Prince Ivar 'the Boneless' Erikson of Kiev falls in love with and marries Princess Helga (Olga) of Chernigov. While taxing her people to finance a war against Denmark, the Chernigov 20 ambush and capture the prince and his retinue and threaten to e...
11.0 KING IVAR 'HARDE KNUTE' OF NORWAY (Circa 920 AD)
"After the death of Frode, the Danes wrongly supposed that Fridleif, (Ivar) who was being
reared in Russia, had perished." For some reason, perhaps to continue the 'Old Fridlief/Frode
Line of Skioldung Kings, Saxo alternates the next three Danish kings as Fridleif (for Ivar),
Frode (for Svein) and Ingjald (for Valdamar). Still working on this one.
Comments on Book Six of Danish History; Brian Howard Seibert
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King Ivar 'Harde Knute' of Norway
(920 AD) King Ivar left an army in Bamburgh under the command of Jarl Biorn and an army in York under the command of his wife, young Princess Blaeja, and her family, then he planned to take his remaining forces to Norway to secure his conquests there, but Prince Erik wanted to head south for Frankia to visit his brother, Duke Rollo, first, so that is what they did. They arrived in northern Frankia with a vast army, which caused great panic amongst the Franks, but Duke Rollo welcomed them in Rouen and there was much feasting and drinking and reading of fortunes. Witches were rampant in Rouen and the Christians there were worried, but Rollo protected them. When King Ivar asked Thorbjorg about his holdings in Norway, the witch told him that his wife there was soon to give birth to a baby boy. "But my wife is in Northumbria," Ivar said, skeptically. "I don't have a wife in Norway."
"Well you do now," Thorbjorg claimed. "Lagertha, the girl you wanted to marry, but raped when she refused you, will soon give birth to your first son in Southmore. Your Northumbrian son isn't due for another eight months. Lagertha shall name him Olaf after the man she plans to marry."
"She's planning to marry?" Ivar asked.
"Yes," she answered. "Olaf is the Jarl of Northmore. They are getting married in two weeks."
"King Harald Fairhair offered me Northmore," Duke Rollo said, "after King Frodi destroyed all Norway and set Harald up as king. I was warned by your grandmother's ghost not to accept his offer. How did Queen Alfhild put it?" Rollo paused as he changed the story a bit, "Don't return to Norway or King Fairhair will make you Earl of No-Head Anymore. I think you should kill this Jarl Olaf and take both Lagertha and Northmore for yourself. King Frodi gave it to Harald and you're the heir of King Frodi, so just take it back. Besides, King Fairhair offered it to me first and I never really declined the offer, so I give it to you."
"Is this what your conversion to Christianity has taught you?" Prince Erik asked sternly.
"I know!" Duke Rollo exclaimed. "It's absolutely wicked! But that's the way Christian kings do it. If you find that you want to do something wicked, then find some sort of justification for it."
