Harald I of Norway
Encyclopedia
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair (Old Norse: Haraldr hárfagri, Norwegian
: Harald Hårfagre), (c. 850 – c. 933), son of Halfdan the Black
, was the first king (872–930) of Norway
.
, which have been attributed to Þorbjörn Hornklofi
or alternatively (in the case of the first poem) to Þjóðólfr of Hvinir
. The first poem has only been preserved in fragments in 13th century Kings' sagas
. It describes life at Harald's court, mentions that he took a Danish
wife, and that he won a battle at Hafrsfjord
. The second relates a series of battles Harald won. The validity of this evidence is doubtful and the facts offered by the poems are scant. Their unity is in any case questionable, as they have been reconstructed from fragments in the Kings' sagas
, where they are attributed to more than one author.
Harald is not mentioned in any foreign sources earlier than the 12th century. His life is described in several of the Kings' sagas
, but the first of these were not written until the end of the 12th century, over 250 years after his death. Their accounts of Harald and his life differ on several points, and much of the content is clearly mythological. He is credited with having unified Norway into one kingdom. Modern historians have generally assumed that his rule was limited to the coastal areas of southern Norway.
it is claimed that Harald succeeded, on the death of his father Halfdan the Black Gudrödarson
, to the sovereignty of several small, and somewhat scattered kingdoms in Vestfold
, which had come into his father's hands through conquest and inheritance. His protector-regent was his mother's brother Guthorm.
The unification of Norway
is, according to a tale narrated in Heimskringla, something of a love story. The tale begins with a marriage proposal that resulted in rejection and scorn from Gyda
, the daughter of Eirik, king of Hordaland
. She said she refused to marry Harald "before he was king over all of Norway". Harald was therefore induced to take a vow
not to cut nor comb his hair until he was sole king of Norway, and that ten years later, he was justified in trimming it; whereupon he exchanged the epithet "Shockhead" or "Tanglehair" for the one by which he is usually known. Most scholars today regard this story as a literary tale inspired by the Romance stories
that were popular at the courts by the time Heimskringla
was written.
In 866, Harald made the first of a series of conquests over the many petty kingdom
s which would compose Norway, including Värmland
in Sweden, and modern day south-eastern Norway, which had sworn allegiance to the Swedish king Erik Eymundsson. In 872, after a great victory at Hafrsfjord
near Stavanger
, Harald found himself king over the whole country. His realm was, however, threatened by dangers from without, as large numbers of his opponents had taken refuge, not only in Iceland
, then recently discovered; but also in the Orkney Islands
, Shetland Islands
, Hebrides Islands, Faroe Islands
and the northern European mainland. However, his opponents' leaving was not entirely voluntary. Many Norwegian chieftains who were wealthy and respected posed a threat to Harald; therefore, they were subjected to much harassment from Harald, prompting them to vacate the land. At last, Harald was forced to make an expedition to the West, to clear the islands and the Scottish mainland of some Vikings who tried to hide there.
The earliest narrative source which mentions Harald, Íslendingabók
claims that Iceland was settled during his lifetime. It was thus long thought that Harald thus caused the Norse settlement of Iceland and beyond. According to this view, Iceland was settled by "malcontents" from Norway, who resented Harald's claim of rights of taxation over lands, which the possessors appear to have previously held in absolute ownership. This view has been largely abandoned by modern historians.
There are several accounts of large feasting mead hall
s constructed for important feasts when Scandinavian royalty was invited. According to a legend recorded by Snorri Sturluson
, in the Heimskringla
, the late 9th-century Värmlandish chieftain Áki invited both the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair and the Swedish king Eric Eymundsson, but had the Norwegian king stay in the newly constructed and sumptuous one, because he was the youngest one of the kings and the one who had the greatest prospects. The older Swedish king, on the other hand, had to stay in the old feasting hall. The Swedish king was so humiliated that he killed Áki.
Harald Harfager was commonly stated to have been buried under a mound at Haugar by the Strait of Karmsund near the church in Haugesund, an area that later would be named the town and municipal Haugesund
. The area near Karmsund was the traditional burial site for several early Norwegian rulers. The national monument of Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872, to commemorate the Battle of Hafrsfjord
in 872.
