Who were the 10 great rulers of the Vikings, and how they are remembered by descendants

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

For Vikings, reputation was the most important thing in life. In their opinion, human actions were the only thing that worried people for many years after their death. Therefore, the Vikings loved to celebrate the achievements of their ancestors and friends, and also tried to become famous for themselves, through exploration, conquest, raids or patronage of people who wrote songs: skalds. So, today we will talk about the ten rulers of the Vikings and the epic deeds that glorified them.

1 Harald the Fair-haired, first king of Norway

Any account of the greatest achievements of the Viking rulers would not be complete without mention of Harald I the Fair-haired. Despite his semi-mythical status, most historians today believe that Harald did exist, but his exploits were probably not as dramatic as the sagas describe them. He was probably a minor king in the southwest of Norway who was able to conquer his neighbors and rule over a large part of modern Norway. The sagas tell how the Battle of Hafrsfjord was a defining moment for the young kingdom of Harald. It took place around 872, and it was a big battle by modern standards - many of Norway's minor kings took part in it. The only king mentioned in a source dating from the time of the battle was Kjovte the Rich, who supposedly fled after Harald's victory, leaving many of his people to die. The site where the battle is believed to have taken place is today marked with Swords in the Rock, three 10-meter monuments that symbolize Harald and the kings he defeated. After the Battle of Hafrsfjord, Harald created the most powerful state in Norway, which eventually became the progenitor of the current kingdom of Norway.

2 Rurik, Founder of the Old Russian state

The Rurik dynasty was one of the longest in the history of mankind: they were the princes of Kievan Rus from its foundation to the reign of Ivan the Terrible a century later. And Kievan Rus itself was founded by a Viking. "The Tale of Bygone Years", which was compiled in Kiev in 1113 from the chronicles of previous years, tells about the history of Russia. The Slavic peoples who lived on the territory of modern Ukraine and Russia invited Rurik and his two brothers to rule over them, believing that they would bring law and order to the tribes. They agreed, but Rurik's brothers soon died, leaving him to rule alone. In the past, some historians have questioned the authenticity of the story told in The Tale of Bygone Years, but most now accept it as fact. Rurik was a Varangian. This was the name of the soldiers who served the Byzantine emperor as personal bodyguards (almost all of them were Norwegians), so he was a respected person. There is also evidence of the significant influence of the Vikings on the territory of modern Russia and Ukraine: when Harald III the Severe lost the battle of Styklastadir in 1030, he fled with his family to Kiev. The Vikings also had their own trade routes stretching across Europe, from Baghdad to the coast of Spain, so it is only reasonable to expect that warriors and traders traveling from Scandinavia to Greece and the Middle East often settled along the way. Odin's symbols and Viking era Scandinavian blacksmithing tools were found in Lagoda and Novgorod, suggesting that there was clearly some Norwegian influence in the region. In any case, Rurik was a member of the Norwegian Varangian Guard, who founded his kingdom in the Slavic lands, and his descendants (who were raised as Slavs) continued his work, ruling as princes in the area until 1612.

3 Eirik the Bloody Ax, last king of Northumbria

Most have heard of Eirik I Bloody Ax, the last Viking king of Northumbria. However, in addition to his name, most people know little about him, except that they can assume that Eirik was a great warrior, for which he received his nickname. In fact, the name most likely comes from the connotation "blood" meaning "family" or "brotherhood". This nickname takes on new meaning when it is learned that he killed five of his brothers in order to win the throne of Norway. Eirik ruled in Scandinavia for only 4-5 years, after which he was overthrown by the last remaining brother, and fled to Great Britain without a fight. Why he gave up his kingdom so easily, probably no one will ever know, but perhaps this was because the Viking believed that he would have a brighter future in the British Isles. In the end, Eirik was right and was able to easily establish control over the kingdom of Northumbria, which he ruled until his death in 954.

