Harald fairhair biography definition

It has been suggested that the poem refers to past events, which would mean the poet lived in a later time than the events described in the poem. Linguistic dating of the poem has not been successful. Harald is thus depicted as the prime cause of the Norse settlement of Iceland and beyond.

Harald fairhair biography definition

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. The text describes Halfdan the Black's death by going through the ice on Randsfjorden, a story also told by Snorri in Heimskringla, and that Harald became king afterwards.

He is said to have taken control of Sogn from Atli jarl due to him never paying taxes. This happened before Harald's conquest of Norway. Here Harald is described as having become the first king of all of Norway at the age of He is described to as having waged wars for 10 years before having conquered all of Norway. In this account, Eirik is described as Harald's eldest son and Hakon as the youngest.

She is described as having died three years after their marriage with Harald mourning for her, but the people mourning for him, considering him bewitched. Eirik is said to have succeeded Harald, ruling for five years, with two as a co-ruler with his father. The work describes the history of the Yngling-dynasty from the legendary king Ingvi as Harald's ancestors and Halfdan the Black was his father.

Halfdan is here described as ruling a mountainous region of Norway and having drowned in Rondvatnet. Harald's rule is said to have lasted for 73 years and his nickname derived from his beautiful hair. Notably, Harald is here described as being the first to rule the entire coastal region of Norway, as opposed to all of Norway. The interior is described to as having been ruled by petty kings, however, it is said that Harald as good as ruled this region as well.

This account describes Eirik Bloodaxe as the oldest son of Harald, unlike in Heimskringla. Fagrskinna is thought to have been written around and is a catalogue of the kings of Norway. The text also describes Halfdan having another son called Harald by another woman named Ragnhildr, daughter of the king Harald Goldbeard of Sogn. Halfdan's first Harald inherited Sogn after the death of Harald Goldbeard, and then died himself.

Halfdan then inherited Sogn from his first son. The story is repeated by Snorri in Heimskringla and suggests two conflicting stories of Harald's ancestry being combined into one. Harald appointed Atli the Slender as jarl of Fjaler, but that the two fell out. Atli defended his old area with violence and both of the jarl's were killed. Harald proclaimed he would not cut his hair until having become overlord of Norway and earning tribute from every inland valley and outlying headland, earning him the nickname " Lufa ", shockhead.

Harald said to have fought many battles, including a decisive battle in Hafrfjord against Kjotve the Rich and Haklang. After this battle, all of Norway is said to paid tribute to Harald. Ragnvald jarl then cut Harald's hair and gave him the nickname Fairhair. The text then described Harald's various sons, describing Eirik Bloodaxe as his most beloved and one of his oldest.

Harald named Eirik his heir and died in Rogaland from old age and was buried in Haugesund. His protector-regent was his mother's brother Guthorm. He is described as the descendant of the Yngling-dynasty, whose history is described earlier in the work. The unification of Norway is something of a love story. It begins with a marriage proposal that resulted in rejection and scorn from Gyda, the daughter of Eirik, king of Hordaland.

It has been suggested [ by whom? In this critical view, only three generations of Fairhair kings reigned, from tofor 40 years altogether. The kings Olav Tryggvason and St. Olav, their family ties with the Fairhair dynasty perhaps a 12th-century invention, ruled for 18 years altogether and Harald Hardrada then founded a new dynasty.

There may be as many as 6 dynasties altogether subsumed under the title of Fairhair dynasty: Harald Fairhair's, Olaf Tryggvason's, St. The problem points points of broken genealogy in the medieval royal lineage in the so-called Fairhair dynasty are: [ 13 ]. Each of them came from "nowhere" and won the kingdom, the three latter claiming to be hitherto unknown natural sons of an earlier king.

However, Viken and its region of Norway, Vestfoldwere not parts of Harald I's dominions but subject to the Danish kings at the time, making this connection dubious. Further, the future king Olaf is said to have been born posthumously to a mother who had taken refuge in the Orkney Islandsyet the age assigned him in other sources would place his birth years after the date attributed to the death of his father.

The Heimskringla then relates that he was enslaved in Estonia as a three-year-old, only to tell his true parentage to the man who discovered him there and freed him six years later. The reliability of these two claims depends on the credibility of the Icelandic accounts in particular Heimskringla and the sources used to compile them, and if deemed unreliable, their reigns would represent distinct dynasties from that of Fairhair.

They also became known as the 'St. Olaf dynasty' in honor of the founder's half-brother. His claim seems, from historical sources, to be based on tales told by his Irish mother and family circle during his youth. Were one to view these claims as dubious, then Harald IV instead gave rise to a new dynasty, the 'Gille' Irish or 'Gylle dynasty'. The most seriously discredited alleged scion, practically regarded as an impostor by many modern academics, [ citation needed ] was Sverre Iwho arrived in Norway from his native Faroe Islandstook up leadership in the embattled and heirless Birkebeiner party of the civil war, and claimed to be the natural son of Sigurd II by Gunhild, Sverre's attested mother.

Sverre was sired during his mother's marriage with another man, Unas the Combmaker. Only in adulthood, so the claim goes according to legends, did his mother tell Sverre his 'real' paternity. The taxes demanded by Harald were much higher than other kings and a third of the revenues were given to his jarls. This made jarls and rich farmers flock to his cause to enrich themself.

Snorri describes Rognvald as Harald's closest friend and the one to coin the name "Fairhair". His realm was, however, threatened by dangers from without, as large numbers of his opponents had taken refuge, not only in Icelandthen recently discovered; but also in the Orkney IslandsShetland IslandsHebrides IslandsFaroe Islands and the northern European mainland.

