Ricsige
King of Northumbria
Reign873 – 876 AD
PredecessorEcgberht I
SuccessorEcgberht II
Diedc. 876 AD[1]
HouseNorthumbria

Ricsige (also rendered Ricsy, Ricsi or Ricsig) was King of Northumbria from 873[2][3][1] to 876.[2][1] He became king after Ecgberht I was overthrown and fled, with Wulfhere, Archbishop of York, to Mercia.

Career

In 872, Northumbria rebelled against the Great Heathen Army and their collaborators. The Northumbrians expelled Ecgberht I of Northumbria and Wulfhere of York.[4][5] After the death of Ecgberht in 873, Ricsige became King of Northumbria, and restored Wulfhere as Archbishop of York.[5]

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that the Great Heathen Army came north against the Northumbrians in 873.[6] Halfdan Ragnarsson departed Repton in 875, bringing Northumbria under his dominion and destroying all of the monasteries.[5] Halfdan would divide the land the following year amongst his followers,[7] with Ricsige reportedly dying that same year from a broken heart according to the Flores Historiarum.[8]

Popular culture

In 2020, Ricsige was featured in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, installed as the King of Northumbria by Halfdan Ragnarsson after Ecgberht's deposition.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c Roger 1868, p. 41.
  2. ^ a b Morby, John (1989). Dynasties of the World: a Chronological and Genealogical Handbook. Oxford University Press. p. 65. ISBN 0198828993.
  3. ^ Ferguson, Robert (25 November 2009). "7: The Danelaw I". The Vikings: A History. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1101151426.
  4. ^ Abels, Richard (1998). Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England. Routledge. p. 120. ISBN 1317900413.
  5. ^ a b c Symeon 1855, p. 492.
  6. ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 1996.
  7. ^ Symeon 1855, p. 493.
  8. ^ Roger 1841, p. 326.
  9. ^ Roxl, Rhett (2 June 2021). "13 Assassin's Creed Valhalla Characters Who Were Actually Real (& Why They're Famous)". GameRant. Retrieved 2 July 2021.

Bibliography

External links

Regnal titles Preceded byEcgberht I King of Northumbria 873–876 Succeeded byEcgberht IIIn Bamburgh Succeeded byHalfdan RagnarssonIn Deira (or Jórvík)
Monarchs of Northumbria
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