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Freeman-Smith History and Ancestry
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 Abt 0800 - Bef 0876 (< 75 years)
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| Name |
SIGURDSSON Björn Järnsida Ragnarsson |
| Birth |
Abt 0800 |
Scandinavia (Sweden)  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
Bef 0876 |
| Notes |
- Björn Järnsida skall ha varit en viking som härjade i Frankrike på 800-talet (på latin: bier cotae ferrae) och anses av moderna historiker höra till de som brukar kallas Sveriges "sagokungar".
Han skall ha fått tillnamnet järnsida eftersom han aldrig blev skadad i strid, vilket i sin tur skall ha berott på att hans mor Aslaug sejdat för att göra honom osårbar.
Enligt Hervarar saga och Ragnar Lodbroks saga skulle han ha varit en av Ragnar Lodbroks söner, och skall ha deltagit i faderns erövring av Paris. Enligt Hervarar saga skulle han fått Svitjod i arv från sin far medan brodern Sigurd Orm-i-öga ärvde resten av Skandinavien.
Enligt sagorna skall Björn ha grundat en ny svensk kungaätt, Björn Järnsidas ätt (tidigare ansågs han höra till Munsöätten). Han fick två söner, Refil och Erik, och den sistnämnde skulle enligt sagan ärva Svitjods tron efter honom.
Biography
Björn Järnsida (Iron side) is said to have been a Viking who ravaged France in the 800's (Latin: bier cotae ferrae) but is nevertheless considered by modern historians to be one of the mytholocial/legendary kings in Sweden.
Legend tells he got his byname Järnsida/Iron Side because he was never wounded in battle. This invulnerability was attributed to his mother Aslaug's use of seid in order to make him impervious to iron and steel. An earlier bio says he received this byname when "Ragnar (his father) and his three sons fought against the berserks Skarde and seven sons".
According to both Hervarar saga and Ragnar Lodbrook's saga, he was one of Ragnar Lodbrok's sons, and would have participated in the father's conquest of Paris.
According to Hervarar saga, he received Svitjod in inheritance from his father, while his brother Sigurd 'Snake-Eye' Ragnarsson inherited the remainder of Scandinavia.
Name(s)
First name: Björn
Byname: Järnsida, Járnsíða - Ironside
Last name (patronymic): Ragnarsson
Latin: bier cotae ferrae
Parents and Family
No birth year is known. The sagas tell of events that would have taken place in the 800's.
Both Hervarar saga and Ragnar Lodbroks saga says his father is Ragnar Lodbrok Sigurdsson. Possilbly his wife Aslög would have been Björns mother.
According to Ragnars saga loðbrókar ok sona hans, he was the second son of Aslaug and Ragnar.
Spouse(s) and children
No spouse is known by name.
He is said to have had at least two sons, Refil and Erik. According to legend, Erik inherited the rule of Svitjod.
Death and burial
Death year 876 added only to match Wikipedia, but no actual death year is actually known. The Swedish historian Johan Peringsköld claimed he was buried in "Björnshögen", a burial mound on the island Munsö. However, in modern times these "facts" presented by Johan Peringsköld have proven to be erroneous.
Research Notes
He was previously considered belonging to the dynasty called the House of Munsö because a local tradition claims that he is buried in Björnshögen at Husby on the island of Munsö. However, modern historians have set him as the founder of the dynasty of Björn Järnsida. See also; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Muns%C3%B6
The previous connected son Anund (Bjørnsson-208) does not belong in this family and has been disconnected.
According to Eiríks saga rauða, the father of Roald Rygg was Aslak, son of Bjørn Jernside, son of Ragnar Lodbrok. [1]
Sources
↑ Íslendinga sögur: Eiríks saga rauða
Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda: Ragnars saga loðbrókar ok sona hans
Book: Herman Lindqvist, Historien om Sverige - Från islossning till kungarike, Norstedts förlag; Stockholm (1992)
Book: Sveriges regenter under 1000 år av Alex Svensson. Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Biblioteks Förlag 2010.
Book: Sveriges Regenter - Från forntid till nutid av Lars O. Lagerqvist. Norstedts förlag, Stockholm 1997.
See also;
https://web.archive.org/web/20190416063916/http://blog.svd.se/historia/2011/08/02/ragnar-lodbrok/
The viking age: the early history, manners, and customs of the ancestors of the English speaking nations. Chapter XXVIII Page 453
Wikipedia on Björn Ironside
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| Person ID |
I58749 |
Freeman-Smith |
| Last Modified |
27 Jan 2026 |
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