Sitric Cáech orSihtric Cáech orSigtrygg Gále,^{[nb 1]} (Old Norse:Sigtryggr[ˈsiɣˌtryɡːz̠],Old English:Sihtric, died 927) was a Hiberno-ScandinavianViking^{[nb 2]} leader who ruledDublin and thenViking Northumbria in the early 10th century. He was a grandson ofÍmar and a member of theUí Ímair. Sitric was most probably among those Vikings expelled fromDublin in 902, whereafter he may have ruled territory in the easternDanelaw inEngland. In 917, he and his kinsmanRagnall ua Ímair sailed separate fleets to Ireland where they won several battles against local kings. Sitric successfully recaptured Dublin and established himself as king, while Ragnall returned to England to becomeKing of Northumbria. In 919, Sitric won a victory at theBattle of Islandbridge over a coalition of local Irish kings who aimed to expel the Uí Ímair from Ireland. Six Irish kings were killed in the battle, includingNiall Glúndub, overking of the NorthernUí Néill andHigh King of Ireland.^{[nb 3]}

In 920 Sitric left Dublin forNorthumbria, with his kinsmanGofraid ua Ímair succeeding him as king in Dublin. That same year Sitric led a raid onDavenport,Cheshire, perhaps as an act of defiance againstEdward the Elder,King of the Anglo-Saxons. In 921 Ragnall ua Ímair died, with Sitric succeeding him as King of Northumbria. Though there are no written accounts of conflict, numismatic evidence suggests there was a Viking reconquest of a large part ofMercia in the following few years. An agreement of some sort between the Vikings of Northumbria and the Anglo-Saxons was achieved in 926 when Sitric married a sister ofÆthelstan, perhapsEdith of Polesworth. Sitric also converted to Christianity, though this did not last long and he soon reverted to paganism. He died in 927 and was succeeded by his kinsman Gofraid ua Ímair. Sitric's sonGofraid later reigned as king of Dublin, his son Aralt (Harald) as king of Limerick, and his sonAmlaíb Cuarán as king of both Dublin and Northumbria.

The rulingVikings ofDublin were expelled from the city in 902 by a joint force led by Máel Finnia mac Flannacán, overking ofBrega andCerball mac Muirecáin, overking ofLeinster.^[4] Those Vikings that survived the capture of the city split into different groups; some went toFrance, some toEngland, and some toWales.^[5] Archaeological evidence suggests Dublin remained occupied in the years immediately following this expulsion, perhaps indicating only the ruling elite were forced to leave.^[6] However, Viking raids on Irish settlements continued, and in 914, a large Viking fleet travelled toWaterford.^[7] The arrival of this fleet marked the re-establishment of Viking rule over parts of Ireland, and was followed by more Vikings settling inLimerick the following year.^[8]

The main historical sources for this period are the Norsesagas and theIrish annals. Some of the annals, such as theAnnals of Ulster, are believed to be contemporary accounts, whereas the sagas were written down at dates much later than the events they describe and are considered far less reliable. A few of the annals such as theFragmentary Annals of Ireland and theAnnals of the Four Masters were also compiled at later dates, in part from more contemporary material and in part from fragments of sagas.^[9] According toDownham, "apart from these additions [of saga fragments], Irish chronicles are considered by scholars to be largely accurate records, albeit partisan in their presentation of events".^[10]

Sitric is presumed to have left Dublin with the rest of the ruling Vikings in 902.^[11] Coins dating from the period bearing the legend "Sitric Comes" (Earl Sitric), and the mintmark "Sceldfor" (Shelford), have been found as part of theCuerdale Hoard, perhaps indicating that he ruled territory in the easternDanelaw during his exile from Ireland.^[12] TheAnglo-Saxons conquered all of the Danelaw south of theHumber by 918, but there is no mention of Earl Sitric in English sources, suggesting he was no longer ruling there at the time.^[13]

The earliest mention of Sitric in theIrish Annals is in 917 when he andRagnall, another grandson ofÍmar, are described as leading their fleets to Ireland.^[14] Sitric sailed his fleet to Cenn Fuait inLeinster, and Ragnall sailed his fleet toWaterford.Niall Glúndub, overking of the NorthernUí Néill, saw these Vikings as a threat, and he marched an army south to repel them. The Vikings fought against the men of the Uí Néill at Mag Femen inCounty Tipperary and claimed victory, though only through timely reinforcement by Ragnall and his army.^[15] This was followed by another at theBattle of Confey (also known as the Battle of Cenn Fuait), againstAugaire mac Ailella, overking of Leinster, who died in the battle. Augaire's death marked the end of effective opposition to the Vikings' return to Ireland. Sitric led his men on a triumphant return toDublin, where he established himself as king, while Ragnall returned to England and soon becameKing of Northumbria.^[14]

According toDownham, the departure of Ragnall and his contingent of warriors may have emboldened Niall Glúndub to try to expel the Uí Ímair from Ireland once again.^[16] In 919 Niall led a coalition of northern Irish kings south to Dublin. The forces of Sitric and Niall met nearIslandbridge in modern-dayCounty Dublin (dated 14 September by theAnnals of Ulster).^[17] The resultingBattle of Islandbridge was an overwhelming victory for Sitric and his forces, with Niall falling in battle alongside one of his kinsmen. Five other kings, and a kinsman of the ruler of the Southern Uí Néill, also died fighting against Sitric's army.^{[nb 4][16]}

In 920 theAnnals of Ulster report that Sitric left Dublin "through the power of God". Sitric travelled toNorthumbria where he assumed the kingship of Northumbria, succeeding his kinsman Ragnall who died the following year.^[19] Sitric was followed as King of Dublin by his brother or cousinGofraid ua Ímair.^{[nb 5][11]} In 920 Ragnall had submitted toEdward the Elder,King of the Anglo-Saxons. That same year, following his departure from Dublin, Sitric led a raid inDavenport,Cheshire, in violation of the terms of submission agreed between Ragnall and Edward.^[20]Smyth has suggested that this was an act of defiance by Sitric, indicating to Edward that he would not submit to him like Ragnall.^[21]

Neither theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle norÆthelweard'sChronicon makes mention of Sitric in the years 921–924, between his installation as King of Northumbria and the death of Edward the Elder.^[22] However, there are coins in existence which were minted atLincoln during the period that bear Sitric's name.^[23] These are an important piece of evidence since they suggest Sitric ruled a large area south of theHumber, a claim contradicted by theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle which says that all the 'Danes' inMercia (i.e., south of the Humber) submitted to Edward in 918.^[24] These coins might indicate Viking reconquest of a large area in the years 921–924, which if it did happen went unremarked upon by theChronicle. Edward's control of Mercia likely stretched the kingdom's resources to breaking point, allowing Sitric to exploit the ill-will towards Edward that existed among the populace there, with Edward being unable to effectively oppose Sitric.Downham suggests that the silence of theChronicle might be due to Edward's failing power in the latter years of his reign, and its tendency to only record successes and not failures. His death in 924 is not recorded by a number of important Frankish, Welsh and Irish annals, suggesting a fall in importance and standing from the zenith of his power in 920.^[22]

Edward the Elder's successor,Æthelstan, met with Sitric atTamworth in 926.^[25] TheChronicle does not mention the reason for the meeting, but it reports that an unnamed sister of Æthelstan was married to Sitric. Several years previously, in 918, Æthelstan's predecessor had used a royal marriage to bring Mercia under Wessex control. According toSmyth, the fact the marriage between Sitric and Æthelstan's sister occurred at the old Mercian royal centre at Tamworth reinforces the suggestion that this marriage was supposed to perform a function similar to the one in 918.^[26] The agreement reached at Tamworth seems to have necessitated Sitric's conversion to Christianity, though he soon reverted to paganism.^[27] Sitric died the following year and was succeeded by his kinsmanGofraid ua Ímair.^[28] TheAnnals of Ulster describe his death:

Sitric, grandson of Ímar, king of thedark foreigners and the fair foreigners, died at an immature age.^[29]