Harald's children with Åsa, daughter of Håkon Grjotgardsson
, Earl of Lade:
Children with Gyda Eiriksdottir
:
Children with Ragnhild Eiriksdotter of Jutland
:
Children with Svanhild, daughter of Eystein Earl:
Children with Åshild, daughter of Ring Dagsson:
Children with Snøfrid, daughter of Svåse the Finn:
Children with Tora Mosterstong
, his maid:
Other children:
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
: Harald Hårfagre), (c. 850 – c. 933), son of Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
, was the first king (872–930) of 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...
.
Background
Little is known of the historical Harald. The only contemporary sources mentioning him are the two skaldic poems Haraldskvæði and GlymdrápaGlymdrápa
Glymdrápa is a skaldic poem composed by Þorbjörn hornklofi toward the end of the 9th century. It recounts several battles waged by Haraldr hárfagri , mostly as he was subduing Norway....
, which have been attributed to Þorbjörn Hornklofi
Þorbjörn hornklofi
Þorbjörn Hornklofi was a 9th century Norwegian poet. He was the court poet of King Harald Fairhair.-Bibliography:*Glymdrápa - A drápa on King Harald.*Hrafnsmál/Haraldskvæði - Another poem on King Harald using the málaháttr metre....
or alternatively (in the case of the first poem) to Þjóðólfr of Hvinir
Þjóðólfr of Hvinir
Þjóðólfr of Hvinir was a Norwegian skald, active around the year 900. He is considered to have been the original author of Ynglingatal, a poem glorifying the Norwegian petty king Ragnvald the Mountain-High, by describing how he was descended from the Swedish kings and the Norse gods.He is also...
. The first poem has only been preserved in fragments in 13th century Kings' sagas
Kings' sagas
The kings' sagas are Norse sagas which tell of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries in Iceland and Norway....
. It describes life at Harald's court, mentions that he took a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
wife, and that he won a battle at Hafrsfjord
Hafrsfjord
Hafrsfjord is a fjord or bay located in the municipalities of Stavanger and Sola in Norway. Stretching 9 kilometres. Hafrsfjord fjord is bounded by Tananger, Sola and Madla...
. The second relates a series of battles Harald won. The validity of this evidence is doubtful and the facts offered by the poems are scant. Their unity is in any case questionable, as they have been reconstructed from fragments in the Kings' sagas
Kings' sagas
The kings' sagas are Norse sagas which tell of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries in Iceland and Norway....
, where they are attributed to more than one author.
Harald is not mentioned in any foreign sources earlier than the 12th century. His life is described in several of the Kings' sagas
Kings' sagas
The kings' sagas are Norse sagas which tell of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries in Iceland and Norway....
, but the first of these were not written until the end of the 12th century, over 250 years after his death. Their accounts of Harald and his life differ on several points, and much of the content is clearly mythological. He is credited with having unified Norway into one kingdom. Modern historians have generally assumed that his rule was limited to the coastal areas of southern Norway.
Saga descriptions
In HeimskringlaHeimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
it is claimed that Harald succeeded, on the death of his father Halfdan the Black Gudrödarson
Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
, to the sovereignty of several small, and somewhat scattered kingdoms in 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...
, which had come into his father's hands through conquest and inheritance. His protector-regent was his mother's brother Guthorm.
The unification of Norway
Unification of Norway
The unification of Norway into a single kingdom took place in 872 AD, during the Viking Age.By the time of the first historical records of these events, about the 700s AD, Norway was divided into several petty kingdoms...
is, according to a tale narrated in Heimskringla, something of a love story. The tale begins with a marriage proposal that resulted in rejection and scorn from Gyda
Gyda Eiriksdottir
Gyda Eiriksdottir of Hordaland, was a legendary Norwegian Viking age queen consort, according to the sagas the first queen of united Norway....
, the daughter of Eirik, king of Hordaland
Eirik King of Hordaland
Eirik King of Hordaland was a king of Hordaland, then a petty kingdom in southern Norway, in the late 800s. Eirik was the father of Gyda. Eirik lead the first attack against Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Hafrsfjord. Defeated by Harald, Eirik fell; many of his allies were also killed in the...
