Ragnhild Eriksdotter (died c. 984) was the daughter of

Eric Bloodaxe Eric Haraldsson ( , ; c.930−954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( , ) and Brother-Slayer (), was a Norwegians#Viking Age, Norwegian king. He ruled as List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 932 to 934, and twice as List of monarchs of Northumbr ...

and his wife,

Gunnhild Gunhild (with variants Gundhild, Gunhilda, Gunhilde, Gunhjild, Gunilda, Gunnhild, Gunnhildr, Gunnhildur) is a Germanic feminine given name composed of two words meaning "war" (gunn and hild/hildr). Notable people with these names include: * , al ...

. According to 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 ...

'', she was an ambitious and scheming woman who sought power through the men of the family of

Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson Thorfinn Torf-EinarssonCrawford (1987) p. 63 also known as Thorfinn Skull-splitterThomson (2008) p. 57 (from the Old Norse ''Þorfinnr hausakljúfr'') was a 10th-century Earl of Orkney. He appears in the ''Orkneyinga saga'' and briefly in ''Sepa ...

, who was

Earl 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 Scandinavian Scotland, founded by Norse invaders, the status ...

. The period after Thorfinn's death was one of dynastic strife. Thorfinn had five sons: (Arnfinn, Havard, Hlodvir, Ljot, Skuli) and at least two daughters, each of whom had a son called Einar. In ''Orkneyinga Saga'' it is stated that Ragnhild Eriksdotter first married Arnfinn Thorfinnsson, eldest son of Thorfinn. Her husband was subsequently murdered at Murkle in Caithness sometime around 979. Her next husband was Arnfinn's brother, Havard Thorfinnsson who may have been involved in his brother's murder. Havard became Earl of Orkney and promptly married his brother's widow. Next Ragnhild convinced Thorfinn grandson, Einar Klining, to kill Havard for which she would marry him and make him Earl. Havard was killed in

Stenness Stenness (pronounced ) (; ) is a village and parish on the Orkney Mainland in Scotland. It contains several notable prehistoric monuments including the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. Geography Stenness parish adjoins the s ...

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, ...

, though the date is uncertain. Before Einar Klining could marry her, Ragnhild had promised Einar Hardkiopt, another grandson of Thorfinn, the same thing, if he would kill Einar Klining. This he did, but then Ragnhild took Havard's younger brother Liot Thorfinnsson as her husband. After Liot went on to defend Orkney and claim the Earldom, he died of his wounds from the battle of Skidmoor in

Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

. No much more is heard of Ragnhild after that event. As Ragnhild took her final husband Hlodvir Thorfinnsson. He then became Earl of Orkney. In time, he was succeeded by his son, Sigurd the Stout (her possible son).

References

Other sources

*Crawford, Barbara E. (1987) ''Scandinavian Scotland'' (Leicester University Press) *Muir, Tom (2005) ''Orkney in the Sagas: The Story of the Earldom of Orkney as told in the Icelandic Sagas'' (The Orcadian. Kirkwall) . *Pálsson, Hermann and Edwards, Paul Geoffrey (1981) ''Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney'' (Penguin Classics) *Thomson, William P. L. (2008) ''The New History of Orkney'' (Edinburgh. Birlinn) People from Orkney Earls of Orkney Norwegian princesses Orkneyinga saga characters 10th-century Norwegian women 10th-century Norwegian people 980s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Daughters of kings {{Orkney-bio-stub