User:Grimhelm/Sigtrygg Silkbeard

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Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson (also Sihtric, Sitric and Sitrick in Irish texts; or Sigtryg and Sigtryggr in Scandinavian texts) was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin (AD 989-993; restored 994-1000; restored 1000-1036) of the Uí Ímair dynasty. He was caught up in the abortive Leinster revolt of 999-1000, after which he was forced to submit to the King of Munster, Brian Boru. His family also conducted a series of marriage alliances with Boru, although he later realigned himself with the main leaders of the Leinster revolt of 1012-1014. He has a prominent role in the 12th century Irish Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh and the 13th century Icelandic Njal's Saga as the main Norse leader at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.

Sigtrygg survived the battle, and his long reign spanned forty six years, until his abdication in 1036. He founded Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin in 1038. He died in 1042.

Family
Sigtrygg was of Danish ancestry. He was a son of Olaf Cuarán (also called Kváran), King of York and of Dublin, and Gormflaith. Gormflaith was the daughter of the King of Leinster, Murchad mac Finn, and was sister of his successor, King Máel Mórda of Leinster. She had previously been married first to the King of Meath and High King of Ireland, Máel Sechnaill. She was a beautiful, powerful and intriguing Irish woman, who according to the 13th century Icelandic Njál's saga, was "the fairest of all women, and best gifted in everything that was not in her own power, but it was the talk of men that she did all things ill over which she had any power". Sigtrygg's paternal half-brother was Glúniairn, "Iron-knee", who ruled as King of Dublin from 980–989.

King of Dublin
Sigtrygg succeeded his paternal half-brother Glúniairn as King of Dublin in 989. The Irish chronicles record curiously little information about Sigtrygg, his family or Dublin during the first five years of his reign. The reason for this silence was the arrival of the future King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, who took up residence in Dublin for a few years after marrying Sigtrygg's sister Gytha. Tryggvason had met Gytha while raiding along the coasts of the Irish Sea. The presence of a powerful Viking leader in Dublin was a deterrant to Irish raids, and Trygvason might have been weakening Sigtrygg's foes by plundering them.

The return of Tryggvason to Norway in 994 coincided with the temporary expulsion of Sigtrygg from Dublin by his rival, King Ivar of of Waterford. Ivar's force of three ships may have numbered no more than 120 men, showing the limited warfare of the time, and Sigtrygg was back within a year. In 995, Sigtrygg and his nephew, Muirchertach Ua Congalaich, attacked the church at Donaghpatrick in County Meath. In retaliation, Máel Sechnaill entered Dublin and took the ring of Thor and the sword of Carlus. Sigtrygg then attacked Kells and Clonard in 997. In 998, Máel Sechnaill and the King of Munster, Brian Ború, forced Sigtrygg to recognise their lordship by giving hostages.

These events made Sigtrygg realise the wealth of Dublin made him an attractive target for enemies, and that his city needed powerful allies well as walls for security. The Dublin countryside would be insufficient to provide resources for competition with powerful Irish princes. Sigtrygg first allied with his maternal uncle, Máel Mórda, King of the Uí Fáeláin of north Leinster. In 999, they defeated the King of Leinster Donnchad mac Domhnaill, and made him prisoner at Dublin.

First Leinster revolt against Boru
Late in 999, the Leinstermen, historically hostile to domination by either the Uí Néill overkings or the King of Munster, allied themselves with the Norse of Dublin and revolted against Brian Boru. This was Sigtrygg's second alliance with Máel Mórda. Brian's forces inflicted a crushing defeat on the united Leinster-Dublin army at the Battle of Glenn Máma, and followed up the victory with an attack on the city of Dublin. The 12th century Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh gives two accounts of the occupation: that Brian remained in Dublin from Christmas Day until Epiphany (6 January), or from Christmas Day until St. Brigid's Day (1 February). The later Annals of Inisfallen date Brian's capture of the city to 1 January, 1000. In any case, in 1000 Brian plundered the city, burned the Norse fortress and expelled Sigtrygg.

According to the Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh, Sigtrygg's flight from the city brought him north, first to the Ulaid and then to Aéd of Cenél nEógain. Since Sigtrygg could find no refuge in Ireland, he eventually returned, submitted to Brian, gave hostages and was restored to Dublin. This was three months after Brian ended his occupation in February. In the meantime, Sigtrygg may have temporarily "turned pirate" and been responsible for a raid on St David's in Wales.

Brian gave his own daughter by his first wife in marriage to Sigtrygg. Brian in turn took as his second wife Sigtrygg's mother, the now thrice-married Gormflaith. It has been noted, however, that the "political alliance had too many powerful personages involved to be a success."

The years between the revolts
Sigtrygg never forgot the insult of the Ulaid. Two years later he exacted his revenge by ravaging their lands. His fleet raided Ulster, and he plundered Kilclief and Inis Cumhscraigh, taking many prisoners from both.

Second Leinster revolt against Boru
Some time in the 1010s, Brian Boru divorced Queen Gormflaith, and she began engineering opposition to the High King. Around 1012, relations between Brian and Leinster had become so strained that revolt broke out among the Leinstermen. Sigtrygg aligned himself with the forces of Máel Mórda, leader of the revolt, and the chiefs Ua Ruairc, Ua Néill and others. Together, they defeated Brian's ally Máel Sechnaill near Sord, and Brian for the moment was unable to render assistance.

