Rǫgnvaldr
description
Rõgnvaldr Brúsason, son of Jarl Brúsi Sigurðarson of Orkney, jarl of Orkney (r. 1035-1045/46) -- Arn Rõgndr 3/2
Sagas: Orkn, ÓH, MH, HSig (Ágr, Flat, Fsk, H-Hr, Hkr, Mork, Theodoricus).
Rǫgnvaldr Brúsason (c. 1010/11-1046), jarl of Orkney, was the son of Jarl Brúsi Sigurðarson (d. 1034) and the nephew of Jarl Þorfinnr Sigurðarson (d. c. 1064; see Genealogies I in ÍF 34 and VI in ÍF 28). At the age of ten he accompanied his father to Norway, and he remained at the court of Óláfr Haraldsson (S. Óláfr) as a hostage when Brúsi returned to Orkney. In 1029 Rǫgnvaldr went into exile in Sweden with Óláfr, and he returned with him to Norway and fought at the battle of Stiklestad (29 July 1030). After that battle, he brought the wounded, fifteen-year-old Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson into safety and later accompanied him to Russia, where they were put in charge of the defensive forces of Jaroslav of Novgorod. When Haraldr went to Byzantium, Rǫgnvaldr remained in Russia, where he was said to have fought ten major battles. In 1035 he returned to Norway with Óláfr’s young son, Magnús, and then to Orkney as co-ruler with his uncle Þorfinnr. Rǫgnvaldr participated in some of Þorfinnr’s military campaigns, but their joint rule turned sour and culminated in the battle between the two jarls at Rauðabjǫrg (probably Roberry) in 1044 and Rǫgnvaldr’s exile to Norway. Shortly after his return to Orkney (1045/6), he was killed by Þorfinnr’s men. Rǫgnvaldr is buried on Papa Westray. See Theodoricus (MHN 35-6, 45; McDougall and McDougall 1998, 26, 33), Ágr (ÍF 29, 30, 32; Ágr 1995, 42-3, 46-7), Mork (Mork 1928-32, 18-19, 31-2, 57, 137; Andersson and Gade 2000, 98-9, 109-10, 130, 179), Fsk (ÍF 29, 197, 200-1, 215, 227, 248; Finlay 2004, 157, 160, 173, 182, 198), ÓHHkr (ÍF 27, 167-72, 327; Hollander 1991, 357-61, 474), HSigHkr (ÍF 28, 68-9; Hollander 1991, 577-8), H-Hr (Fms 6, 45-7, 129, 131), Flat (Flat 1860-8, III, 261-2, 270-1, 288); Orkn (ÍF 34, 35, 41, 53-74; Hermann Pálsson and Edwards 1987, 44, 49, 56-71).
Events documented in poetry: Rǫgnvaldr’s early campaigns in Russia (Arn Rǫgndr 1); the battle of Roberry (Rauðabjǫrg) against his uncle Jarl Þorfinnr Sigurðarson (Arn Þorfdr 19-22, Arn Lv and BjHall Kálffl 8I).
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