Ubba



Ubba, also known as Hubba, Ubbe, and Ubbi, was a mid-ninth-century Viking chieftain and one of the commanders of the Great Army. Although contemporary English sources tended to describe the army's men as Danes and heathens, there is evidence to suggest that a proportion of the force originated in Frisia, and one source describes Ubba himself as dux of the Frisians. Ubba is recorded to have been one of the leaders who killed Edmund, King of the East Angles (later St Edmund the Martyr), and may be identical to an unnamed Viking chieftain who was slain in Devonshire in 878. Although later medieval sources re-imagined Ubba as one of many sons of the legendary Ragnarr loðbrók, there is little evidence for such association, let alone the latter's existence.

The Great Army


In the mid-ninth-century, England was invaded by what the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle called in Old English mycel here or micel here&mdash;the Great Army. The origins of this massive force are obscure. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle usually identifies its members as Danes or heathens. Although the tenth-century churchman Asser stated in Latin that the invaders came from de Danubia, the fact that the Danube is located in what was known in Latin as Dacia suggests that Asser may have actually intended Dania, a Latin term for Denmark. The tenth-century chronicler Æthelweard (died 998?) stated that "the fleets of the tyrant Ívarr" came from the north, which may be evidence of a Scandinavian origin. By 865, Ívarr appears to have been the foremost leader of the Great Army, and it is possible that he was identical to the contemporaneous Ímar of the Irish Sea region. There is reason to suspect that the army itself was composed of Vikings already active in England, as well and men from directly from Scandinavia, Ireland, and the Continent.



There is evidence to suggest that a proportion of the army originated in Frisia. For example, the ninth-century Annales Bertiniani records that Danish Vikings devastated Frisia in 851, and the twelfth-century Annales Lindisfarnenses et Dunelmenses states that a Viking force of Danes and Frisians, made landfall on the Isle of Sheppey in 855. The same source, and the tenth- or eleventh-century Historia de Sancto Cuthberto describe Ubba&mdash;who is associated with Ívarr in other sources&mdash;as dux of the Frisians. Furthermore, whilst the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle calls the Viking army mycel here, the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto instead uses the Latin term Scaldingi, possibly meaning "people from the River Scheldt". This latter source, therefore, may be evidence that Ubba was from Walcheren, an island in the mouth of the Scheldt. The island itself is known to have been occupied by Danish Vikings over two decades before, when the Frankish emperor, Lothair I (died 855), granted the island to a certain Danish royal dynast named Haraldr, in 841. If Ubba's troops had indeed stemmed from the Frisian settlement begun by Haraldr more than two decades before, many of Ubba's men may well have been born in Frisia. In fact, the considerable time that members of the Great Army appear to have spent in Ireland and the Continent suggests that these men were well accustomed to Christian society, which in turn may partly explain their achievements in England.



In 865, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle reports that the Great Army successfully invaded, and overwintered in the Kingdom of East Anglia. That winter the Vikings evidently gained valuable intelligence, and the following spring the same source reveals that they burst forth from East Anglia on horses gained from the subordinated population, and struck into the Kingdom of the Northumbrians, a dominion suffering in the midst of a civil war between kings Ælla (died 867) and Osberht (died 867). According to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, the invader Vikings seized York, an urban centre that was not only the seat of one of the two Anglo-Saxon archdioceses, but one of the richest trading centres in Britain. Although Ælla and Osberht responded by putting aside their differences and joining forces, their attack on York in March 867 was an utter disaster, and both men were slain. In consolidation of their conquest, the Vikings installed Ecgberht (died 873) as a Northumbrian puppet king; and the following summer Ívarr and Hálfdan struck deep into the Kingdom of the Mercians, seized Nottingham, where they overwintered. Although the Anglo Saxon Chronicle reports that Burhred, King of the Mercians (died 874?) and Æthelred, King of the West Saxons (died 871) led a combined force of Anglo-Saxons that laid siege to the town, ultimately they were unable to storm it and dislodge the Vikings. The same source reveals that a truce was obtained, however, and the Vikings were therefore forced to withdrawal back to York. There they licked their wounds, and renewed their strength for further operations.

