Harald Grenske
Encyclopedia
Harald Grenske was the petty king in Vestfold
in Norway.
Harald Grenske was the son of Gudrød Bjørnsson
. Gudrød was a grandson of Harald Fairhair
and the king of Vestfold
. Harald's cognomen Grenske is due to his being raised in the district of Grenland
, Norway
. When Harald was only 11 years old, his father was slain by the sons of Gunnhild (i.e. Harald Greyhide
and his brothers). Harald fled to Oppland
and from there to Sweden
, where he stayed with the powerful strongman Skagul Toste
. They went on Viking expeditions together, principally within areas of the Baltic Sea
.
When the sons of Gunnhild had been banished, Harald Grenske followed Haakon Sigurdsson
who ruled Norway as a vassal of the Danish king Harald Bluetooth. Harald became the king of Vestfold and Agder
. He married Åsta
, the daughter of Gudbrand Kula.
Harald subsequently abandoned Åsta to woo Sigrid the Haughty
, the daughter of Skagul Toste.
She was the wealthy widow of Eric the Victorious and owned several farms in Svithjod. Sigrid found him too eager with his entreaties. She had him burnt to death inside a great hall following a feast to discourage other suitors. Harald died together with another suitor, Vissevald (Wsevolod) from Gardarike (Novgorod).
His widow, Åsta, promptly gave birth to the son Olaf the Stout
, the future king of Norway and patron saint of the nation. Åsta later remarried to Sigurd Syr
, the king of Ringerike
.
No contemporary sources said anything about Harold, and the sagas writing only about him in connection with St. Olav's history. According to Snorri Sturlasson in Olav Trygvessons saga, he was a king of Vingulmark
, Vestfold
and Agder
. Recent scholarship has questioned the historicity of Harald.
http://runeberg.org/nfbj/0773.html
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
in Norway.
Harald Grenske was the son of Gudrød Bjørnsson
Gudrød Bjørnsson
Gudrød Bjørnsson was the son of Bjørn Farmann, the king of Vestfold, and a grandson of Harald Fairhair. Gudrød was the father of Harald Grenske, and the paternal grandfather of Saint Olaf....
. Gudrød was a grandson of Harald Fairhair
Harald I of Norway
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair , , son of Halfdan the Black, was the first king of Norway.-Background:Little is known of the historical Harald...
and the king of Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
. Harald's cognomen Grenske is due to his being raised in the district of Grenland
Grenland
Grenland is a traditional district in the county of Telemark, in the south of Norway. It is composed of the municipalities Skien, Porsgrunn, Bamble, Nome, and Siljan. Sometimes the municipalities Kragerø, and Drangedal are considered being part of the area...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. When Harald was only 11 years old, his father was slain by the sons of Gunnhild (i.e. Harald Greyhide
Harald II of Norway
Harald II Greycloak was a king of Norway.Harald Greycloak was the son of Eirik Bloodaxe and a grandson of Harald Fairhair...
and his brothers). Harald fled to Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
and from there to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where he stayed with the powerful strongman Skagul Toste
Skagul Toste
Skoglar Toste or Skoglar Tosti was a chieftain from the Swedish province of West Götaland. According to Snorri Sturluson, he was the father of Sigrid the Haughty. For some time he gave refuge to Harald Grenske, who later came back to woo Sigrid, only to be killed by her for his persistence...
. They went on Viking expeditions together, principally within areas of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
When the sons of Gunnhild had been banished, Harald Grenske followed Haakon Sigurdsson
Haakon Sigurdsson
Haakon Sigurdarsson was the de facto ruler of Norway from about 975 to 995.-Background:Haakon was the son of Sigurd Haakonsson, Jarl of Lade and ruler of Trøndelag and Hålogaland. His mother was Bergljot Toresdatter, daughter of Tore Ragnvaldsson, Earl of Møre...
who ruled Norway as a vassal of the Danish king Harald Bluetooth. Harald became the king of Vestfold and Agder
Agder
Agder is a historical district of Norway in the southernmost region of Norway, corresponding to the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Today, the term Sørlandet is more commonly used.-Name:...
. He married Åsta
Åsta Gudbrandsdatter
Åsta Gudbrandsdatter was the mother of two Norwegian kings, King Olaf II of Norway and King Harald III of Norway.According to the sagas, Åsta Gudbrandsdatter was from Vestfold. Åsta's father was Gudbrand Kula from Oppland...
, the daughter of Gudbrand Kula.
Harald subsequently abandoned Åsta to woo Sigrid the Haughty
Sigrid the Haughty
Sigrid the Haughty, also known as Sigríð Storråda, is a queen appearing in Norse sagas as wife, first of Eric the Victorious of Sweden, then Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark. While given the Nordic ancestry in sagas, she has been hypothesized to be identical to historically attested Polish or Pomeranian...
, the daughter of Skagul Toste.
She was the wealthy widow of Eric the Victorious and owned several farms in Svithjod. Sigrid found him too eager with his entreaties. She had him burnt to death inside a great hall following a feast to discourage other suitors. Harald died together with another suitor, Vissevald (Wsevolod) from Gardarike (Novgorod).
His widow, Åsta, promptly gave birth to the son Olaf the Stout
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
, the future king of Norway and patron saint of the nation. Åsta later remarried to Sigurd Syr
Sigurd Syr
Sigurd Syr Halfdansson was a petty king in northern Ostlandet in Norway.Sigurd was subking of Ringerike, an ancient territory in the county of Buskerud, southern Norway. Through his marriage with Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, he was the stepfather of King Olav II of Norway and father of King Harald III...
, the king of Ringerike
Ringerike
oskar er kjempe kulRingerike is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike...
.
No contemporary sources said anything about Harold, and the sagas writing only about him in connection with St. Olav's history. According to Snorri Sturlasson in Olav Trygvessons saga, he was a king of Vingulmark
Vingulmark
Vingulmark is the old name for the area in Norway which today makes up the counties of Østfold, western parts of Akershus , and eastern parts of Buskerud , and includes the site of Norway's capital, Oslo...
, Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
and Agder
Agder
Agder is a historical district of Norway in the southernmost region of Norway, corresponding to the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Today, the term Sørlandet is more commonly used.-Name:...
. Recent scholarship has questioned the historicity of Harald.
Other sources
- Bergljot Solberg Jernalderen i Norge (Oslo, 2000)
http://runeberg.org/nfbj/0773.html