Olav Kvite (Dublin) Gofraidson (abt. 825 - 874)

Born about 0825 in Ireland [uncertain]

Died 0874 at about age 49 in Ireland [uncertain]

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Amlaíb Cuarán (Dublin) Gofraidson was part of early Scandinavian history. Join: Early Scandinavia Project Discuss: EARLY_SCANDINAVIA

Biografi

Olav Kvite används för en norsk småkung eller hövding som levde i senare halvan av 800-talet och som var aktiv i/på Irland och områdena runt Irländska sjön.

Olav Kvite av "Amlaíb Conung" (Olav Konge) som nämns i de irländska annalerna tillsammans med sina bröder Ivar/Ímar och Óisle. Namnet Olav Hvite används av Olav Ingjaldsson, son till Ingjald Helgasson (beskriven i "Sagaen om Øyrbyggjene" som en ättling till Ragnar Lodbrok).

Det är omdiskuterat om dessa personer är en och samma. Dock finns det på WikiTree profiler för båda och de bör inte förväxlas eller slås samman.

Denna profil avser uppenbarligen endast den person som omnämns i de irländska källorna. Han är då son till "Gofraid of Lochlann". Lochlann, även Laithlinn eller Lothlend, blir ofta identifierat som Norge men det är omdiskuterat. Sentida historiker menar istället att det skulle kunna hänvisa till ett område på Hebriderna. Namnet Gofraid skulle ursprungligen kunna vara Gudrød eller Gudfred.

Biography

Olav Kvite (Amlaíb Conung) and Olav Hvite Ingjaldsson can easily be confused and even historians debate if they are the same person or not. On WikiTree, each of them has their own profiles and they should NOT be merged with each other.

He is called Olaf among the Norse people, he is known as Amlaíb to the Irish. His name is also found recorded as Óláfr; Aulaffe; Amlaph; Amlaíb Conung (King Olaf) - see also Wikipedia : Amlaíb Conung for a discussion of the difficulties associated with this identification.^[1]

Among the "Fragmentary Annuls of Ireland" is a note that "in the year 849 (in the sixth year of the reign of Máel Sechlainn) Amlaib Conung, son of the king of Norway, came to Ireland, and he brought with him a proclamation of many tributes and taxes from his father, and he departed suddenly. Then his younger brother Ímar came after him to levy the same tribute;"^{[2] [3]}

In 853 "Amlaíb (Olaf) son of the king of Laithlind, came to Ireland and the Foreigners (Scandinavians) of Ireland submitted to him and he received tribute from the Irish". ^[4] Among the fragmentary annuls of Ireland, another note confirms this event in the year 853, recording "Amlaib, son of the king of Norway, came to Ireland, and the foreigners (Scandinavians) of Ireland gave him hostages." He had arrived to enforce his father's hegemony in Ireland.^[5]

In 857 "Ímar and Amlaíb inflicted a rout on Caitil the Fair and his Norse-Irish in the lands of Munster" ^[6]

In 859, Amlaíb and Ímar link up with Cerball (King of Osraige) and to campaign in Meath, after which they join Aed Finnliath and defeat the High King of Ireland, Máel Sechlainn. Aed Finnliath becomes the next King of Tara, Amlaíb married Aed's daughter.

In 862, Amlaíb and Aed join forces to ravage Meath.

Amlaíb's brother Auisle, joined the attacks in Meath in 863, "The caves of Achad Aldai (New Grange) and of Cnodba (Knowth) and of Boadán's Mound above Dubad (Dowth) and of Óengoba's wife, were searched by the foreigners (Scandinavians) - something which had never been done before. This was the occasion when three kings of the foreigners, i.e. Amlaíb and Ímar and Auisle, plundered the land of Flann (who was the son of Conaing); and Lorcán son of Cathal, king of Mide, was with them in this. ^[7]

In 866 Amlaíb and Auisle lead their armies into Fortriu and begin plundering Pictish Scotland; meanwhile, Imar and Halfdan attack York and back in Ireland, Aed Finnliath turns on his earlier allies, the Danish and Norwegian "foreigners." Amlaíb’s fort at Cluain Dolcain is attacked and many of his men killed.

In 867, "Amlaíb's fort at Cluain Dolcáin (near Dublin) was burned by Gaíthíne's son and Mael Ciaráin son of Rónán, and the aforesaid commanders caused a slaughter of a hundred of the leaders of the foreigners in the vicinity of Cluain Dolcáin on the same day." ^[8]

In 869 Amlaíb attacked Ard Mhacha (Armagh) and took many slaves. ^[9]

Ímar joined Amlaíb to attack the British kingdom of Strathclyde. They besieged the fortress of Alt Cluath (Dumbarton rock) took it after a four month siege, then make the fortress their base to plunder Strathclyde. ^{[10] [11]} Amlaíb and Ímar returned to Dublin with a great fleet of ships filled with the captive Angles, Britons and Picts to be sold in Dublin's slave market.

