Björn Ironside,[a] 

according to Norse legends, was a Norse Viking chief and Swedish king.

According to the 12th- and 13th-century Scandinavian histories, he was the son of notorious Viking
king Ragnar Lodbrok and lived in the 9th century, being dated between 855 and 858.[1] Björn Ironside
is said to have been the first ruler of the Swedish Munsö dynasty. In the early 18th century, a barrow
on the island of Munsö was claimed by antiquarians to be Björn Järnsidas hög or Björn
Ironside's barrow.[2][3]
Medieval sources refer to Björn Ironside's sons and grandsons, including Erik Björnsson and Björn at
Haugi.[4] Icelandic sagas claim that Björn was the ancestor of the house of Munsö, the line of kings
that ruled in Sweden until c. 1060.
"Berno" was a powerful Viking chieftain and naval commander. He appears in contemporary sources
such as Annales Bertiniani and the Chronicon Fontanellense. He is first mentioned in the summer of
855. The oldest text that details his origins is the Norman history of William of Jumièges (c. 1070).
According to William, the Danes had a custom of requiring the younger sons of kings to leave the
kingdom, to reinforce the king's authority; thus, after Ragnar Lodbrok became king, he ordered Björn
to leave his realm. Björn left Denmark with a considerable fleet and started to ravage in West
Francia.[5] The contemporary annals show that he cooperated with another Viking called Sigtrygg and
sailed up the Seine in 855, from which his and Sigtrygg's forces raided the inland. Their combined
forces were beaten in Champagne by Charles the Bald of West Francia in the same year, but not
decisively.[6] Sigtrygg withdrew in the next year, but Björn received reinforcement from another Viking
army and could not be expelled from the Seine area. He and his men took up winter quarters at the
so-called Givold's Grave, which served as base for an assault against Paris, which was plundered
around the new year 856–857.[7] Björn constructed a fortification on the
island Oissel above Rouen which he kept as his stronghold for years.[8] He certainly swore fealty to
Charles the Bald in Verberie in 858 but it is not clear if he kept his pledge. King Charles eventually
resolved to meet the unruly Seine Vikings with all his available forces and besieged Oissel in July.
The siege failed badly, for the pirates defended the fortification with vigour.[9] Moreover, Charles's
brother Louis the German of East Francia invaded his lands and many vassals fell from him.[10] Thus
the siege was broken off in September.[11]
After Björn's meeting with Charles in Verberie his name is not found in contemporary sources.
However, the Viking warriors in the Seine continued their raids during the following years and even
plundered Paris again in 861. In his despair Charles the Bald tried to use another Viking chief,
Veland, whose men operated in the Somme region, to attack the Seine Vikings at Oissel. However,
this scheme backfired since the two Viking armies made a deal and united their forces.[12] The
Norsemen were encamped by the lower Seine in 861–862, but then split again. Veland agreed to
become a Christian and joined royal service, while the Seine Vikings went to sea. Some of them
joined the fighting between the ruler of Bretagne and some Frankish counts.[13]