Sigtrygg Gnupasson was semi-legendary a king of

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

of the House of Olaf who ruled in the 10th century, according to

Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen (; ; before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' ('' ...

. Sigtrygg was son of Gnupa and the Danish noblewoman Asfrid. According to Adam, he became a Danish king during the tenure of Archbishop Hoger of Bremen (909–915/7). He is remembered on the two Sigtrygg Runestones found near

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been di ...

, ( DR2 and DR4), erected by his mother after his death, suggesting this area represented the power-base of the family.''Asfriþr karþi kumbl þaun aft Siktriku sun sin aui Knubu'' (Asfrith carved this gravestone after Sigtrygg, her son and Gnupa's); ''Ui Asfriþr karþi kubl þausi tutir Uþinkars aft Sitriuk kununt sun sin auk Knubu'' (Holy Asfrith carved this gravestone, Odinkar's daughter, after Sigtrygg, king, her son and Gnupa's). A. V. Storm, "Pages of Early Danish History, from the Runic Monuments of Sleswick and Jutland", ''The Saga=Book of the Viking club'', vol. 2, pp. 328–347. Based on the testimony of king Sweyn, Adam reports that prior to Hoger's death,

Harthacnut Harthacnut (; "Tough-knot"; – 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 ...

came to Denmark and immediately deposed the young king Sigtrygg. However other sources show a ''Chnuba'' (usually identified with Gnupa, Sigtrygg's father) still ruling in 934, while

Heimskringla () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...

reports Gnupa's defeat by

Gorm the Old Gorm the Old (; ; ), also called Gorm the Languid (), was List of Danish monarchs, ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147

, again placing his death later than Adam would have it. The lost Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum, of which the authenticity is highly disputed, states that Gnupa outlived his son Sigtrygg. Adam himself mentions the existence of other kings at this time and expresses doubt that Denmark represented a single united realm.

References

10th-century deaths 10th-century kings of Denmark Year of birth unknown {{Europe-royal-stub