Ívarr and Edmund


In 869, the Kingdom of East Anglia was conquered by the Great Army. In its account of the conflict, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reveals that the Vikings took up winter quarters at Thetford, where they fought and destroyed the East Anglian army and killed Edmund, King of the East Angles (died 869). An insertion in the eleventh-century F-version of the chronicle specifically identifies the commanders of the king's killers as Ubba and Ívarr. Although the chronicle's account of this conflict appears to indicate that Edmund was slain in battle, and Asser certainly stated as much in his account of events, later hagiographical works portray Edmund as an idealised Christian king, and depict his death in the context of a peace-loving martyr who refused to shed blood in defence of himself. It is in this hagiographic context that the eleventh-century churchmen Abbo of Fleury, and Ælfric of Eynsham claimed that Edmund had been cruelly killed by Ubba and Ívarr. Such colourful hagiographic details aside, Edmund may well have been captured and executed.

The slain brother of Ívarr and Hálfdan


Although Abbo and Ælfric associate Ubba and Ívarr together in their respective accounts of Edmund's demise, the churchmen do not record that Ubba and Ívarr were related in any way. The first source to claim kinship between Ubba and Ívarr is the Annals of St Neots, a twelfth-century source which states that they (Hubba and Hynguarus) were brothers of three daughters of a certain Lodebrochus. The particular passage in question concerns battle-spoils won by the English after a victory over a Viking force. One particular item mentioned in this account is a magical banner named "Reafan", woven by Lodebrochus' three daughters, which could foretell victory or defeat in battle. In an entry concerning the year 878, the aforementioned English victory is recorded by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Although certain versions of this source also note the capture of the raven banner, they do not mention its magical attributes or note Lodebrochus and his progeny. In fact, the source from which the author of the Annals of St Neots drew these fantastical details is unknown, and the accounts of Asser and Æthelweard make no note of the banner whatsoever.

Several versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle locate the battle to Devonshire, and all versions identify the Viking commander as a brother of Ívarr and Hálfdan, stating that this unnamed leader was slain in the encounter at the head of a fleet of twenty-three ships. In most versions of this source, the Vikings are stated to have suffered eight hundred and forty fatalities. Whether or not the slain brother of Ívarr and Hálfdan is identical to Ubba is uncertain. Although the twelfth-century chronicler Geoffrey Gaimar identified the slain leader as Ubba in his Anglo-Norman Estoire des Engleis, it is unknown whether this was an inference on Gaimar's part or if he merely followed a now lost source before him. In fact, it is possible that Gaimar was influenced by the association of Ívarr and Ubba in the legends surrounding Edmund's martyrdom. Gaimar specified that Ubba was slain at "bois de Pene" in Devonshire, and that he was buried by his men in a mound called "Ubbelawe", meaning "Ubba's Barrow".

Asser's account of the battle does not mention the slain brother by name, but states that his force had overwintered in Dyfed before launching its assault. The conflict itself is located by Asser to a certain fortress which he called Arx Cynuit, a site which appears to equate to Countisbury in North Devon. Æthelweard also noted the battle without naming the slain brother; but unlike Asser, he does not name the fortress. In his account, Æthelweard declared that the defenders were led by a certain Ealdorman of Devon named Odda. Unlike the aforementioned sources, however, Æthelweard stated that the Vikings were victorious in the encounter.

Association with Ragnarr loðbrók


In later medieval literature, Ubba was incorporated into the tales of the legendary saga character Ragnarr loðbrók, a figure of dubious historicity, who may be an amalgam of several historical ninth-century figures. Ubba is not listed amongst the many sons attributed to Ragnarr loðbrók in the late-thirteenth- or early-fourteenth-century Ragnarssona þáttr, nor the thirteenth-century Ragnars saga loðbrókar. He is said to have been the son of Ragnarr loðbrók and a concubine in the twelfth-century Gesta Danorum, composed by Saxo Grammaticus. Other than this association, however, no Scandinavian source accords Ragnarr loðbrók with such a son. Other historical figures said in Ragnars saga loðbrókar to have been his sons include the ninth-century Björn and Sigurðr, the aforementioned Ívarr, and the tenth-century Rögnvaldr.