Date: c. 1102-1103

This is where it gets really complicated for students of Hiberno-Scandinavian coinage

• Is this penny a Norwegian (or Danish) copy of an Irish-made coin, or;
• Is it a Norwegian (or Danish) copy of an English-made coin?
• If it is the former, where was the coin produced?
  • Lund, Ribe, Hedeby and Aalborg in Scandinavia?
    
  • Dublin, (or somewhere else in) Ireland?       … Waterford, Wexford or Cork?
  • Somewhere in between?       … Viking places in Scotland or Mann?
  • Or, somewhere in in Viking-held England, or North Wales?

Sadly, all of the Hiberno-Norse coinage from Phase III onward have badly blundered (illegible) legends, therefore there are no mint signatures or a moneyer’s name to give us clues. The coinage used in England at this time was better struck, better quality and more easily identifiable, so I believe this is a Norwegian imitation of an Hiberno-Norse Penny (Phase VI) struck for Norway’s King Magnus III Barefoot (1093-1103) c.1095-1110 for use in Dublin. The Irish coin itself (Phase VI, Penny. Class A, Type 1c) would have been imitation of the Longcross type of Aethelred II of England – a design copied (and degraded) by the Hiberno-Norse over a very long period of time.

• It is uncertain whether an Irishman or a Norwegian had it minted.
  

Description:

• Weight:  c. 0.5g to 0.6g
• References:
  • Dowle & Finn 32 
• Fine (F), minor edge defects, nice patina
  
• Extremely rare

Obverse:

• Crude draped bust left; crozier before
• Blundered and illegible legend around
• Unattributed

Reverse:

• Voided long cross, with a small pellet within an annulet at centre
• Cruciform sceptres and pellets alternating in angles
• Blundered / illegible legend around
• Mint & Moneyer uncertain

Country:

• Ireland

Category:

• Hiberno-Norse Imitation
  • Phase 6, Class A, Type 1c
• Hammered

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Additional Information:

The original Norse Kingdom of Dublin was founded by Vikings and, since the death of Sihtric Silkenbeard, had been under alternating control of the Dublin Vikings and the native Irish kings. Dublin was invaded and conquered by the Norwegian King Magnus in 1102-1103.

Magnus III Olafsson (Old Norse: Magnús Óláfsson, Norwegian: Magnus Olavsson; 1073 – 24 August 1103), better known as Magnus Barefoot (Old Norse: Magnús berfœttr, Norwegian: Magnus Berrføtt), was the King of Norway from 1093 until his death in 1103.

• His reign was marked by aggressive military campaigns and conquest, where he extended his rule to include the Kingdom of the Isles and Dublin

As the only son of King Olaf Kyrre, Magnus was proclaimed king in southeastern Norway shortly after his father’s death in 1093. In the north his claim was contested by his cousin, Haakon Magnusson (son of King Magnus Haraldsson), and the two co-ruled uneasily until Haakon’s death in 1095. Disgruntled members of the nobility refused to recognise Magnus after his cousin’s death, but the insurrection was short-lived. After securing his position in Norway;

• Magnus campaigned around the Irish Sea from 1098 to 1099
• He raided through Orkney, the Hebrides and Mann (the Northern & Southern Isles)
• He ensured Norwegian control of the latter via a treaty with the Scottish king

Based on Mann during his time in the west, Magnus had a number of forts and houses built on the island and probably also obtained suzerainty of Galloway. He sailed to Wales later in his expedition, winning control of Anglesey (and possibly Gwynedd’s submission) after repelling the invading Norman forces from the island.

Following his return to Norway, Magnus led campaigns into Dalsland and Västergötland in Sweden, claiming an ancient border with the country. After two unsuccessful invasions and a number of skirmishes Danish king Eric Evergood initiated peace talks among the three Scandinavian monarchs, fearing that the conflict would get out of hand.

• Magnus concluded peace with the Swedes in 1101 by agreeing to marry Margaret, daughter of the Swedish king Inge Stenkilsson. In return, Magnus gained Dalsland as part of her dowry
• He set out on his final western campaign in 1102, and may have sought to conquer Ireland
  • Magnus entered into an alliance with Irish king Muirchertach Ua Briain of Munster
  • In turn, O’Brien recognised Magnus’s control of Dublin
• Under unclear circumstances, while obtaining food supplies for his return to Norway, Magnus was killed in an ambush by the Ulaid the next year
  • Upon his death, territorial advances of the Vikings in Ireland and Scotland ended

Modern historians consider his legacy more pronounced in Ireland and Scotland than in his native Norway and the few domestic developments known during his reign include:

• Norway developed a more ‘centralised’ rule
• Norway moved closer to the European model of church organisation
• Popularly portrayed as a Viking warrior rather than a medieval monarch, Magnus was the last Norwegian king to fall in battle abroad
  • He may, in some respects, be considered the last Viking king

Other Coins in this Series:

• The Old Currency Exchange: Checklist (Hiberno-Norse)

Further Reading:

• O’Brien Coin Guide: Anglo-Saxon Coins & Their Links to Ireland
• O’Brien Coin Guide: Who Introduced Anglo-Saxon Coins to Ireland and why ?
• O’Brien Coin Guide: Introduction to the Hiberno-Norse Coinages of the Late 10th & Early 11th C