Ubbe ragnarsson, Ubba or Hubba (died 878) was a Viking who lived in the 9th century and who led, along with Ívarr, the Grand Army, a feared side that was the combination of armies from Scandinavia, the Irish Sea region, Ireland and the continent. He was considered a great opponent of Christianity, an archetypal Viking of the time.
He knew about magic and sorcery, specifically Seiðr magic, very popular and practiced by pagan sorcerers from the Nordic regions. Ubbe, before engaging in each battle, used to consult the possibility of adverse results through magic. In the course of his life he learned the arts of war and was a great military strategist.
There are theories that claim that Ubbe could be Ubbe from Friesland. It appears as Dux Frescicorum in the saga of Saint Cuthberts, which may lead to think that it was related to Friesland. It is believed that they may be the same person, but if he is considered the son of Ragnar Lodbrock, it is most likely that he died in the battle of Cynuit in 878.
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The exact date of birth is not certain, but the place is, which was Denmark. His father was Ragnar Lodbrock and his brothers Ivar, Björn, Hvitsärk, Sigurd and Halfdan. As great-grandparents he had Gandalf Alfgeirsson and Gauthild Gyrithe.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes the invading army in Old English as "Grand Army", around the ninth century. Archaeological evidence affirmed that it was not a unified force, but the union of several warriors from different regions.
It is not clear whether Ubbe Ragnarsson was a native of Friesland or a Scandinavian expatriate. The duration of the Scandinavian occupation suggests that some of the Vikings of Friesland were Franks or natives of Friesland itself..
The Grand Army spent a lot of time both in Ireland and on the continent, so it was thought that they were used to living with Christians and that could explain why they were successful in England.
In 865, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded an attack by the Grand Army, commanded by Ubbe and Ivar, on the kingdom of East Anglia. The attack took place by sea and they became very strong during their stay, especially since Northumbria was mired in a civil war between its kings, Aella and Osberth.
In 866 Ubbe and his army attacked York, one of the main commercial centers of Britain, as well as the richest. Aella and Osberth tried to repel the attack without success, as both were killed..
According to some sources, Ubbe was the cause of crushing both the inhabitants and their kings. The Vikings spent a long season in East Anglia, suggesting that they were probably waiting for a land grant in the region. Then the Vikings attacked Mercia and later Notthingam.
According to Passio sancti Eadmundi, Ívarr left Ubbe in Northumbria before launching his attack on East Anglia in 865. However, the 13th century version "F" of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle cautions that Ívarr and Ubbe were in command of the army he killed. to the king of Anglia, Edmund.
Ubbe martyred Abbess Æbbe, in Coldhingam, finally assassinated by the Vikings in 870. According to the Majora Chronicle, Æbbe forced the nuns of his monastery to disfigure their faces to preserve their virginity.
She herself, for example, cut her nose and upper lip with a razor. When Ubbe arrived with his troops, the vision of the nuns repelled the assailants, but it was not enough, since Ubbe ordered the monastery to be razed and Æbbe burned with his nuns inside the enclosure..
Version “A” of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, however, does not record the destruction of monasteries. Even in this Chronicle it is claimed that the Church of East Anglia survived the Viking invasion.
It is said that the devastation of the monasteries could be exaggerated or imagined perhaps because many of them were in decline and it was a way of not having any guilt. In any case, for many medieval historians Ívarr and Ubbe were the typical profane Vikings, opponents of Christianity.
The Grand Army that came to take the Arx Cynuit fortress, in Devon, in 878, apparently was led by Ubbe, especially since the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle had already associated him as a leader alongside Ívarr.
The Vikings arrived in Devon from Ireland and then hibernated in Wales before their incursion. The Chronicle assures that Ubbe died in this battle. The exact site of Ubbe's death was Wind Hill, near Countisbury, where the defeat of the Viking army is presumed..
Ubba or Ubbe Ragnarsson appears in the Vikings series as the son of Ragnar Lodbrock and Aslaug. Although he was conceived out of wedlock, he later became Ragnar's legitimate son when he married Aslaug and divorced Lagertha..
He is physically very similar to his father and is married to Torvi. In the first chapters Ubbe is seen next to his mother Aslaug, growing up with his brothers. Later Ubbe and his brother Hvitserk drive away from home until they reach a frozen lake. They fall there and his brother Siggy tries to rescue them but in the attempt he loses his life..
In chapter four of the series Ubbe captures Floki and then receives the arm ring from his father to go to Paris with Ragnar but without a fight. There is a thunderous defeat of the Viking army and Ubbe returns to Kattegat.
Years after the disappearance of his brother Ivar, Ubbe is already seen as a skilled and feared warrior, he is even compared to his father.
Ubbe is one of Ragnar's most compassionate sons. He does not rape women and treat slaves well, in fact sometimes he thinks more of the good of others than of his own.
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