Thurbrand the Hold | |
|---|---|
| Born | birth date unknown birth place unknown |
| Died | c. 1024 |
| Cause of death | Ealdred II of Bamburgh, Earl of Northumbria |
| Other names | Thorbrand |
| Known for | Killing Uhtred the Bold, Earl of Northumbria |
| Children | 1 known son: Carl. 4 known grandsons: Thurbrand, Cnut, Sumarlithr, and another (whose name is lost) |
| Parent | unknown |
Thurbrand (Old English: Þūrbrand; fl. 1010s; died c. 1024), nicknamed "the Hold", was a Northumbrian magnate in the early 11th century. Perhaps based in Holderness and East Yorkshire, Thurbrand was recorded as the killer of Uhtred the Bold, Earl of Northumbria. The killing appears to have been part of the war between Sweyn Forkbeard and Cnut the Great against the English king Æthelred the Unready, Uhtred being the latter's chief Northumbrian supporter. Thurbrand may also have attested a charter of 1009 and given a horse to Æthelred's son Æthelstan Ætheling. The killing is the first-known act, if it did not initiate, a bloodfeud between Thurbrand's family and Uhtred going into the time of Earl Waltheof. It is possible that Holderness took its name because of Thurbrand's presence or ownership of the peninsula.