A.D.
787First appearance of the Norse in Northumbria
795First plunderings of the Norse in Ireland
795Irish monks in Iceland
822Halfdan the Black, King of Norway (d. 860)
832The Norse appear in Kent
847First coming of the Danes to Ireland
853Olaf the White, King of the Norse in Dublin
867Ælla King of Northumbria
871Alfred the Great, King of England (d. 901)
872Harald Fairhair, King of Norway (d. 933)
875The Danes are subdued by Alfred, and Guthrum is baptized
878Harald Fairhair raids in the Orkneys and makes Ragnvald earl. During Harald’s reign Iceland is peopled from Norway
890Rolf Ganger, son of Ragnvald, Earl of More and Orkney, plunders in Normandy
900Torf-Einar in Orkney. Harald Fairhair’s second expedition to the West
901Edward the Elder, King of England (d. 925)
902The foreigners are expelled from Dublin
917Niall Glundubh (Black knee), King of Ireland, slain at battle of Kilmashog
924Edward the Elder is chosen as “Father and Lord” by the Scots, Northumbria, and Strathclyde
925Athelstan succeeds (d. 940)
933Eric Bloodaxe, King of Norway
934Hakon the Good returns to Norway and is crowned king
935Eric Bloodaxe leaves Norway and gets a kingdom in England
937Battle of Brunanburh
939Murtough of the Leather Cloaks makes a warlike circuit in Ireland
941Olaf Cuaran (of the Sandal) chosen King of Northumbria
942The Danes desert Dublin and flee across sea
944Olaf Cuaran expelled from Northumbria
949Olaf Cuaran returns; expelled a second time in 952
960Battle of Stord, and death of King Hakon the Good
963Olaf Trygveson born in exile. Norway ruled by the sons of Eric Bloodaxe
979Ethelred the Unready, King of England
985Olaf Trygveson raids in the West and England. Sweyn Fork-beard becomes King of Denmark.
988He marries Gyda, a sister of Olaf Cuaran. He is baptised in the Scilly Isles
993Bambrough stormed
994Olaf Trygveson and Sweyn Fork-beard are driven back from London. Olaf promises never again to fight with England
995Earl Hakon slain; Olaf Trygveson becomes king of Norway
1000He dies at battle of Svold
1002Massacre of the Danes on St Brice’s Day
1004Sweyn Fork-beard burns Norwich
1009–10England ravaged by the Danes
1010Siege of London and battle of Hringmara Heath
1013Sweyn Fork-beard, King of England (d. 1014)
1014Battle of Clontarf in Dublin. Ethelred II. goes to Normandy
1015Reign of St Olaf in Norway (d. 1030)
1016Death of Ethelred II. Reign of Edmund Ironside. Battle of Assandun and division of England between Edmund and Canute.
1017Canute sole King of England
1028Canute subjugates Norway
1030Battle of Stiklestad and death of St Olaf
1030Sweyn, Canute’s son, King of Norway (d. 1035)
1035Magnus the Good, King of Norway (d. 1047)
1037Harald, Canute’s son, King of England
1040Hardacanute, King of England (d. 1042)
1043Edward the Confessor, King of England
1065Harold, Godwin’s son, consecrated king
1066Battle of Stamford Bridge
1066Battle of Hastings

FOOTNOTES

[1] Ethelwerd’s Chronicle, A.D. 786 (recté 787).

[2] Saxo’s Danish annals speak of Hame, the father of Ælla, as King of Northumbria (see [p. 18]), but he is unknown to the English Chronicles.

[3] This is the account of Saxo; the Norse accounts differ from him as to the district over which Ragnar ruled.

[4] The Northern chronicles here throw much light on the internal affairs of Northumbria, which are only briefly dealt with in the English chronicles. But the general outline of events fits well into the English account.

[5] i.e. the horns from which the ale was quaffed, made from the branching or curved antlers of reindeer or ox.

[6] i.e. “the Wanderer,” another name for Woden.

[7] i.e. his sons, the children of Aslaug, his second wife.

[8] i.e. the sword of Woden. The prophecy was shortly afterwards fulfilled, for Lodbrog’s sons returned to Northumbria, dethroned Ælla, and put him to a cruel death.