Hemming Jarl (died 877) was the Norwegian Jarl of Hellirborg (Nottingham) from 867 to 877, preceding Vili Hemmingsson.
Biography[]
Hemming was born in Norway, and he was the jarl of a significant clan which was allied with King Styrbjorn of Rogaland during his feud with King Kjotve the Cruel of Agder. Hemming's son Vili Hemmingsson was close with Strybjorn's adoptive son Eivor Wolf-Kissed during their youths, fighting beside each other during the war with Kjotve. In 865, Hemming and his son joined the Great Heathen Army's invasion of England, and Hemming became the Jarl of Hellirborg (Nottingham) after the city's capture in 867 AD. He ruled with the help of his trusted advisor Trygve; however, Vili was uninterested in inheriting the throne when the time came. In late 876, the Picts raided into Derbyshire due to Hemming's alliance with King Halfdan Whiteshirt of Jorvik, forcing Hemming to raise an army and attempt to retake the lost town of Oakerthorpe. Hemming, pretending to be his son, wrote a letter to Eivor (whose Raven Clan had settled at Ravensthorpe in central Mercia, now Northamptonshire) and requested his aid. Eivor joined Hemming and Vili at the Siege of Oakerthorpe, and, during the siege, a wounded Hemming confided in Eivor about his declining health and urged him to ensure that the most qualified leader, either the experienced but unenthusiastic Trygve or the beloved but unwilling Vili, would succeed him on his death. Hemming went to his deathbed at the longhouse of Hemthorpe, where he was joined by Eivor and Vili after they came back from catching up at Kinder Downfall. On his deathbed, Hemming commended Eivor for the wise warrior he had become, and he also told his son that he was proud of who he had become. He then breathed his last, and his funeral was attended by lords from across Northern England, including Halfdan Whiteshirt and Hjorr Halfsson.
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