Ubba

Article summary

Ubba (Old Norse: Ubbi; died 878) was a 9th-century Viking and one of the commanders of the Great Heathen Army that invaded Anglo-Saxon England in the 860s. The Great Army appears to have been a coalition of warbands drawn from Scandinavia, Ireland, the Irish Sea region and Continental Europe. There is reason to suspect that a proportion of the Viking forces specifically originated in Frisia, where some Viking commanders are known to have held fiefdoms on behalf of the Franks. Some sources describe Ubba as of the Frisians, which could be evidence that he also associated with a Frisian benefice. In 865, the Great Army, apparently led by Ivar the Boneless, overwintered in the Kingdom of East Anglia, before invading and destroying the Kingdom of Northumbria. In 869, having been bought off by the Mercians, the Vikings conquered the East Angles, and in the process killed their king, Edmund, a man who was later regarded as a saint and martyr. While near-contemporary sources do not specifically associate Ubba with the latter campaign, some later, less reliable sources associate him with the legend of Edmund's martyrdom. In time, Ivar and Ubba came to be regarded as archetypal Viking invaders and opponents of Christianity. As such, Ubba features in several dubious hagiographical accounts of Anglo-Saxon saints and ecclesiastical sites.…

Key claims

1. date of death: 1748 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1833 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of death: 1813 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. date of death: 1835 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. date of death: 1913 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of death is "1748". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1833". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of death is "1813". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the date of death is "1835". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the date of death is "1913". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
8. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378521640