Skula Sihtricsson (845-) was a Danish Viking raider who terrorized England and Wales during the late 9th century.
Biography[]
Skula Sihtricsson was born in Skyfa in 845, the son of an impoverished nobleman from a declining family of influence. By then, the estates were gone and only the house in which he lived remained as a possession. However, despite their hardships, Skula's parents gave him a good education, preparing him from childhood for the chance to become a companion to royalty. He had a small portion of land and a few peasants, but he was forced to work alongside the peasants to tend to his farms.
In 868r, he haeded to the fortified town of Vebjorg in search of work. He met the noblewoman Ingun and the fort reeve Snæbjorn Athilsson, who recruited him to find a guard who had stolen his loot. After an extensive search, Skula was unable to find the guard in any of the other villages, and he decided to seek work elsewhere. He ultimately found work with King Horik Gottfredsson, who asked him to forcibly collect taxes from the rebellious people of Ribe. Skula and his band of followers crushed a tax revolt in the town and collected over 8,000 penningas from the locals. However, rather than return the money to Horik, Skula decided to spend lavishly by hiring a small outfit of raiders, purchasing supplies for his men, buying better equipment for himself, and funding a naval voyage from Ribe to Bebbanburg in Northumbria, England, where he planned to make his wealth while also avoiding Horik's wrath.