Sigtrygg Silkbeard
| Sigtrygg Silkbeard | |
|---|---|
| King of Dublin | |
| Reign | 989/995–1036 |
| Predecessor | Glúniairn / Ivar of Waterford |
| Successor | Echmarcach mac Ragnaill |
| Born | c. 970 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 1042 (aged ≈ 72) Dublin |
| Spouse | Sláine |
| House | Uí Ímhair |
| Father | Olaf Cuarán |
| Mother | Gormflaith ingen Murchada |
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 (possibly AD 989–994; restored or began 995–1000; restored 1000 and abdicated 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 double marriage alliance 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's long reign spanned 46 years, until his abdication in 1036. During that period, his armies saw action in four of the five Irish provinces of the time. In particular, he conducted a long series of raids into territories such as Meath, Wicklow, Ulster, and perhaps even the coast of Wales. He also came into conflict with rival Norse kings, especially in Cork and Waterford.
He went on pilgrimage to Rome in 1028 and is associated with the foundation of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Although Dublin underwent several reversals of fortune during his reign, on the whole trade in the city flourished. He died in 1042.
Sigtrygg was of Norse and Irish ancestry. He was a son of Olaf Cuarán (also called Kváran), King of York and of Dublin, and Gormflaith ingen Murchada. Gormflaith was the daughter of the King of Leinster, Murchad mac Finn, and the sister of his successor, King Máel Mórda of Leinster. She had previously been married to the King of Meath and High King of Ireland, Máel Sechnaill — the first of her three husbands. 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.
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