Father to the Viking Rollo, Ragnvild conquered Scotland, had ugly children, and was an Earl in Norway.
This person is my 29th x great-grand-father.
Disclaimer: One of the key problems with researching Ragnvild is that it’s hard to determine which historical sources are fiction, and which are authentic. The best sources are the Norse Sagas which were written 300 years after he lived, and they ccontradict themselves. A lot.
Assume most of the information on this page is questionable. Check the sources. And check back for updates.
Ragnvild Eysteinsson was born, most likely early in the 9th century, in Norway1. He is the son of Eystein “the Noisy” Ivarsson and his wife1.
Titles
Sources name Ragnvild as Earl of Nordmøre, Romsdale, and Sunnmøre1.
Family
He married a woman called Ragnhild1. I haven’t found any possible wedding dates but given Rollo’s possible birth, this happened around the mid-9th century.
Together they had four sons1:
- Ivar
- Rollo “The Walker”
- Thorer “The Silent”
- Gorm
Ragnvild also had 3 illegitimate children with an unknown mistress1:
- Hallad
- Hrollaug who, as legend has it, populated Iceland.
- Einar, whom history describes as “tall, ugly and one-eyed.”
Notable events
Ragnvild took part in the Battle of Solskjel with King Harald “Fine Hair” of Norway who, in return, gave him the Norwegian regions of Nordmøre, Romsdale, and Sunnmøre1. This explains how he got the titles.
King Harald also gave Ragnvild the Shetland and Orkney islands in compensation for the death of his son, Ivar1.
Death
He died in 894 when two of King Harald’s sons, Halfdan and Gudred, burned him alive1.
Lineage
This person is my 29th x great-grandfather.