Harald the Fair-haired: biography of the first King of Norway

The first King of Norway, Harald the Fair-haired, ruled the country in 872-930. He united under his authority the previously hostile groups of Vikings and organized several naval expeditions to the west. The dynasty that began with Harald ruled Norway until 1319 (and also Denmark in 1042 - 1047).

The struggle for power

Born Harald the Fair-haired in the year 850 in the family of Halfdan the Black - the King of Westfall. The father died when the boy was ten years old. While Harald grew up, his army and state affairs were run by Uncle Guthorm. Numerous konungs began to encroach on the possessions of Halfdan, but they were all broken in turn.

Having reached maturity, Harald the Fair-haired man set himself the goal of uniting all the lands of his compatriots. He inherited from his father modern south-eastern Norway, but he wanted more. In 872 Harald went to war on the king who refused to recognize the supreme authority of the Beautiful. It was the ruler of Herdland Eirik, the ruler of Rogaland Sulka, as well as Hadd the Harsh and Hroald Ponury of Telamerka. All these konungs joined forces to defeat the young son of Halfdan the Black.

First King of Norway

Gathering his troops to the Drakkars, Harald the Fairly-haired sailed along the coast of Norway to the southwest - in the very heart of the possessions of his opponents. The decisive battle took place in Havrsfjord - one of the coastal fjords, where today in memory of that important battle stands a monument. The outcome of the battle was decided by the violent attack of berserkers - soldiers who were members of the cult of the god of war Odin. These infantrymen furiously attacked the ranks of the opponents, terrifying them.

So Harald the Fair-haired has won the most important victory in his life. His enemies perished or fled. Norway no longer resisted the sole authority of this young Viking. In 872 he became the first king of Norway.

Traveling to the West

At Harald, the Norwegians began to settle the territories that had not been previously undeveloped. The new provinces, Helsingyaland and Yamtaland, were developed. At the same time, his countrymen discovered unknown lands until now - the Faroe Islands and Iceland. After King Harald the Fair-haired came to power, not only his opponents fled the country, but also all kinds of robbers who were robbing. These Vikings settled on the Orkney Islands. Each summer, they raided Norway, causing significant damage to the population.

At first Harald defended his own country, gathering an army once a year and examining the seacoast, which suffered most from robbers. However, this strategy was ineffective. Finally, Viking Harald the Fair-haired man assembled an army and navy, and set off for the western seas. He fought in the Orkney Islands, destroying all the fugitives there. After that, the Norwegians went to Scotland and the Isle of Man. The raids gave them much looted good. Thanks to successful campaigns and the acquisition of new lands Harald gradually more and more strengthened his power.

Quarrel with children

Harald appointed his governors in the provinces only the most devoted and time-tested people. This did not please his sons. Jarls for them were upstarts that did not belong to the royal family. Every year the sons insistently demanded that their father have an inheritance. Offspring of Harald was a lot (according to different sources, about 20).

One day, two sons, Gudred and Halfdan, assembled a large squad and suddenly attacked the jarl of Regnwald. The governor's house was burned (60 people were killed there), and the settlement was plundered. Harald had to start a war against his own sons, who organized a massacre because of their own stubbornness. Gudred surrendered to the mercy of his father and was exiled to Agdir.

One of Harald's sons, Rannwald the Priest, who ruled in Hadaland, became addicted to witchcraft and magic. The king hated people who pretended to be sorcerers. The pagan belief of the Scandinavians gave birth to many occult practices. They were promoted by vagabonds and priests. King Harald the Fair-haired man considered these people heretics. He instructed his beloved son Eirik the Blood Sekira to go to Hadaland and punish Wrannwald. The heir really came into the possession of his younger brother and burned him along with 80 more henchmen and sorcerers.

Country section

About 900, when Harald was 50 years old, he called a ting (people's congress). It discussed what to do with the numerous heirs of the king. As expected, all sons received the titles of the king and possessions in Norway. Thus, Harald officially consolidated the feudal order and the future fragmentation of the country.

According to the decision of the Thing, which was attended by all the desired free men of Norway, the title of king was received not only by the sons, but by all the descendants of the king. Boys on the female line became yarls. Harald's children were entitled to half of their father's income in their cities. The favorite son of the king was Eirik, who received the nickname of the Blood Ax. This heir was always with his father and after his death he himself ruled Norway.

Murder of Harald's son

The children of Harald received their inheritance and consoled their vanity. However, the relationship between them remained tense. The son of King Bjorn was appointed governor in the province of Vestfold with its capital in Tunsberg. He ran a profitable trade, for which he was nicknamed the Merchant and the Merchant.

Once, after another trip to the eastern countries, Eirik returned to his father through the lands of Bjorn. The elder brother demanded from the younger to give him taxes intended for the state treasury. This was contrary to custom. Usually Bjorn himself took taxes to his father or sent his people. However, Eric did not care - he had to spend a lot of money on the organization and contents of the last expedition. Between the brothers broke out a conflict. The dispute ended when Eirik, who was very violent, burst into the house of Bjern with a loyal detachment, and killed the Marine and his closest Vikings. The aged Harald did not punish the eldest son.

Renunciation and death

In 930, Harald was 80 years old. For his era, he lived a very long life. Before his death, the monarch went on an unusual course for the Middle Ages - he passed the crown to his son while still alive. Making Eirik king, Harald retired to his estate in Rogaland. In a new capacity, the elderly patriarch of a huge family found the birth of a grandson, who was named grandfather. Many years later he will become King of Norway Harald II Gray Skin. The child has adopted many of the character traits of the Beautiful-haired.

Harald I died three years after his abdication in 933. He was buried in the town of Haugare. Today there is a church not far from that place. To the north-west of it is a mound, in which the first king of Norway is buried.

Harald's Legacy

For Scandinavia, Harald the Fair-haired and Ragnar Lodbroke are the legendary rulers of the early Middle Ages. The first was the king of Norway, the second - of Denmark. The second half of the IX century - the period of the birth of statehood in these countries. Monarchs became the leaders of their peoples on the wreckage of the old clan system.

King Harald the Fair-haired and Ragnar Lodbrock in every possible way suppressed any manifestations of separatism. The future showed that the medieval Scandinavian monarchies remained unified only if the ruler enjoyed the general respect of the feudal lords. Some of Harald's successors were weak and inexperienced monarchs. Because of this, Norway again and again plunged into the abyss of civil wars. That is why the times of Harald in the popular consciousness of the people were considered a remarkable era, and every king tried to be equal to him.

The medieval history of Norway gave the descendants many heroes and popular characters of works of art. Among them is Harald the Fair-haired. Actors of different generations played it in several productions. For example, it was a Soviet-Norwegian film "And the Trees are Growing on the Trees" in 1985, as well as the modern Irish-Canadian TV series "Vikings".