Scandinavian-Britain

THE AGE OF /ELFRED 87very wise " who succeeded in each;enterprise by craft,when the courage of his brothers had failed. Eldestof the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok by the daughter ofSigurd the dragon-slayer, he is the one constantfactor in the varying groups of conquerors, as givenby different sources. His brothers in Ragnar's Sagaare Sigurd Snake-eye, Hvitserk and Bjorn Ironside;in the English chroniclers, Halfdan and Hubba (Ubbi\though Symeon distinguishes the last as Dux Frisiorum;in the Annals of Roskilde, Ubi, Bjorn andUlph ;and in the Irish Three Fragments, Olaf theWhite and Oisla (Haisl). He appears 866-870 asdirecting operations in England, Scotland and Ireland,always with success and; though the saga leaves himchildless, he must be the father of the great line ofDublin kings, and the " Old Ivar of the Judgments "who appears at the head of Hebridean clan-pedigrees.The rapidity of the conquest, when Ivar took it inhand, is remarkable. So far, the Vikings had madeno headway ; now, five years sufficed for the completedand permanent subjugation of East Anglia, Deiraland northern Mercia : and this was not because!no resistance, or a poor resistance, was offered. It Iis true that Northumbria was disturbed by faction ;king Osberht had been dethroned by a usurper ^Ella, \and this was Ivar's opportunity ; but, unlike the Irish,)the Anglian factions sunk their differences and unitedin fierce opposition to the common enemy. Merciawas a strong power, and had support from Wessex,but nothing stood against Ivar. Wessex was saved by/Elfred, but only after Ivar was gone.\