Abstract
The identity of Eiríkr of York was a matter of debate among historians of the nineteenth century. Medieval English sources were rather vague on this issue, although they did report that he was a son of someone called Haraldr1. This enabled two rival theories of Eiríkr's identity to be developed. One view - espoused by Sharon Turner, J. M. Lappenberg, Charles Plummer, and James Todd - was that Eiríkr was the same person as Hringr son of Haraldr Blátǫnn (Harold Bluetooth) of Denmark.3 The other opinion - advanced by Charles Haliday, Joseph Stevenson, and W. G. Collingwood - was that Eiríkr of York was Eiríkr blóðøx (Eric Bloodaxe), erstwhile king of Norway and a son of Haraldr Hárfagri (Harold Finehair)3. Collingwood persuasively argued this view in 1902 and since then Eiríkr of York has been regarded as synonymous with Eiríkr blóðøx.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 51-77 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Mediaeval Scandinavia |
| Volume | 14 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |