Ragnall ua Imair (884-921) was King of Sudreyjar from 914 to 921 (succeeding Ivar the Boneless and preceding Sihtric Caech) and Count of Mann from 914 to 921 (succeeding Ketill Flatnose and preceding Ragnall Guthfrithson).
Biography[]
Ragnall ua Imair arriving in York, 917
Ragnall ua Imair was the grandson of Ivar the Boneless and the brother of Sihtric Caech, and he was among the Vikings expelled from Dublin in 902. He came to rule territory in southern Scotland and the Isle of Man, and, in 917, he and Sihtric returned to Ireland with separate fleets. Sihtric recaptured Dublin and established himself as king, while Ragnall returned to England, abandoning his lands in Ireland in exchange for military support from Ailech in his bid to conquer the Anglo-Saxons. His large army of 2,000 warriors, consisting of both Northmen and Irishmen, laid siege to Chester and refortified the Celtic hillfort of Eads Byrig, facing off against his brother's old enemy Uhtred of Bebbanburg. This was meant as a ruse to force Lady Aethelflaed of Mercia to peacefully cede the city to him as he marched north to York to claim the throne of Northumbria for himself. His general Hastein was defeated by Uhtred at the Battle of Eads Byrig, and Ragnall was greeted by 43 severed heads and hands upon his return to Chester from Northumbria. In response, he and his ally Brida beheaded 43 Saxon prisoners in full view of the city, and they proceeded to besiege the city once again. Ragnall's army was defeated in a surprise attack by Uhtred amid a fierce storm, and, after repeated harrying, the Saxons ultimately pressured Ragnall into retreating. Ragnall's cavalry rearguard was ambushed and defeated during its retreat, and Ragnall was forced to ravage the Mercian countryside to reward his men. In 918, Ragnall's victory over Constantine II of Scotland at Corbridge allowed him to capture York and become King of Northymbre. A group of Christian Viking rivals fled to Mercia, seeking Anglo-Saxon support against Ragnall's takeover. In 920, Ragnall came to an agreement with Edward the Elder, King of Wessex, making peace with himm. Ragnall died in 921, and Sihtric succeeded him as King.