Ragnhild Eriksdotter facts for kids

Ragnhild Eriksdotter (died around 984) was a powerful woman from a royal family in early Norway. She was the daughter of Eric Bloodaxe, a king, and his wife, Gunnhild. The old stories, like the Orkneyinga Saga, say that Ragnhild was very determined and wanted to gain influence. She did this by marrying into the family of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson, who was the Earl of Orkney. After Thorfinn died, there was a lot of fighting among his family members over who would rule.

Ragnhild's Marriages and the Earldom

Thorfinn, the Earl of Orkney, had five sons: Arnfinn, Havard, Hlodvir, Ljot, and Skuli. He also had at least two daughters. The Orkneyinga Saga tells us that Ragnhild Eriksdotter first married Arnfinn Thorfinnsson, who was Thorfinn's oldest son. Sadly, Arnfinn was killed in a place called Murkle in Caithness around the year 979.

Havard Becomes Earl

After Arnfinn's death, Ragnhild married his brother, Havard Thorfinnsson. Some stories suggest that Havard might have been involved in his brother Arnfinn's death. Havard then became the Earl of Orkney and quickly married Ragnhild.

A Plan for Power

Ragnhild was very clever and wanted more power. She convinced Einar Klining, who was one of Thorfinn's grandsons, to kill Havard. She promised Einar Klining that if he did this, she would marry him and he would become the Earl. Havard was killed in Stenness, Orkney, though we don't know the exact date.

But before Einar Klining could marry her, Ragnhild made a similar promise to another of Thorfinn's grandsons, Einar Hardkiopt. She told him she would marry him if he killed Einar Klining. Einar Hardkiopt did as she asked.

However, Ragnhild did not marry Einar Hardkiopt. Instead, she married Havard's younger brother, Ljot Thorfinnsson. Ljot then worked to protect Orkney and became the Earl. He was badly hurt in a battle at Skidmoor in Caithness and later died from his wounds. After Ljot's death, Ragnhild is no longer mentioned in the sagas.

New Earls of Orkney

After Ljot, his brother Hlodvir Thorfinnsson became the Earl of Orkney. Later, Hlodvir's son, Sigurd the Stout, took over as Earl.