"871-872 In this year, i.e. the tenth year of the reign of Áed Findliath, Imar son of Gothfraid son of Ragnall son of Gothfraid Conung son of Gofraid and the son of the man who left Ireland, i.e. Amlaib, plundered from west to east, and from south to north." ^[12] John O'Donovan's translation of a fragmentary record from about this time, reports that 'Amhlaeibh went from Erin to Lochlann to wage war on the Lochlanns, and to aid his father Goffridh, for the Lochlanns had made war against him, his father having come for him ; but as it would be tedious to relate the cause of the war, and besides it appertains but little to us, though we have a knowledge of it, we forbear writing it, for our business is not to write whatever may belong to Erin, nor even all these ; for the Irish suffer evils, not only from the Lochlanns, but they also suffer many injuries from one another.' ^[13]

Amlaíb returned to Norway.

According to the Pictish Chronicle; the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, Amlaíb died around 874–875 in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland during a protracted campaign against Constantine MacAlpin of Scotland. ^[14]

Research Notes

Although Academics acknowledge that the genealogies represented in the Saga are confused, there is a hypothesis that Amlaíb, called Amlaíb Conung from Old Norse konungr ‘king’ in Fragmentary annals of Ireland is identical with Óláfr in hvíti of Íslendingabók and Óláfr Guðrøðarson of Ynglingasaga.

This is discussed in great detail in Vikings in Scotland and Ireland Professor A. P. Smyth and is recorded citing from Landnámabók "Óláfr inn hvíti harried in the Western Seas and he won Dublin in Ireland and the district of Dublin, and there he established himself as king. He married Auðr inn djúpauðga, the daughter of Ketill flatnefr. Their son was called Þorsteinn rauðr. Óláfr fell in battle in Ireland, but Auðr and Þorsteinn went to the Hebrides. ... Þorsteinn became a warrior-king. He entered into an alliance with jarl Sigurðr inn ríki [of Orkney] the son of Eysteinn glumra. They won Caithness and Sutherland, Ross and Moray, and more than half of Scotland. Þorsteinn became king over that region, but the Scots soon slew him and he fell there in battle."

In 875 it is recorded that Oistin (Thorstein) son of Amlaib, King of the Norsemen, was deceitfully killed by Halfdan (Albann), king of the "Dark Heathens" For some researchers, presuming that this is the Thorstein of the Sagas who attacked much of Scotland, and whose parents were Aud the Deep Minded and Olaf was Olaf the White; this appears to confirm that the Amlaíb of the Irish annuls is Olaf the White of the Scandinavian sagas. SEE - Celt: Annuls of Ulster U875.4 corpus of electronic texts edition / Wikipedia : Halfdan Ragnarsson known to the Irish as Albann & Wikipedia : Oistin Mac Amlaíb

Sources

1. ↑ https://celt.ucc.ie/Vikings%20in%20Scotland%20and%20Ireland.pdf Celt pdf : Vikings in Scotland and Ireland
2. ↑ Celt : Fragmentary Annuls of Ireland: FA 239 corpus of electronic texts edition
3. ↑ see Wikipedia : Amlaíb Conung
4. ↑ Celt : The Annuls of Ulster U853.2 corpus of electronic texts edition
5. ↑ Celt: Fragmentary Annals of Ireland FA 239 & FA 259 corpus of electronic texts edition
6. ↑ Celt: The Annuls of Ulster U857.1 corpus of electronic texts edition
7. ↑ Celt: The Annuls of Ulster: U863.4 corpus of electronic texts edition
8. ↑ Celt : The Annuls of Ulster: U867.8 corpus of electronic texts edition
9. ↑ 'Amhlaeibh and Imhar, came again from Alba [Scotland], to Ath-cliath [Dublin], having a great number of prisoners, both British, Scottish, and Saxon. Two hundred ships was their number.' Annals of Ireland. Three fragments, copied from ancient sources by Dubhaltach MacFirbisigh; and edited, with a translation and notes, from a manuscript preserved in the Burgundian Library at Brussels Ed: John O'Donovan Dublin 1860
10. ↑ "The siege of Ail Cluaithe by the Norsemen: Amlaíb and Ímar ..... laid siege to the fortress and at the end of four months they destroyed and plundered it." Celt : Annuls of Ulster: U870.6 corpus of electronic texts edition
11. ↑ "871-872 In this year, i.e. the tenth year of the reign of Áed Findliath, Imar son of Gothfraid son of Ragnall son of Gothfraid Conung son of Gofraid and the son of the man who left Ireland, i.e. Amlaib, plundered from west to east, and from south to north." Celt : Fragmentary Annals of Ireland: FA 401 corpus of electronic texts edition
12. ↑ Celt : Fragmentary Annals of Ireland: FA 401 corpus of electronic texts edition
13. ↑ Annals of Ireland. Three fragments, copied from ancient sources by Dubhaltach MacFirbisigh; and edited, with a translation and notes, from a manuscript preserved in the Burgundian Library at Brussels Ed: John O'Donovan Dublin 1860
14. ↑ Wikipedia : Scandinavian Dublin

• The History Files : Gaelic Kingdoms : Kingdoms of Ireland : Viking Kingdom of Dublin / Dyflin
• A History of the Vikings page: 281 by T. D. Kendrick pub: Courier Corporation 2004
• Viking Empires by Angelo Forte, Richard D. Oram, Richard Oram, Frederik Pedersen pub: Cambridge University Press 2005

See also;

• https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_Kvite