According to Njál's saga, Gormflaith "egged on her son Sigtrygg very much to kill King Brian", and to that end sent him to win first the support of Earl Sigurd of Orkney, and then of Bróðir and Óspak of Man, at any price. Sigtrygg arrived in Orkney for Sigurd's Yule feast, at which he sat in a high seat between the two brothers-in-law, Earl Sigurd of Orkney and Earl Gilli of the Southern Isles. The saga also records that Sigtrygg was much interested by the tidings of the Burning of Njáll Þorgeirsson at Bergþórshvoll and what had happened since. Afterwards, Sigtrygg bade Sigurd to go to war with him against Brian. In spite of Sigurd's initial hesitance and the advice of his men, he eventually agreed that he would come to Dublin by Palm Sunday with all his host, on the condition that if they slew Brian, he would marry Gormflaith and become King of Ireland.

Sigtrygg went next to Man, where he persuaded Bróðir too to come to Dublin by Palm Sunday. Sigtrygg also promised Bróðir that, if successful, he would be allowed marry Gormflaith and become King of Ireland; the terms of this agreement, however, were to be kept secret. Óspak was dissatisfied with the arrangement, and refused to "fight against so good a king".

When the two sides faced at the Battle of Clontarf, on Good Friday in 1014, the battle claimed the lives of the main commanders on both sides: principally Brian and his son Murchad on the Munster side; and Máel Mórda, Sigurd and Bróðir on the Leinster-Norse side. Njal's Saga records that Sigtrygg was on the wing opposite Óspak of Man for the whole battle, and that Óspak eventually put the king to flight. However, it appears that Sigtrygg did not actually take part in the battle, but was holding the garrison in reserve in Dublin. As the modern Irish medievalist historian Donnchadh Ó Corráin notes, Sigtrygg "wisely kept within the city and lived to tell the tale."

Reign after Clontarf
The Annals of the Four Masters list the predatory raids undertaken by Sigtrygg during his reign. In 1018, Kells was plundered by Sigtrygg; he "carried off innumerable spoils and prisoners, and slew many persons in the middle of the church." However, a victory was also gained against Sigtrygg in 1021, when the King of Leinster, Augaire mac Dúnlainge, "made a dreadful slaughter of the foreigners" in the Kingdom of Breifne. According to the modern Viking historian Benjamin Hudson, "matters went from bad to worse" for Sigtrygg after the death of Máel Sechnaill in 1022. The great Irish princes began to compete for the High Kingship, and the political situation in Ireland became chaotic as there was no clear choice for supremacy. Accordingly, "Dublin became a prize for those who would rule Ireland and wanted the town's wealth to finance their ambitions."

Hostages were taken from Sigtrygg by Flaithbertach Ua Néill, King of Cenél nEógain and the Uí Néill, and Donnchad mac Briain of Munster in 1025 and 1026 respectively, in support of their bids for the High Kingship. These hostages brought no security, and Dublin was raided in 1026 by Niall mac Eocada of the Ulaid in revenge for the naval attack of 1022. Sigtrygg was forced to make a new alliance with the men of Brega. In 1027, Sigtrygg's son Olaf joined Donnchad of Brega in a raid on Staholmock, County Meath. The army of Sigtrygg and Donnchad was defeated by the men of Meath under their king, Roen Ua Mael Sechlainn. Sigtrygg rallied to the fight again, and fought a battle at Lickblaw where Donnchad and Roen were slain.

In 1029, Sigtrygg's son Olaf was taken prisoner by the new lord of Brega, Mathghamhain Ua Riagain. Sigtrygg was forced to pay a ransom of 1200 cows. Further conditions of the peace agreement necessitated Sigtrygg paying another 80 cows "for word and supplication", 140 British horses, 60 ounces of gold and of silver, "the sword of Carlus", the Irish hostages of Leinster and Leath Cuinn, "four hostages to Ua Riagain as a security for peace, and the full value of the life of the third hostage."

In 1032, Sigtrygg won the Battle of Inbher Boinne, capturing or killing over 300 members of the Conailli, the Ui Tortain, and the Ui Meith. In 1035, he killed the Raghnall, the Norse Lord of Waterford, at Dublin, and plundered Ardbraccan in Meath later that year. (In revenge, Sord was plundered and burned by Conchobhar Ua Maeleachlainn.)

Issue and legacy
Sigtrygg married Brian Boru's own daughter, Sláine, and they had one son: Olaf (d. 1034). According to the Annals of the Four Masters, Olaf "was slain by the Saxons" on his way on a pilgrimage to Rome. He was survived by one Ragnhild, from whom the Lords of Gwynedd were descended.

Separately from Sláine, Sigtrygg had four children: Oleif (d. 1013), Godfrey (d. 1036), Glúniairn (d. 1031) and Cellach (d. 1042). The annals record the death of Oleif — "son of the lord of the foreigners" — who was killed in immediate vengeance for the burning of Cork in 1012. Glúniairn was killed by the people of South Brega in 1031. Godfrey was killed in Wales in 1036 by one Sitric, "son of Glúniairn" — as factionalism was common among Viking settlers, this could have been the same Glúniairn as Sigtrygg's half-brother, thus making Godfrey and his killer cousings. Sigtrygg's daughter Cellach died in the same month as her father.

Sigtrygg founded Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin in 1038, making it the oldest stone building in Dublin, the oldest cathedral in Ireland and unique as the only cathedral in the British Isles of Danish origin. The Cathedral was later rebuilt in 1172 by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, also known as "Strongbow", following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.