into Leinster.

Beginning around 864 the three brothers halted their campaigns of conquest in Ireland, and instead campaigned inBritain.Ímar disappears from the Irish Annals in 864, and does not reappear until 870.Downhamconcludes he is identical toIvar the Boneless,a Viking leader who was active in England during this period as a commander of theGreat Heathen Army.According toO Croinin"Ímar has been identified with Ívarr Beinlausi (the boneless), son of Ragnar Lodbrok, but the matter is controversial".

The reappearance of Ímar in Irish annals in 870 is marked by a raid undertaken by him and Amlaíb. They laid siege toDumbarton Rock,the chief fortress of theKingdom of Strathclyde,and captured it following a four-month siege.The pair returned to Dublin in 871 with 200 ships and they "brought with them in captivity a great prey of Angles, Britons and Picts".According to theFragmentary AnnalsAmlaíb returned to Lochlann that year to aid their father in a war, leaving Ímar to rule alone (Auisle had died in 867).ThePictish Chronicleclaims Amlaíb died around 874 during a protracted campaign againstConstantine Iin Scotland.TheFragmentary Annalsrecord the death of Ímar's father,Gofraid,in 873.The final mention of Ímar in contemporary annals is also in 873 when his death is reported. In these reports he is titled "king of the Norsemen of all Ireland and Britain".According toÓ Corrainthe evidence suggests that by his death Ímar's kingdom (including the territory formerly ruled by his father) includedMan,theWestern Isles,Argyll,Caithness,Sutherland,Orkney,and parts of the coastline ofRoss and CromartyandInverness.

Origins

Ivar the Boneless

Excerpt fromHarley MS 2278depictingIvar the BonelessandUbbaravaging the countryside.Lydgate's imaginative hagiography presents supposed ninth-century events in achivalriccontext

In 865 theGreat Heathen Armylanded in England and one of its leaders is identified by theAnglo-Saxon Chronicleas "Ingvar".Later Norse tradition records Ingvar under the name ofIvar the Boneless,and calls him a son of the legendaryRagnar Lodbrok.It is generally accepted that Ivar the Boneless and Ingvar are one and the same, though the epithet "the Boneless" is not recorded until the twelfth century and its origins are obscure.Moreover, some suppose Ivar the Boneless to be identical to Ímar, though there is no scholarly consensus one way or another.Woolfsupports the connection between these two "Ivars" and writes of theGreat Heathen Armythat invadedEast Angliain 865 that "it is now generally agreed that they arrived in Britain directly from Ireland where Ívarr, the senior partner by 865, had been active for at least a decade".Ó Corrainargues that the "evidence in favour of the identification of Ímar and Inguar consists of three points: the identity of the names, the absence of any mention of Ímar in the Irish annals between 864 and the Irish account of the siege of Dumbarton in 870, and the subsequent close connections between the dynasties of Dublin and York".Forte, Oram, and Pedersennote that Ivar is not mentioned in any English source after 870, when Ímar reappears in the Irish annals.

Ó Corrain also offers argument against the identification of Ímar and Ingvar/Ivar: "To take but one example, if Ivarr of Dublin is identical with Inguar, how are we to give any credence to Smyth's reconstruction of Brompton (p. 229) which shows Ivarr in East Anglia in 871 when we know from contemporary Irish sources that Ivarr of Dublin was besieging Dumbarton for four months in 870 and returned to Ireland in early 871 with the takings?... Taken all together, the genuine material on Inguar in contemporary English sources is slight".He also states "there is nothing new in the suggestion that Ímar of Dublin and Igwar/Ingwar/Iuuar of English history are identical. It has frequently been put forward....and has equally frequently been rejected or treated as a mere possibility".Downhamconcludes "while medieval writers seem to have been as interested as modern historians about Ívarr’s origins, it is perhaps wiser to accept that we do not know what these really were".

Dark and fair foreigners

In the Irish annals the termsDubgaill(dark foreigners), andFinngaill(fair foreigners), are used to refer to rival groups of Vikings. The exact meaning of these terms is subject to debate, but historically the most popular interpretation has been thatDubgaillrefers toDanesandFinngaillrefers toNorwegians.From 917 onwards the descendants of Ímar are described as leaders of theDubgaill.Ímar himself is not identified explicitly by the annals with theDubgaill,but Albann, a figure considered by some to be Ímar's brother, is called "lord of the 'Dark Foreigners'".

However, the interpretation of "dark" Danes and "fair" Norwegians has recently been challenged.Dumvillehas suggested thatDubgaillandFinngailldo not refer to any cultural difference but instead distinguish between "old" and "new" Vikings, with the group arriving with Ímar being the "new" or "dark" Vikings, and the preexisting group being the "old" or "fair" Vikings. Downhamagrees and goes a step further, suggesting thatDubgaillwas applied "to followers the king ofLaithlind(who had become a recurrent phenomenon for the chroniclers) as a convenient way of distinguishing them from the vikings who were already in Ireland ".