. She said she refused to marry Harald "before he was king over all of Norway". Harald was therefore induced to take a vow
Vow
A vow is a promise or oath.-Marriage vows:Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ceremony. Marriage customs have developed over history and keep changing as human society develops...
not to cut nor comb his hair until he was sole king of Norway, and that ten years later, he was justified in trimming it; whereupon he exchanged the epithet "Shockhead" or "Tanglehair" for the one by which he is usually known. Most scholars today regard this story as a literary tale inspired by the Romance stories
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
that were popular at the courts by the time Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
was written.
In 866, Harald made the first of a series of conquests over the many petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
s which would compose Norway, including Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
in Sweden, and modern day south-eastern Norway, which had sworn allegiance to the Swedish king Erik Eymundsson. In 872, after a great victory at Hafrsfjord
Battle of Hafrsfjord
The Battle of Hafrsfjord has traditionally been regarded as the battle in which western Norway for the first time was unified under one monarch.The national monument of Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872, to commemorate the Battle of Hafrsfjord...
near Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
, Harald found himself king over the whole country. His realm was, however, threatened by dangers from without, as large numbers of his opponents had taken refuge, not only in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, then recently discovered; but also in the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
, Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
, Hebrides Islands, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
and the northern European mainland. However, his opponents' leaving was not entirely voluntary. Many Norwegian chieftains who were wealthy and respected posed a threat to Harald; therefore, they were subjected to much harassment from Harald, prompting them to vacate the land. At last, Harald was forced to make an expedition to the West, to clear the islands and the Scottish mainland of some Vikings who tried to hide there.
The earliest narrative source which mentions Harald, Íslendingabók
Íslendingabók
Íslendingabók, Libellus Islandorum or The Book of Icelanders is an historical work dealing with early Icelandic history. The author was an Icelandic priest, Ari Þorgilsson, working in the early 12th century. The work originally existed in two different versions but only the younger one has come...
claims that Iceland was settled during his lifetime. It was thus long thought that Harald thus caused the Norse settlement of Iceland and beyond. According to this view, Iceland was settled by "malcontents" from Norway, who resented Harald's claim of rights of taxation over lands, which the possessors appear to have previously held in absolute ownership. This view has been largely abandoned by modern historians.
There are several accounts of large feasting mead hall
Mead hall
In ancient Scandinavia and Germanic Europe a mead hall or feasting hall was initially simply a large building with a single room. From the fifth century to early medieval times such a building was the residence of a lord and his retainers. The mead hall was generally the great hall of the king...
s constructed for important feasts when Scandinavian royalty was invited. According to a legend recorded by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
, in the Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, the late 9th-century Värmlandish chieftain Áki invited both the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair and the Swedish king Eric Eymundsson, but had the Norwegian king stay in the newly constructed and sumptuous one, because he was the youngest one of the kings and the one who had the greatest prospects. The older Swedish king, on the other hand, had to stay in the old feasting hall. The Swedish king was so humiliated that he killed Áki.
The Norwegian kingdoms
These maps are mainly based on later saga sources, from the 13th century. Their historical accuracy is questionable.Later life
The latter part of Harald's reign was disturbed by the strife of his many sons. The number of sons he left varies in the different saga accounts, from 11 to 20. Twelve of his sons are named as kings, two of them over the whole country. He gave them all the royal title and assigned lands to them, which they were to govern as his representatives; but this arrangement did not put an end to the discord, which continued into the next reign. When he grew old, Harald handed over the supreme power to his favourite son Eirik Bloodaxe, whom he intended to be his successor. Eirik I ruled side-by-side with his father when Harald was 80 years old. Harald died three years later due to age in approximately 933.Harald Harfager was commonly stated to have been buried under a mound at Haugar by the Strait of Karmsund near the church in Haugesund, an area that later would be named the town and municipal Haugesund
Haugesund
is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²...
. The area near Karmsund was the traditional burial site for several early Norwegian rulers. The national monument of Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872, to commemorate the Battle of Hafrsfjord
Battle of Hafrsfjord
The Battle of Hafrsfjord has traditionally been regarded as the battle in which western Norway for the first time was unified under one monarch.The national monument of Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872, to commemorate the Battle of Hafrsfjord...
in 872.
