Norway 6: Olaf Haraldsson Flashcards
Haraldsson’s family background
- Haraldsson was the son of a petty king (Harald Genske) in Vestfold who had acknowledged Danish overlordship
- He also had a relationship to Oppland through his mother who after Genske’s death married Sigurth Sow, with whom she had Harald Hardruler
Haraldsson before 1015
- successful career as a viking chieftain:
been in england in 1009 when he fought for sweyn forkbeard - in 1012 he received part of the largest Danegeld of all time (this treasure share is pretty much what got him the throne later on)
- like Tryggvason, he switched sides to support AEthelred by 1013
What happened in 1015
Arrived in norway in autumn 1015 with 2 cargo ships, evidently not expecting a fight = a fortunate moment, a military vacuum had arisen as Cnut had summoned earl Eirik to England, where he had become earl of Northumbria and stayed there— the main person who could oppose Olaf was out of the country
Alternate theory as to how Haraldsson became ruler
Made an agreement with Cnut not to support Ethelred in return for the norwegian throne?
– This is perhaps corroborated by the fact that both Knut and Hakon (earl Eirik’s son) left olaf alone until the 1020s
What is Moseng’s theory on how/why Haraldsson became the norwegian ruler?
Moseng states that it was the English king who encouraged Olaf to challenge Danish overlordship, or potentially that Olaf was playing both the Danes and the English
What significant change had occurred In societal norway by the time Haraldsson took over?
The subservience of the earls of Lade and their dependence upon Denmark had weakened the traditional relationships with the farmers of Trøndelag, that had previously given them so much power== this was a big significant change
–And it meant that by the 11th century there were no strong structures of established relationships to resist Olaf’s takeover
The two main components of opposition to Haraldsson’s rule…
faced opposition to his rule on 2 fronts
1) petty kings in the interior of eastern norway, as (in contrast to earlier kings) he worked actively to extend his power into that area
2) Svein, Earl Eirk’s brother– The skalds inform that Haraldson defeated Svein and the men of Trondelag at the battle of Nesjar in 1016
How did old seek to ensure his power
Through arrangements with the leaders of several of the most powerful aristocratic families
Who became Olaf Haraldsson’s leigemen?
According to the sagas:
- Erling Skjalgsson of Soki
- Harek of Thjotta
- Thorir Hound of Bjorkøy
- – they became the king’s leigemen and served as his agents in return for sharing the income from his estates
- —- they were Norway’s highest aristocracy and this was Norway’s first step to a royal bureaucracy of officials.
How did Olaf Haraldsson proclaim himself king?
After he drove Earl Svein from Norway (thus putting an end to the earls of Lade) Olaf went to Trøndelag and had himself proclaimed king at the Øyra Assembly, thus securing the legal basis for his rule
