A Who’s Who of the Viking World
Ælla (mid 9th century) King of Northumbria who according to legend executed Ragnar Lothbrok. He was killed in 867 by Ivar the Boneless and the Great Heathen Army, supposedly as revenge for Ragnar’s death.
Athelred the Unready (c. 968 - 1016) King of England during the last great wave of Viking attacks.
Aethelwulf (c. 795 - 858) King of Wessex and father of Alfred the Great.
Athelstan (c. 894 - 939) First Anglo-Saxon monarch accepted as ‘King of the English’.
Alcuin of York (c. 735 - 804) English scholar who was one of the leading intellectuals of Charlemagne’s court.
Alfred the Great (c. 849 - 899) King of Wessex who defeated the Great Heathen Army. Laid the foundations of the medieval kingdom of England.
Aud the Deep Minded (c. 834 - 900) Norwegian wife of the king of Dublin, Olaf the White, later settled in Iceland.
Basil the Bulgar-Slayer (958 - 1025) Byzantine Emperor who founded the Varangian Guard.
Bjarni Herjólfsson (10th century) Norwegian explorer who first sighted mainland America.
Bjorn Ironside (9th century) Son of Ragnar Lothbrok; In 860 he led a semi-legendary raid into the Mediterranean with his brother Hastein.
Brian Bóruma (c. 941 - 1014) High King of Ireland who tried to unite the island under his rule. Killed at the battle of Clontarf.
Brodir of Man (11th century) Danish Viking mercenary who according to legend killed Brian Bóruma at the battle of Clontarf.
Cnut the Great (c. 985 - 1035) Viking king of England, Denmark, and parts of Norway. He was the son of Svein Forkbeard and conquered England from Athelred the Unready and his son Edmund Ironside.
Columba (c. 521 - 597) Irish missionary credited with spreading Christianity in Scotland. The monastery he founded on the island of Iona in western Scotland became an early Viking target.
Cuthbert (c. 634 - 687) Patron saint of northern England, his remains were kept at the monastery of Lindisfarne, target of the first major Viking raid.
Charlemagne (c. 747 - 814) Frankish king and first monarch of the reborn Western Roman Empire.
Charles the Bald (823 - 877) Frankish emperor, son of Louis the Pious. He confronted Ragnar at the first siege of Paris and bribed him to leave.
Charles the Fat (839 - 888) Frankish emperor, great-grandson of Charlemagne. He was the last member of Charlemagne’s dynasty to rule over a united empire. He relieved a siege of Paris in 886 by bribing the Vikings to leave.
Charles the Simple (879 - 929) Frankish king, cousin of Charles the Fat. He attempted to stop Viking raids by allowing them to settle in Normandy.
Edmund Ironside (c. 989 - 1016) King of England and son of Athelred the Unready. He agreed to divide England with the Viking king Cnut.
Erik Bloodaxe (c. 885 - c. 955) Viking king of Norway and York, son of Harald Fairhair.
Erik the Red (c. 950 - c. 1003) Norwegian Viking who colonized Greenland. Father of Leif Erikson and Freydis.
Freydis (10th century) Daughter of Erik the Red; early colonizer of Vinland.
Garthar (9th century) Swedish merchant who was the first Viking to deliberately sail to Iceland. He spent a single winter on the island.
Godfred (late 8th century) Danish Viking warlord responsible for constructing the first sections of the Danevirke.
Godwin (c. 1001 - 1053) Earl of Wessex, powerful advisor to Edward the Confessor and father of Tostig and Harold Godwinson.
Gorm the Old (d. 958) First Viking king of Denmark, father of Harald Bluetooth.
Guthrum (d. 890) Leader of the Great Heathen Army during its invasion of Wessex.
Håkon the Good (c. 920 - 961) Third king of Norway, youngest son of Harald Fairhair and brother of Erik Bloodaxe.
Halfdan (d. 877) Son of Ragnar Lothbrok and one of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army. Briefly controlled London 871-2.
Harald Bluetooth (c. 935 - 986) Viking king of Denmark and parts of Norway; Son of Gorm the Old, responsible for the Christian conversion of Denmark.
Harald Fairhair (c. 850 - 932) First king of Norway, father of Erik Bloodaxe and Håkon the Good.
Harald Greycloak (d. 970) Son of Erik Bloodaxe, king of Norway. Assassinated by Harald Bluetooth.
Harald Hårdrada (c. 1015 - 1066) King of Norway and half-brother of Saint Olaf. Served in the Varangian Guard, conquered Norway, and died at the battle of Stamford Bridge.
Harald Klak (c. 785 - c. 852) Danish Viking warlord that the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious attempted to use to Christianize Denmark.
Harold Godwinson (c. 1022 - 1066) Last Anglo-Saxon king of England. Killed at the Battle of Hastings by William the Conqueror.
Hastein (9th century) Possibly a son of Ragnar Lothbrok. Led a semi-legendary raid into the Mediterranean with his brother Bjorn Ironside.
Helgi (d. 912) Swedish Viking who succeeded Rurik and moved the Rus capital from Novgorod to Kiev. Also known by the Slavic name Oleg.
Horik (d. 854) Son of the Danish warlord Godfred, exiled Ragnar Lothbrok after the latter’s raid on Paris.
Ingólfur Arnarson (9th century) First permanent settler of Iceland. Settled and named Reykjavík.
Ingvar of Kiev (d. 945) Swedish Viking who succeeded Helgi in Kiev. Led the Rus on an attack on Constantinople.
Ivar the Boneless (9th century) Most famous son of Ragnar Lothbrok. Led the Great Heathen Army in a successful attack on England.
Leif Erikson (c. 970 - c. 1020) Son of Erik the Red, first European to land in North America.
Louis the Pious (778 - 840) Frankish emperor, son of Charlemagne who unsuccessfully attempted to deal with Viking attacks on continental Europe.
Máel Sechnaill (948 - 1022) ex High King of Ireland who reclaimed the title after Brian Bóruma’s death at the battle of Clontarf.
Naddodd (9th century) Viking explorer who is credited with discovering Iceland.
Odin Chief of the Viking gods, known as the ‘All-father’.
Olaf Haraldsson (995 - 1030) Norway’s patron saint. Viking king who attempted to Christianize Norway and was killed at the battle of Stiklestad. Half-brother of Harald Hardråda.
Olaf Sitricsson (c. 927 - 981) Viking king of York and Dublin, son of Sitric One-Eyed.
Olaf the White (c. 820 - 871) Viking king of Dublin; co-ruled with Ivar the Boneless.
Olaf Tryggvason (c. 960 - 1000) Viking king of Norway, attempted to forcibly Christianize Norway and died at the battle of the Svold.
Olga of Kiev (c. 890 - 969) Regent of Kiev, wife of Ingvar of Kiev. Her acceptance of Christianity set the stage for the conversion of the Rus.
Ragnar Lothbrok (9th century) Legendary Danish Viking. Led a successful raid on Paris in 845. Father of Ivar the Boneless, Hastien, Halfdan, Ubba, and Bjorn Ironside.
Raven Flóki (9th century) Norwegian Viking who named Iceland and started its colonization.
Rollo (9th century) Norwegian Viking who settled in France and founded Normandy.
Rurik the Rus (d. 879) Swedish Viking who settled in Novgorod and founded the first Viking state in Russia.
Sigfred (9th century) Viking warlord who led an unsuccessful siege of Paris in 885.
Sitric One-Eyed (late 9th century) Viking king of Dublin and York, grandson of Ivar the Boneless. Attempted to create a Hiberno-English kingdom.
Sitric Silkbeard (c. 970 - 1042) Viking king of Dublin. Last major Viking figure of Ireland. Started a revolt against the High King Brian Bóruma but withdrew before the battle of Clontarf.
Snorri Sturluson (1179 - 1241) Icelandic poet who composed the Heimskringla, a history of the Norse Kings.
Sven Estridsson (c. 1019 - 1074) Viking king of Denmark. Fought a fifteen year war with his neighbor Harald Hardråda.
Svein Forkbeard (c. 960 - 1014) Viking king of Denmark, son of Harald Bluetooth. Conquered England in 1013.
Sviatoslav of Kiev (c. 942 - 972) Ruler of Kiev, succeeded Ingvar. He was ambushed trying to cross the Dneiper River and his skull was made into a drinking cup.
Thor Most popular of the Viking gods, especially with farmers and sailors.
Thorfinn Karlsefni (11th century) Viking explorer who attempted a permanent settlement in Vinland.
Thorgils the Devil (9th century) Viking sea-king who founded Dublin.
Thorvald Erikson (9th century) Viking explorer, brother of Leif Erikson. Was the first European to be killed in the Americas.
Tostig Godwinson (d. 1066) Brother of king Harold Godwinson, invited Harald Hardråda to attack England in 1066.
Ubba (9th century) Son of Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army.
Vladimir of Kiev (c. 958 - 1015) Ruler of Kiev, converted the Rus to Christianity and provided the first Viking recruits to the Varangian Guard.