Björn Ironside (Old Norse and Icelandic : Björn Járnsíða, Swedish: Björn Järnsida) was a legendary Swedish king who would have lived sometime in the 9th century. Björn Ironside is said to have been the first ruler of a new dynasty, and in the early 18th century a barrow named after a king Björn on the island of Munsö was claimed by antiquarians to be Björn Ironside's grave.
A powerful Viking chieftain and naval commander, Bjorn and his brother Ha...
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Björn Ironside (Old Norse and Icelandic : Björn Járnsíða, Swedish: Björn Järnsida) was a legendary Swedish king who would have lived sometime in the 9th century. Björn Ironside is said to have been the first ruler of a new dynasty, and in the early 18th century a barrow named after a king Björn on the island of Munsö was claimed by antiquarians to be Björn Ironside's grave.
A powerful Viking chieftain and naval commander, Bjorn and his brother Hastein conducted many (mostly successful) raids in France in a continuation of the tradition initiated by their (possibly adoptive) father Ragnar Lodbrok. In 860, Bjorn led a large Viking raid into the Mediterranean. After raiding down the Spanish coast and fighting their way through Gibraltar, Bjorn and Hastein pillaged the south of France, where his fleet over-wintered, before landing in Italy where they captured the coastal city of Piza. Proceeding inland to the town of Luna, which they believed to be Rome at the time, Bjorn found himself...
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