| Ricsige | |
|---|---|
| King of Northumbria | |
| Reign | 873–876 AD |
| Predecessor | Ecgberht I |
| Successor | Ecgberht II |
| Died | 876 AD [1] |
| House | Northumbria |
Ricsige (also rendered Ricsy, Ricsi or Ricsig) was King of Northumbria from 873 [2] [3] [1] to 876. [2] [1] He became king after Ecgberht I was overthrown and fled, with Wulfhere, Archbishop of York, to Mercia.
In 872, Northumbria rebelled against the Great Heathen Army and their collaborators. The Northumbrians expelled Ecgberht I of Northumbria and Wulfhere of York. [4] [5] After the death of Ecgberht in 873, Ricsige became King of Northumbria, and restored Wulfhere as Archbishop of York. [5]
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that the Great Heathen Army came north against the Northumbrians in 873. [6] Halfdan Ragnarsson departed Repton in 875, bringing Northumbria under his dominion and destroying all of the monasteries. [5] Halfdan would divide the land the following year amongst his followers, [7] with Ricsige reportedly dying that same year from a broken heart according to the Flores Historiarum . [8]
In 2020, Ricsige was featured in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Valhalla , installed as the King of Northumbria by Halfdan Ragnarsson after Ecgberht's deposition. [9]