4 Sitrik the Blind and the Battle of Icelandbridge

The Vikings have a long history in Ireland - the city of Dublin was actually founded by the Vikings to serve as a trading center for the slave trade. Their actual influence in Inner Ireland gradually waned over the years, and in 902 they were expelled from Dublin by a combined army of several Irish kings. Sitrik the Blind was one of these Vikings. Initially, he ruled a small kingdom in Denlos, but by 918 the Anglo-Saxons had conquered most of Denlos and drove most of the Vikings out of England. After this Sitrick returned to Ireland, this time at the head of the army. He won several battles with the Irish kings, and at the Battle of Icelandbridge in 919 he managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Irish. The High King of Ireland Niall Glundub led a coalition of northern Irish kings to drive out the Vikings, but was defeated by the Vikings led by Sitrik. Five Irish kings and Niall himself were killed in this battle. Sitrick ruled as undisputed king of Dublin for another three years before returning to England to take over the vacant royal throne in Northumbrian York.

5 Sven Forkbeard and the conquest of England

Sven I Forkbeard became the first Viking king of all England in 1013, although he ruled only five weeks before his death - not long enough to be officially crowned. But it is precisely the reason for his invasion that makes him a truly outstanding Viking king. By the time of Sven, the Vikings had lived in England for almost 200 years, but they never managed to conquer the entire kingdom. They ruled the northeastern half of England, known as the Denlaw, until the end of the reign of Eric the Bloody Ax in 954, when they were exiled. But the Vikings continued to live in England, and the kings from Scandinavia remembered them. Therefore, when the English king ordered the mass murder of the Vikings living in England in 1002, Sven decided to take revenge. Although he had previously raided the English coast for about 10 years, he has now gathered an invasion force. They landed in 1003, destroying and plundering most of the country. Ethelred the Unwise was forced to pay Sven a huge amount of silver so that he would not raze his entire kingdom to the ground. But ten years later, Sven returned, this time with an army large enough to take over all of England. The Vikings landed in Kent and, destroying everything in their path, reached London. The English earls, fearing a new protracted war and already skeptical of their king, sent thelred into exile and declared Sven king of England. Although Sven's reign did not last long, it paved the way for another Viking invasion, which became even larger.

6 King Canute and the North Sea Empire

With the death of Sven, his son Knud led his father's army in England. However, the English lords decided to return thelred, and Knud was forced to flee to Denmark. He immediately set about assembling a larger army and even asked the soldiers for help from his brother (and rival), King Harald II of Denmark. Poles, Swedes and Norwegians flocked to his banner, tempted by promises of great booty. Knud landed at Wessex in 1015 at the head of 10,000 and devastated the country, conquering territories from Cornwall to Northumbria. But London remained unconquered under the leadership of the newly elected English king Edmund Ironside. The armies of the two kings met in the battle of Assandun, in which Knud defeated, after which the resistance of the British finally ceased. By 1018, Knud had also become king of Denmark after the death of his brother, and he finally conquered Norway in 1028, after years of conflict with various Scandinavian kings. Although they initially fought against him, the British were surprisingly loyal to Knud during his reign. He spent most of his 20-year tenure on the throne suppressing rebellions or fighting enemies in his homeland, while England was ruled by his allies. At the time of his death, almost all of the people in Knud's retinue were English. Knud became one of the most powerful kings in Europe, and met several times with the Pope and Emperor of Germany, strengthening economic ties between the three kingdoms. Although his empire fell apart after the death of Knud, it seems that he did not make any efforts at all for its continued existence. In the last years of his reign, Knud left Norway to the rebels, gave Denmark to his son Hardeknud, and England to his other son, Harold Hare's Paw. However, the alliance of the three kingdoms made Knud the most powerful king in Europe at the time, and his descendants have repeatedly tried (and failed) to recreate his successes.

