Sigfred was a competitor for the Danish throne in 812. His brief appearance inaugurated a period of throne struggles in Denmark which lasted until 827.
Competing royal lineages
In the early 9th century King
Gudfred
Gudfred was a ninth century Danish king who reigned from at least 804 to 810. Alternate spellings include ''Godfred'' (Danish), ''Göttrick'' (German), ''Gøtrik'' (Danish), ''Gudrød'' (Danish), and ''Godofredus'' (Latin). He stands at the thre ...
had made Denmark into an expansive power which threatened the
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
positions in
Frisia
Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...
,
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
and the Slavic lands. However, the kingdom was not strictly hereditary since rulers were taken by assemblies of chiefs and peasants. Apart from the House of Gudfred, another lineage strove for power. The members based their claim on kinship with a former King Harald who might have ruled in the 8th century. Since the Houses of Gudfred and Harald often bore the same names (such as Gudfred and Hemming) they were probably related.
Succession crisis
Gudfred's nephew and successor Hemming had a short and peaceful reign and passed away in 812. He is known to have had two brothers called Håkon and Angantyr, but we do not hear more about them. Another nephew of Gudfred, Sigfred, aspired to succeed him. He was, however, challenged by another claimant called
Anulo
Anulo or Ale was a pretender-king who vied for the Danes (Germanic tribe), Danish throne in 812. He represents the appearance of the House of Harald which competed with the House of Gudfred for power in Denmark until c. 857 and possibly longer.
T ...
(Ale), who was a grandson or nephew (''nepos'') of Harald and probably the son of the chief Halfdan who submitted to
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
in 807. The two rival kings summoned their followers and met in a huge battle which, according to the Frankish annals, cost the lives 10,940 men on both sides. If correct this would have meant a very considerable loss of manpower for this era. Both Sigfred and Anulo were killed in the melée. However, Anulo's side won, and his brothers
Harald Klak
Harald 'Klak' Halfdansson (c. 785 – c. 852) was a king in Jutland (and possibly other parts of Denmark) around 812–814 and again from 819–827."Carolingian Chronicles: Royal Frankish Annals and Nithard's Histories" (1970), translation by Bernh ...
and Ragnfred were made kings of the Danish realm. The new rulers sought friendship with the
Carolingian Empire
The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...
. However, they were soon challenged by the five sons of Gudfred and were expelled in the following year.
Later historiography
Sigfred and Anulo are mentioned by the historian Adam of Bremen in c. 1075 who believed that they were both nephews of Gudfred. Adam's ''
Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum
(Medieval Latin for "Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg") is a historical treatise written between 1073 and 1076 by Adam of Bremen, who made additions (''scholia'') to the text until his death (possibly 1081; before 1085).
It is one of the most ...
'' was known to some High medieval Norse writers who elaborated on his data. Thus the unusual name Anulo was misinterpreted as Hring (Latin ''annulus'' meaning "ring") while Sigfred was equated with the common medieval name Sigurd. Various king lists such as the ''
Gesta Danorum
("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essentia ...
'' of
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...
(c. 1200) combine the names as Sigurd Hring and present this figure as the father and predecessor of the renowned Viking ruler
Ragnar Lodbrok
Ragnar Lodbrok (Old Norse: ''Ragnarr loðbrók'', ), according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Legendary Kings of Sweden, Swedish and Legendary kings of Denmark, Danish king. /ref>