Issue (according to Heimskringla)
Håkon Grjotgardsson
Håkon Grjotgardsson , nicknamed Håkon the Rich was the son and heir of Grjotgard Herlaugsson Lade. Håkon became the ruler of the petty kingdom of Trøndelag, the Earl of Lade in the eastern part of Trondheim, Norway, when he succeeded his father...
, Earl of Lade:
- Guttorm HaraldssonGuttorm HaraldssonGuttorm Haraldsson was the first son of king Harald Fairhair of Norway and Åsa, daughter of Håkon Grjotgardsson. C. 890 Harald made Guttorm king of Ranrike, which he had wrested from the Swedish king Erik Eymundsson, and gave him the responsibility of defending Norway from Sweden. He fell in a sea...
, king of RanrikeRanrikeRanrike was the old name for a part of Viken, corresponding to southeast Norway and the northern half of the modern Swedish province of Bohuslän... - Halvdan Kvite (Haraldsson), king of TrondheimTrøndelagTrøndelag is the name of a geographical region in the central part of Norway, consisting of the two counties Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag. The region is, together with Møre og Romsdal, part of a larger...
- Halvdan Svarte (Haraldsson), king of Trondheim.
- Sigrød Haraldsson, king of Trondheim
Children with Gyda Eiriksdottir
Gyda Eiriksdottir
Gyda Eiriksdottir of Hordaland, was a legendary Norwegian Viking age queen consort, according to the sagas the first queen of united Norway....
:
- Ålov Årbot (Haraldsdotter)
- Rørek Haraldsson
- Sigtrygg Haraldsson
- Frode Haraldsson
- Torgils Haraldsson - identified as "Thorgest" in the (dates not correct) Irish historyHistory of IrelandThe first known settlement in Ireland began around 8000 BC, when hunter-gatherers arrived from continental Europe, probably via a land bridge. Few archaeological traces remain of this group, but their descendants and later Neolithic arrivals, particularly from the Iberian Peninsula, were...
. Snorri SturlusonSnorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
, in his HeimskringlaHeimskringlaHeimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, claims that Torgils was Harald's son.
Children with Ragnhild Eiriksdotter of Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
:
- Eirik Bloodaxe, king of Norway.
Children with Svanhild, daughter of Eystein Earl:
- Bjørn FarmannBjørn FarmannBjørn Farmann was the king of Vestfold. Bjørn was one of the sons of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway...
, king of VestfoldVestfoldis 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...
. - Olaf Haraldsson GeirstadalfOlaf Haraldsson GeirstadalfOlaf Haraldsson , was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdotter, daughter of Øystein Jarl.The saga Heimskringla, written in Iceland in the thirteenth century by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson, gives the ninth century Norwegian founder king Harald Fairhair...
, king of VingulmarkVingulmarkVingulmark 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...
, later also Vestfold. - Ragnar Rykkel
Children with Åshild, daughter of Ring Dagsson:
- Ring Haraldsson
- Dag Haraldsson
- Gudrød Skirja
- Ingegjerd Haraldsdotter
Children with Snøfrid, daughter of Svåse the Finn:
- Halvdan Hålegg
- Gudrød Ljome
- Ragnvald Rettilbeine
- Sigurd Rise
Children with Tora Mosterstong
Tora Mosterstong
Tora Mosterstong — also known as Thora Mostaff — was one of Harald Fairhair's concubines and the mother of Håkon the Good; Harald Fairhair's youngest son and the third king of Norway Tora Mosterstong (Þóra Morsturstöng) — also known as Thora Mostaff — was one of Harald Fairhair's concubines and...
, his maid:
- Haakon the GoodHaakon I of NorwayHaakon I , , given the byname the Good, was the third king of Norway and the youngest son of Harald Fairhair and Thora Mosterstang.-Early life:...
, king of Norway.
Other children:
- Ingebjørg Haraldsdotter
Ancestors
Related Reading
- Viking Empires by Angelo Forte, Richard Oram and Frederik Pedersen (Cambridge University Press. June 2005)
- The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings Peter Sawyer, Editor (Oxford University Press, September 2001)