7 Harald Bluestooth's Ring Holds

Even before Knud and Sven, someone had to turn Denmark into a strong, centralized state rivaling England. This king was the King of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth, Sven's father. In fact, not all of the Viking power came from conquest. Over the course of 30 years of his reign, Harald transformed Denmark from a political backwater into a strong medieval state. Harald's plans for a centralized government are best seen in his Trelleborg ring forts, which were fortresses built in Denmark centered on Fort Aarhus, the geographic center of the region. Each of the fortresses was built to strict standards, with four gates (strictly on the cardinal points), a high wall and a moat around the outside. Inside there was an open courtyard with administrative buildings in the middle. Danish kings used them as places to collect taxes and collect their armies. All fortresses were built in places that were close to the sea, but far enough from it to be safe from sea raids, as well as along the land routes of the Vikings, from which they were perfectly visible, and personified a symbol of the power of royalty. The locations were carefully chosen so that the fortresses could effectively defend and control the people of Denmark. Unfortunately for Harald, the main threat came from within when his son Sven overthrew his father.

8 Harald the Severe and the destruction of Hedeby

Harald III the Harsh or Harald Gardrad is known throughout history for being one of the last Viking kings and unsuccessfully trying to seize the throne of England by force, losing the decisive Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 to Harold Godwinson, which paved the way for William the Conqueror's final victory. But this battle marked the end of a long and distinguished career as a Viking who, for 30 years before that, had traveled all over the known world, from Norway to Sicily and Palestine. Perhaps his greatest (or most macabre) feat was the destruction of Hedeby. Hedeby was a Norwegian city at the foot of Jutland with trade links throughout the northern world. It rose to prominence in the late 700s and became the most important city in the Western Viking world. Harald, who was king of Norway at the time, tried to conquer Denmark and add its territory to his kingdom. In an effort to weaken Denmark, he raided its coast. One of these campaigns brought Harald to Hedeby, who refused to voluntarily submit to him. In response, he drove the burning ships into the harbor and set it on fire, after which the flames quickly spread throughout the city. The city of Hedeby never recovered and lost its significance. Finally, in 1066, during the raid of the Slavs, it was finally wiped off the face of the earth.

9 Sven II Estridsen and the last Viking invasion of England

The death of Harald the Severe at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 is generally considered the end of the Viking Age, and many people refer to Gardrad as the last Viking king. True, it has hardly ever been so easy. After William's conquest of England, Godwin's house was overthrown, but not defeated. They continued to raid the new kingdom from the sea, and in 1069 Sven II Estridsen decided to support one of the Anglo-Saxon contenders (Edgar Eteling). Why he did this is not 100 percent clear, but it may have been due to his lifelong rivalry with Harald Severe (Gardrad). In the end, Harald died trying to take England, so it might be better to "outflank" his nemesis once and for all than to succeed where he failed. Sven also succeeded in capturing a large part of northern England and quite successfully defending it against William the Conqueror. But he preferred to get a large ransom from Wilhelm and return to Denmark. Without Sven's support, the rebellion collapsed, and England remained Norman. The Vikings have never been able to conquer England again.

10 Olav III, the last king of the Vikings

Now the story has come to the last prominent Viking king, as well as the man considered by some to be the real last Viking king, Olav III, who was known as Olav the Mirny. Although Olav was not as warlike or bloodthirsty as the other Viking leaders on this list, he was a great politician who successfully created the modern state of Norway. Olav may have been influenced by the death of his father Harald in England in 1066. The fact is that he was a staunch supporter of peace during his reign, and Norway had not been at war for a quarter of a century, which was in stark contrast to the way his father was always trying to expand his dominions. Olav deliberately transformed Norway into a more "normal" continental European country: he brought the Norwegian church in line with the teachings of the Pope and reorganized the dioceses of Norway. It is also believed that he was the first Viking king to learn to read. His reign was modeled on the European model, with courtiers who became the medieval aristocratic culture in Norway. During Olav's reign, urban growth flourished and the city of Bergen was founded, which later became the capital of medieval Norway. Many Norwegian laws were first formally spelled out in writing with the light hand of Olav.