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 couple only had one child, Eirik Bloodaxebefore her premature death.

Eirik Bloodaxe was named after Ragnhild's father as was custom in medieval Scandinavia. Likely due to Eirik Bloodaxe royal mother, he was favored above Harald's other sons. Eirik himself had an unquestioning, near psychopathic loyalty to Harald. Unlike other authors, Snorri does not attribute Eirik's cruelty solely to Gunnhild. When Ragnvald did not listen Harald sent Eirik Bloodaxe to murder him.

Eirik had his half-brother and all of his sorcerers burned in their hall. There are harald fairhair biography definition accounts of large feasting mead halls constructed for important feasts when Scandinavian royalty was invited. The older Swedish king, on the other hand, had to stay in the old feasting hall. As Harald's sons came of age their unruly behavior became a source of instability in Norway.

A variation of this story also appears in Orkneyinga saga. The thirteenth-century Egil's Saga presents a broadly similar account to that of Heimskringlathough its depiction of Harald and his family is much more negative. It has been suggested that Heimskringla and Egil's Saga share Snorri Sturluson as author, or at least share a common source.

Given the difference in attitude to the royal family and information regarding Erik Bloodaxe's family, the latter seems more likely. Chapter 3 and 4 tells of Harald's conquest of Norway. It harald fairhair biographies definition Snorri's story of Harald's vow not to cut his hair until he had become king of all of Norway, but no mention is made of Gyda.

Harald is said to have first conquered the Uplands and then taken Trondheim and become overlord over the thronds. The saga then relates the story of the brothers Herlaug and Hrollaug, kings of Namdalen. When Herlaug heard Harald was coming he committed suicide by closing himself into a mound with 12 men. Hrollaug renounced his kingship and took the title of jarl instead.

Harald accepted Hrollaug's surrender and allowed him to rule Namdalen in his name. This story is also present in Heimskringla. They were all defeated in battle by Harald, with only Solvi escaping with his life to live the rest of his life as a roving Viking. The remaining independent rulers of Norway were then crushed by Harald's allies or opportunists that attacked their neighbors and then submitted to Harald like Hrollaug had done.

The saga tells how people of Norway were then put under heavy taxes and oppression by Harald. Anyone suspected of wanting to rise in rebellion were given the option of fleeing the country, submitting himself as a tenant or having hands and feet cut off. According to the saga author, most who were given this option chose to flee. Harald is supposed to have confiscated massive amounts of private property and made many previously free harald fairhair biographies definition his thralls.

Harald's mother is said to have been Ragnhild Sigurdsdotterwho according to the saga was the great-granddaughter of Sigurd through her mother Inibjorg and he grandmother Aslaug. The marriage of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye and Blaeja could not have occurred earlier thanwhich would put the dating Harald's ascension to kingship of Norway in into question.

Fagrskinna makes no mention of Blaeja and states that Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter was Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye's daughter and not his great-granddaughter, which seems more plausible in regards to the dating of events. In old Norse society, the ancestry of both parents was considered of imperance for the status of a person. Harald wins an extrodinary victory at Hafrfjord and makes Ragnvald a jarl.

The Orkneyinga saga likely dates to in the early thirteenth century and belongs to belongs to the genre of "Kings' Sagas" within Icelandic saga literature, a group of histories of the kings of Norway. During the expedition Rognvald's son Ivar was killed so Harald gave governorship of the islands to him. The saga is informed by the Norwegian politics of the day.

Once, historians could write that no-one denied the reality of Harald Fairhair's expeditions to the west recounted in detail in the Heimskringlabut this is no longer the case. Thomson writes that Harald's "great voyage is so thoroughly ingrained in popular and scholarly history, both ancient and modern, that it comes as a bit of a shock to realise that it might not be true.

The first chapter describes Harald's ascension to the throne at the age of sixteen, in contrast to other accounts which gives the age of ten. He is here given the otherwise unknown nickname " Dofrafostri " Dovre -fostered. Harald's maternal uncle Guthormr is described as his duke and most important ally. Harald's war with Gandalf Alfgeirsson and his neighboring kings is described as in Heimskringlathrough in less detail.

Following this Harald's marriage to Gyda is described and his conquest of Norway. Harald's further marriages are described as is his rejections of them and his various concubines in favor of Ragnhild the Mighty. According to the saga sources, 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 Twelve of his sons are named as kings, two of them ruled over the whole of Norway.

Located near modern-day Stavanger, this naval engagement became a pivotal turning point in Norwegian history. Harald confronted a coalition of local kings and powerful jarls who resisted his expansionist ambitions. Contemporary Norse sagas describe the battle in dramatic terms, emphasizing Harald's tactical brilliance and personal courage. While historical details remain subject to scholarly debate, the battle is widely considered the critical moment in Harald's quest to consolidate Norwegian territories under a single royal authority.

Following his military victories, Harald implemented sophisticated political strategies to maintain his newly acquired territories. Rather than employing wholesale displacement, he often incorporated local chieftains into his administrative framework, offering them positions of limited autonomy within the emerging Norwegian state.

This nuanced approach distinguished Harald from many contemporary conquerors. By balancing military might with political pragmatism, he created a more stable and sustainable model of territorial governance. Local leaders who submitted to his rule were permitted to retain significant privileges, thereby minimizing potential resistance. Harald's reign was marked by significant social transformations.

He introduced more structured administrative systems, establishing frameworks that would influence Norwegian governance for centuries. The development of a more centralized taxation system and the emergence of a rudimentary royal bureaucracy can be traced directly to his innovations. Importantly, Harald began the process of institutionalizing royal power, moving beyond the traditional Norse model of leadership based primarily on personal charisma and martial prowess.