Ivar the Boneless Ragnarsson Timeline 794-873

Ivar the Boneless was born to the legendary Viking, Ragnar Lothbrok, and Aslaug Sigurdsdottir. He was nicknamed ‘the Boneless’ possibly because he was disabled, because he was impotent or because he had very large bones and was tall and heavy.

Ivar’s father, Ragnar Lothbrok was shipwrecked off the Northumbrian coast. King Aelle immediately marched, defeated the Viking army and took Ragnar prisoner.

Ivar’s father, Ragnar Lothbrok, was killed by King Aelle of Northumbria. Legend states that he was thrown into a pit of vipers.

Ivar led a huge Viking force known by the Saxons as The Great Heathen Army. He was joined by his brothers, Halfdan, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye and Ubba as well as Guthrum. They landed in East Anglia and their purpose was to avange the death of their father, Ragnar Lothbrok.

Ivar and the Great Heathen army marched north and invaded Northumbria.

Ivar and the Vikings took Jorvik (York) and used it as a base to make raids into Mercia.

Osberht and Aelle, rivals for the Northumbrian throne made an alliance and marched to expel the Vikings from York. They were badly defeated. Osberht was killed during the battle. Aelle was executed, allegedly by being subjected to the blood eagle as revenge for his killing Ragnar Lothbork.

Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye married King Aelle’s daughter Blaeja and either returned to Denmark or settled in Northumbria.

Ivar installed Egbert as puppet king of Northumbria.

Ivar the Boneless, invaded Mercia and captured Nottingham. King Aethelred and his brother Alfred marched north, but by the time they arrived Burgred, King of Mercia had paid the Vikings off.

Ivar and the Vikings attacked East Anglia. Legend states that the Vikings tied King Edmund to a tree and shot arrows into him until he died.

The Viking forces led by Ivar the Boneless and Olaf the White captured Dumbarton in Scotland.

Ivar returned to Dublin.

It is believed that Ivar the Boneless died in Dublin. The cause of his death unknown.

Ivar stated a wish to be buried in England and it is said that his corpse was taken from Dublin. In the seventeenth century a burial site was discovered near Repton, East Anglia containing a skeleton of a large man surrounded by 250 Vikings. It has been speculated that the skeleton may be that of Ivar the Boneless.