The True Story of Olaf Haraldsson | Vikings Valhalla

A lot of you may know Olaf Haraldsson from the show Vikings Valhalla, but today we will delve into the real life of Olaf, who would die a saint. According to the sources, his life was far more unholy than one would think. At one point, Olaf was a feared pagan and became a warrior in the Baltic region. Over the years, Olaf became a mystical figure and was a hero in folk traditions, where he was the slayer of trolls and giants and the protector against malicious forces. He is even symbolized by the axe in Norway's coat of arms and has his own day of celebration. So how did Olaf Haraldsson become Saint Olaf and what kind of battles and trials would he face? This is his story. According to legend, Olaf was born in Ringerik in Norway in the year 995. His father was Harald Grensk, a petty king in Vestfold in Norway. Icelandic sagas would describe Harald as the great-great-grandchild of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway and the unifier of the land. Olaf's father, however, would die when his mother was pregnant with him. After, she would remarry Sigurd Sir, with whom she had other children, including Harald Hardrada, who was his half-younger brother. According to Olaf's saga, once he had reached adulthood, he was of medium height, very sturdily built and physically strong. At just twelve years old, Olaf would go on his first Viking expedition. As the son of a king, he would have been given men and ships to learn the trade of the Viking, which was very loved by his late father. He would have raided across the coasts of the Baltic Sea for years, and fate would lead his son to do the same. Olaf would spend his early teen years with his men raiding towns and villages along the coast of the Baltic Sea. In Denmark, Olaf would meet Thorkell the Tall, the chief of the mercenary group the Jomsvikings, who were regarded as some of the best soldiers in Scandinavia. Thorkell and Olaf would join forces, and together, they headed west to England. For three years, Olaf and Thorkell would raid southeast England. In 1011, Olaf would take part in the assault on Canterbury, where King Æthelred the Unready of England had to pay the Vikings, including Olaf and Thorkell, 4,800 pounds of silver to stop the attack. Later, however, Olaf and Thorkell would take Canterbury anyway, capturing the Archbishop, and were said to have burned some of the city. Swain Forkbeard would soon arrive in England. He would storm into London and take the After just five weeks on the throne though, he would die. King Æthelred would rush back to England from his exile in Normandy, and sent word to all those who were willing to help him win back his land. Olaf would come to support the English king, and would lead a force of men to help him recapture London from Swain's son Canute. Olaf and his men were successful, and Canute was driven out of London, with King Æthelred regaining his crown. Olaf then decided to pursue his own ambitions, and headed for Normandy, and decided to offer his services to Duke Richard II of Normandy for a while. According to some sources, he later sailed along the coast of France and Spain, heading for the Mediterranean, raiding towns and villages along the way. According to Olaf's saga, his plan was to sail to Jerusalem. One night however, Olaf would have a prophetic dream of a man telling him to go back to his ancestral lands, for it was his destiny to be the king of Norway. As a result of this revelation, Olaf and his men would turn back from their voyage, and would set sail home to Norway. On the way back, Olaf stopped in Normandy as Duke Richard's guest. During the long winter evenings, an eighteen-year-old Olaf would hear tales of Charlemagne, and how he built his empire and the many battles he had fought. Charlemagne would become Olaf's new hero and role model. In Normandy, Duke Richard and his men often went to mass in the huge cathedral, and Olaf would also accompany them. He would be exposed to priests, monks, nuns and bishops. He became convinced that Christianity was the correct religion to follow. In 1015 that winter, Olaf was baptised as a Christian. He then would make his way back to Norway with the intention of becoming its king. He was just twenty years old. When he arrived in Norway, he saw a country divided and ruled by local chieftains and petty kings. He would seek to unite the land, just as his ancestor Harald Fairhair did. Olaf started out in his home in Ringerijk, where his stepfather helped him become accepted as king. Not long after, he would be acknowledged as king in all southeastern Norway. After the death of Olaf Tryggvason, Norway had been divided into a Swedish part and a Danish part. The rest of the country was under the control of the local kings and earls. Soon enough, Olaf would find himself in a battle. Sweyn Hakonsson was ruling the Swedish part of Norway, and had learned that Olaf was rallying support in eastern Norway. Once Olaf had gathered his forces, he would begin his trip northwards to confront Sweyn. On the 25th of March 1016, their fleets would clash, resulting in the battle of Nesjar. Few accounts of the battle have survived, however it's generally regarded that the battle was fierce with a lot of casualties. None of the major players were killed, however Sweyn Hakonsson was chased off, relinquishing his grip on power and retreated to Sweden, making the road easier for Olaf to unite Norway. Olaf then annihilated the petty kings of the south, subdued the aristocracy and conducted a successful raid in Denmark. Olaf would then begin negotiations with the king of Sweden and married his daughter Astrid. After subduing the south, Olaf sailed to Hallogaland and was accepted as king. At just 22 years of age, Olaf was king of all Norway. This was a transitional period for Norway, with many of its people turning away from their pagan beliefs of old and turning to a new god. Along the coast, many people were Christian, but inland in the countryside, people still worshipped the old Norse gods. Olaf's role model and idol was Charlemagne, and like him, Olaf would let his sword pave way for the cross. In 1024, Christianity was accepted as the official faith in Norway, with the old Norse gods fading from this world. Olaf would make Christian law the law of the land, which would become very unpopular to many, especially the ruling class. Canute the Great, now the ruler of Denmark and England, would soon set his eyes towards Norway and wanted to add the country to his empire. Canute would bribe Olaf's nobles and promised to grant them their old way of life if they accepted him as king. They would gladly accept, and in 1028, Canute would arrive in Norway with a large fleet. He was accepted by the earls and chieftains as king. Olaf would flee the country and went to Novgorod in Russia to the court of King Yaroslav, where he stayed for two years. King Canute had his base in England and went back there to rule his North Sea empire. He left an earl in charge of Norway, but in 1029 he would die and his first wife Elgifu would go on to govern the country. Once Olaf had heard of the earl's death, he would make his way home at the head of an army. Olaf was supported by the Swedish king Anut Jacob, who wanted to weaken Canute's power and provided Olaf with 400 men and guides that would lead Olaf through Sweden to Norway. According to saga sources, Olaf travelled with 3600 men through Sweden and crossed the mountains into a valley north of the city of Trondheim. Olaf and his men would soon arrive at Stiklestad, and Olaf would go into battle with his gilded helmet and his white shield with a holy cross painted on it in red. The battle was described as bloody, with many men falling from both sides, and so in the year 1030, the battle of Stiklestad would take place. King Olaf would fight alongside his best men who carried his banner. He fought in the front lines and is even described in the sagas as stepping forward out of the shield wall into the vanguard and would engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Olaf is recorded to have wounded and killed many soldiers, but in the heat of battle, Olaf would receive an axe wound to the knee, causing him to lean against a stone. Another man would then thrust through his belly with a spear, and finally, a sword came his way. This blow landed on the left side of his neck, and there at the battle of Stiklestad, Olaf died. The battle of Stiklestad is one of the most celebrated battles in ancient Norse history, the aura of legend that surrounded Olaf's death and the heroic and quite brutal way that he died, plus his work for the church, led to his canonisation in 1031. His popularity would increase when he died, with many churches and shrines being built in his honour. Rumours about strange miracles taking place in the area where Olaf was buried started spreading like wildfire, and he quickly became Norway's patron saint, and many would travel from all over the Norse world in order to visit his shrine. I hope you all enjoyed the video, if you did, make sure to like, subscribe and share, and I'll see you all soon for another History Profile.