Ynglings

HalvdanshaugenatHadeland Folkemuseum,one of the several supposed burial sites ofHalfdan the Black,legendary ninth-centuryYnglingking ofVestfold

Smythhas suggested that Amlaíb can be identified withOlaf Geirstad-Alf,King ofVestfold,who was the son ofGudrød the Hunterand half-brother ofHalfdan the Black,though speculation of this nature has not received much support.Ó Corrainstates that there is "no good historical or linguistic evidence to link Lothlend/Laithlind with Norway, and none to link the dynasty of Dublin to the shadowy history of theYnglingsof Vestfold ".

Family

Ímar's father is identified as Gofraid by theFragmentary Annals;an entry dated c. 871–872 gives a partial genealogy for Ímar, naming him "Ímar son of Gofraid son of Ragnall son of Gofraid Conung son of Gofraid".Ó Corrainstates that this reference to Ímar's genealogical ascent is a "construct without historical value" likely with political reasoning.Highly likely to be identical to Ivar the Boneless, his father therefore would have been Ragnar Lothbrok. Nonetheless, he accepts the possibility of Ímar's father being Gofraid (also Goffridh or Gothfraid), stating "it is likely that the father of... Ímar (Ívarr) is Gofraid (Guðrøðr) and that he is a historical person and dynastic ancestor".

Amlaíb Conung came to Ireland first in 853, with Ímar following in or before 857, and Auisle following in or before 863.The three are identified as "kings of the foreigners" by theAnnals of Ulsterin 863,and as brothers by theFragmentary Annals:

The king had three sons: Amlaíb, Ímar, and Óisle.Óisle was the least of them in age, but he was the greatest in valor, for he outshone the Irish in casting javelins and in strength with spears. He outshone the Norwegians in strength with swords and in shooting arrows. His brothers loathed him greatly, and Amlaíb the most; the causes of the hatred are not told because of their length.

TheAnnals of Ulstersay that Auisle was killed in 867 by "kinsmen in parricide".TheFragmentary Annalsstate explicitly that Amlaíb and Ímar planned their brother's death, though no motive is given.Although the three are not identified as brothers in any contemporary annals, the recurrence of their names among their descendants strongly suggests a familial connection.

Standing stoneCarragh Bhàn,Islay- according to local tradition the burial site ofGodred Crovan

Some scholars identifyHalfdan Ragnarssonas another brother.This identification is contingent upon Ímar being identical to Ivar the Boneless: Halfdan and Ivar are named as brothers in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle.According to theAnnals of UlsterAmlaíb's sonOistinwas slain in battle by "Albann" in 875.This figure is generally agreed to be Halfdan.If that is correct, then it may explain the reason for the conflict: it was a dynastic squabble for control of the kingdom.One potential problem is that according to Norse tradition Ivar and Halfdan were the sons ofRagnar Lodbrok,whereas Ímar and Amlaíb are named as sons of Gofraid in theFragmentary Annals.However, the historicity of Ragnar is uncertain and the identification of Ragnar as the father of Ivar and Halfdan is not to be relied upon.

Three figures later named by the annals are identifiable as sons of Ímar. These areBárid(d. 881),Sichfrith(d. 888), andSitriuc(d. 896), all three of whom reigned as King of Dublin.Five individuals are titled "ua Ímair" in the annals, a term usually understood to mean "grandson of Ímar".These areSitric Cáech,Ímar,Ragnall,Amlaíb, andGofraid.All except for Amlaíb ruled as either King of Dublin orKing of Viking Northumbriaat one time or another.These five are never given a patronymic in the annals, so it is not possible to identify which of the three known sons of Ímar - if any - was their father. One possible reason for the lack of a patronym might be that they were children of a son of Ímar who never ruled Dublin, or who spent most of his time outside Ireland, thus making their legitimacy to rule dependent on the identity of their grandfather, not their father. Another possibility is that they were grandsons of Ímar through a daughter, again with their right to rule dependent on their grandfather.Another grandson, Uathmarán, is directly identifiable as the son of Bárid.

Ímar and his descendants are collectively titled theUí Ímair- translated as "descendants of Ímar".Later members of this dynasty include multiple kings of Dublin, Northumbria and the Isles.Downhamstates "[Ímar's] descendants dominated the major seaports of Ireland and challenged the power of kings in Britain during the later ninth and tenth centuries".Viking power in Ireland was severely weakened by theBattle of Clontarfin 1014, and although Ímar's descendants maintained influence in and around the Irish sea region they did not have the strength they had had previously. TheCrovan dynasty,rulers of Mann and the Isles, likely descended from Ímar through his great-grandsonAmlaíb Cuarán.Woolf,among others, has suggested thatSomerled,King of the Isles, and progenitor ofClan DonaldandClan MacDougall,descended from Ímar and the Crovan dynasty, though perhaps only through the female line.

Family tree

Family tree of the early Uí Ímair
Gofraid Amlaíb Conung Ímar Auisle Albann Oistin Carlus Bárid Sichfrith Sitriuc Unknown Mac Auisle Uathmarán Amlaíb Ímar Ragnall Sitric Cáech Gofraid
Notes:

References

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External links

• CELT: Corpus of Electronic TextsatUniversity College Cork.TheCorpus of Electronic Textsincludes theAnnals of Ulsterandthe Four Masters,theChronicon Scotorumand theBook of Leinsteras well as Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress.