Ingibiorg Finnsdottir
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Ingibiorg Finnsdottir ( normalised Old Norse: , ) was a daughter of Earl
Finn Arnesson The word Finn (''pl.'' Finns) usually refers to Finnish people, a Finnic ethnic group. Finn or Finns may also refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Finnic peoples, various ethnic groups who speak Finnic languages * Baltic Finnic peoples, va ...
and Bergljot Halvdansdottir. She was also a niece of Kings Olaf II and
Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' in the sagas, was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. He unsuccessfully claimed the Monarchy of Denma ...
of Norway. She is also known as Ingibiorg, the Earls'-Mother. The dates of her life are unknown. She married Earl Thorfinn Sigurdsson of Orkney. The ''
Orkneyinga Saga The ''Orkneyinga saga'' (Old Norse: ; ; also called the ''History of the Earls of Orkney'' and ''Jarls' Saga'') is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly No ...
'' claims that Kalf Arnesson, Ingibiorg's uncle, was exiled in
Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...
after her marriage to Thorfinn. This was during the reign of
Magnus the Good Magnus Olafsson (; Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus Olavsson''; – 25 October 1047), better known as Magnus the Good (; Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus den gode''), was King of Norway from 1035 and King of Denmark from 1042 until his death in ...
, son of Olaf II, who ruled from 1035 to 1047, and probably before the death of
Harthacanute Harthacnut (; "Tough-knot";  â€“ 8 June 1042), traditionally Hardicanute, sometimes referred to as Canute III, was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of England from 1040 to 1042. Harthacnut was the son of King Cnut the Great (wh ...
in 1042. Thorfinn and Ingibiorg had two known sons,
Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson Paul Thorfinnsson (died 1098) and Erlend Thorfinnsson (died 1098) were brothers who ruled together as Earls of Orkney. Paul and Erlend were the sons of Thorfinn Sigurdsson and Ingibiorg Finnsdottir. Through Ingibiorg's father Finn Arnesson an ...
, who jointly ruled as
earls of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the N ...
. Both also fought in Harald Hardraade's ill-fated invasion of the
Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...
in 1066. Ingibiorg remarried after Thorfinn's death (date unknown). Her second husband was King
Malcolm III of Scotland Malcolm III (; ; –13 November 1093) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Alba from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" (, , understood as "great chief"). Malcolm's long reign of 35 years preceded the beginning of the Scoto-Norma ...
. Whatever the date of the marriage, Malcolm and Ingibiorg had at least one son, and probably two. The ''Orkneyinga Saga'' tells us that Duncan II () was their son, and it is presumed that the "Domnall son of Máel Coluim, King of Scotland" whose death in 1085 is reported by the
Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinà ...
was also their son. Ingibiorg is presumed to have died in around 1069 as Malcolm married
Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
, sister of
Edgar Ætheling Edgar Ætheling or Edgar II ( – 1125 or after) was the last male member of the royal house of Cerdic of Wessex. He was elected King of England by the Witan in 1066 but never crowned. Family and early life Edgar was probably born in Hu ...
, in about 1070. It may be, however, that she died before Malcolm became king, as an appears in the , a list of those monks and notables from whom prayers were said at Durham, alongside persons known to have died around 1058. If Ingibiorg was never queen, it would help to explain the apparent ignorance of her existence displayed by some Scots chroniclers.A death in 1058 would also sit with
Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis (; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 6 Working out of ...
's belief that Malcolm was betrothed to Margaret in 1059; Duncan, p. 43.


Notes


References

* Anon., ''Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney'', tr. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. Penguin, London, 1978. * Duncan, A.A.M., ''The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence.'' Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2002. * Oram, Richard, ''David I: The King Who Made Scotland.'' Tempus, Stroud, 2004. *
Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
, ''Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway'', tr. Lee M. Hollander. Reprinted University of Texas Press, Austin, 1992.


External links


Heimskringla
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Orkneyinga Saga
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Northvegr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingibiorg Finnsdottir 1069 deaths Scottish royal consorts Year of birth unknown 11th-century Scottish people 11th-century Normans 11th-century Scottish women 11th-century Norwegian nobility 11th-century Norwegian women 11th-century Norman women Mothers of Scottish monarchs