The first king of Norway, Harald the Fair-Haired, ruled the country in 872-930. He united the previously warring Viking groups under his rule and organized several sea campaigns to the west. The dynasty that began with Harald ruled Norway until 1319 (and also Denmark in 1042 - 1047).
Struggle for power
Harald the Fair-Haired was born in 850 in the family of Halfdan the Black, king of Vestfold. The father died when the boy was ten years old. While Harald was growing up, his uncle Guthorm was in charge of his army and state affairs. Numerous kings began to encroach on the possessions of Halfdan, but they were all defeated in turn.
Having reached maturity, Harald Fairhair set himself the goal of uniting all the lands of his compatriots. He inherited modern southeastern Norway from his father, but he wanted more. In 872, Harald went to war against the kings, who refused to recognize the supreme power of Fair-Haired. These were the ruler of Herdland, Eirik, the ruler of Rogaland, Sulki, as well as Hadd the Severe and Hroald the Downcast from Telamerk. All these kings joined forces to defeat the young son of Halfdan the Black.
The first king of Norway
Harald the Fair-Haired sailed along the coast of Norway to the south-west - in the very heart of the possessions of his opponents. The decisive battle took place in Havrsfjord, one of the coastal fjords, where today a monument stands in memory of that important battle. The outcome of the battle was decided by a violent attack of berserkers - warriors who were members of the cult of the war god Odin. These foot soldiers swept away the ranks of the enemy with a furious onslaught, terrifying them.
Thus Harald Fair-Haired won the most important victory of his life. His enemies died or fled. Norway no longer resisted the sole authority of this young Viking. In 872 he became the first king of Norway.
Journey to the West
Under Harald, the Norwegians began to populate previously undeveloped territories. New provinces were developed - Helsingyaland and Yamtaland. At the same time, his countrymen discovered hitherto unknown lands - 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 hunted robberies. These Vikings settled in the Orkney Islands. Every summer they raided Norway, causing significant damage to the population.
At first, Harald defended his own country, gathering an army once a year and surveying the sea coast, which suffered the most from robbers. However, this strategy was ineffective. Finally, the Viking Harald Fairhaircollected an army and a navy, and set sail for the western seas. He fought in the Orkney Islands, exterminating all the fugitives there. After that, the Norwegians went to Scotland and the Isle of Man. The raids gave them a lot of loot. Thanks to successful campaigns and the acquisition of new lands, Harald gradually strengthened his power more and more.
Quarrel with children
Harald appointed only the most devoted and time-tested people as his governors in the provinces. His sons didn't like it. Jarls for them were upstarts who did not belong to the royal family. Every year, the sons demanded more and more insistently from their father an inheritance. Harald had many offspring (according to various sources, about 20).
Once two sons Gudred and Halfdan gathered a large squad and suddenly attacked Jarl Regnvald. The governor's house was burned down (60 people died there), and the settlement was plundered. Harald had to start a war against his own sons, who staged a massacre because of their own stubbornness. Gudred surrendered to his father's mercy and was exiled to Agdir.
One of Harald's sons, Regnwald Straight-legged, who ruled in Hadaland, became addicted to witchcraft and magic. The king hated people who pretended to be sorcerers. The pagan faith of the Scandinavians gave rise to many occult practices. They were promoted by vagabonds and priests. King Harald Fair-Haired considered these people heretics. He instructed his beloved son, Eirik Bloodaxe, to go to Hadaland and punish Regnwald. The heir did indeed come into possessionyounger brother and burned him along with 80 other minions and sorcerers.
Country section
Around the year 900, when Harald was 50 years old, he convened a Thing (national assembly). It discussed what to do with the numerous heirs of the king. As expected, all the sons received king titles and destinies in Norway. So Harald formalized the feudal order and the future fragmentation of the country.
According to the decision of the Thing, which was attended by all willing free men of Norway, the title of king was received not only by the sons, but in general by all the descendants of the king. Boys in the female line became Jarls. Harald's children were en titled to half of their father's income in their cities. The favorite son of the king was Eirik, who was nicknamed the Bloody Axe. This heir was always close to his father and after his death he himself began to rule Norway.
Murder of Harald's son
Harald's children received their inheritance and consoled their pride. However, relations between them remained tense. The king's son Bjorn was appointed governor of the province of Vestfold, with its capital at Tunsberg. He ran a profitable trade, for which he received the nickname of the Merchant and the Sailor.
Once after another trip to the eastern countries, Eirik was returning to his father through the lands of Bjorn. The older brother demanded that the younger brother give him taxes intended for the state treasury. This was contrary to custom. Usually Bjorn took the taxes to his father himself or sent his people. However, Eirik did not care - he had to spend a lot of money on the organization and maintenance of the last expedition. A conflict broke out between the brothers. The dispute ended when Eirik, who was distinguished by a violent temper, broke into the house of Bjorn with a loyal detachment, and killed the Sailor and his closest Vikings. The aged Harald did not punish his eldest son.
Renunciation and death
In 930, Harald turned 80 years old. He lived a very long life for his era. Before his death, the monarch took an unusual move for the Middle Ages - he handed over the crown to his son, while still alive. After making Eirik king, Harald retired to his estate in Rogaland. In his new capacity, the aged patriarch of a huge family saw the birth of a grandson, who was named after his grandfather. Many years later he would become King Harald II Greypelt of Norway. The child has adopted many of the traits of Fairhair.
Harald I died three years after his abdication in 933. He was buried in the town of Haugar. Today there is a church not far from that place. To the northwest of it is a mound in which the first king of Norway is buried.
Harald's legacy
For Scandinavia Harald Fairhair and Ragnar Lothbrok 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 9th century is the period of the emergence of statehood in these countries. Monarchs became leaders of their peoples on the ruins of the former tribalbuilding.
King Harald the Fair-Haired and Ragnar Lodbrok suppressed any manifestations of separatism in every possible way. The future showed that the medieval Scandinavian monarchies remained united only if the ruler enjoyed the universal 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 mass consciousness of the people were considered a wonderful era, and every king tried to be equal to him.
Norway's medieval history gave posterity many heroes and popular characters in works of art. Among them is Harald the Fair-Haired. Actors of different generations played him in several productions. For example, it was the Soviet-Norwegian film "And Trees Grow on the Stones" in 1985, as well as the modern Irish-Canadian TV series "Vikings".