In the annals Sitric is sometimes identified by the use of one of his epithets, or by the use of "ua Ímair", meaning "grandson of Ímar", but never with a patronymic. As such, it is not possible to identify which of the three known sons of Ímar (Bárid,Sichfrith orSitriuc) – if any – was the father of Sitric. One possible reason for the lack of a patronym might be that Sitric was the child of a son of Ímar who never ruled Dublin, or who spent most of his time outside Ireland, thus making Sitric's legitimacy to rule Dublin dependent on the identity of his grandfather, not his father. Another possibility is that Sitric was a grandson of Ímar through a daughter, again with his right to rule dependent on his grandfather.^[19] Sitric's kinsmenÍmar, Ragnall, Amlaíb and Gofraid are the other known grandsons of Ímar identified by the use of "ua Ímair". All except for Amlaíb ruled as either King of Dublin or King of Northumbria at one time or another.^[30]

TheAnnals of Clonmacnoise mention two sons of Sitric, Auisle and Sichfrith, falling at theBattle of Brunanburh in 937.^[31] Another son,Aralt, ruled asKing of Limerick for an unknown length of time until his death in battle in 940. Sitric's sonAmlaíb Cuarán (d. 981) reigned twice each as King of Dublin and King of Northumbria, and may have been the basis of theMiddle Englishromance characterHavelok the Dane.^[32]Gofraid (d. 951) may have been another son though his father is only named as "Sitric", leaving his relationship to Sitric ua Ímair unclear.^[33]Orkneyinga saga tells that a daughter of Sitric named Gytha was married toOlaf Tryggvason,King of Norway. According toHudson, this is unlikely to be correct, since the marriage is said to have occurred sixty-three years after Sitric's death. It is much more likely that Gytha was actually a granddaughter of Sitric through his son Amlaíb Cuarán.^[34]

Sitric married an unnamed sister of Æthelstan in 926.^[25] Historians generally describe her as Æthelstan's only full sister, butMaggie Bailey points out that this rests on the late testimony ofWilliam of Malmesbury, and theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle makes no such distinction when recording her marriage to Sitric.^[35] William did not know her name, but traditions first recorded atBury St Edmunds in the early twelfth century identify her asSaint Edith of Polesworth. The truth of his identification is debated, but regardless of her name it is likely that she entered a nunnery in widowhood.^[36] According to some late sources, such as the chroniclerJohn of Wallingford, Amlaíb Cuarán was the son of Sitric and thisWest Saxon princess.^[37]

Sigtrygg appears as a character inThe Saxon Stories, a series of historical novels byBernard Cornwell. In the books he is portrayed as the brother ofRagnall ua Ímair, and he marries Stiorra, the daughter of the book's protagonist, Uhtred of Bebbanburg.

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• "The Annals of Ulster".Corpus of Electronic Texts (15 August 2012 ed.).University College Cork. 2012. Retrieved23 November 2014.
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• "Chronicon Scotorum".Corpus of Electronic Texts (24 March 2010 ed.).University College Cork. 2010. Retrieved26 November 2014.
• Thorpe, B, ed. (1861).The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores. Vol. 1. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts. Accessed viaInternet Archive.
• Todd, JH, ed. (1867).Cogad Gaedel re Gallaib: The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill. London:Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer. Accessed viaInternet Archive.
• "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland".Corpus of Electronic Texts (5 September 2008 ed.).University College Cork. 2008. Retrieved29 November 2014.
• Murphy, D, ed. (1896).The Annals of Clonmacnoise. Dublin:Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. Accessed viaInternet Archive.

• Bailey, Maggie (2001). "Ælfwynn, Second Lady of the Mercians". In N. J. Higham; D. H. Hill (eds.).Edward the Elder 899–924. Routledge.ISBN 0-415-21497-1.
• Billings, Anna Hunt (1967).A Guide to the Middle English Metrical Romances Dealing with English and Germanic Legends and with the Cycles of Charlemagne and of Arthur. Russell & Russell.
• Downham, Clare (2007).Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014. Edinburgh:Dunedin Academic Press.ISBN 978-1-903765-89-0.
• Foot, Sarah (2011).Æthelstan: The First King of England. Yale University Press.ISBN 978-0-300-12535-1.
• Hart, Cyril (2004)."Sihtric Cáech (d. 927)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25543. Retrieved6 January 2015. (Subscription orUK public library membership required.) Subscription orUK public library membership required.
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• Sihtric 1 atProsopography of Anglo-Saxon England
• CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts atUniversity College Cork. TheCorpus of Electronic Texts includes theAnnals of Ulster andthe Four Masters, theChronicon Scotorum and theBook of Leinster as well as Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress.

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