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Surnamed Haardraade (English: "Hardraada"), which might be translated "hard reign", he was the son of King Sigurd and half-brother of King Olaf the Saint. At the age of fifteen he was obliged to flee from Norway, having taken part in the Battle of StiklestadThe Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle king Olaf II of Norway (Olav Haraldsson) lost his life. He was later made a saint, and the battle represent the introduction of christianity in Nor ( 1030Events Battle of Stiklestad ensures the Christianization of Norway. The city of Kaunas in Lithuania is founded. The city of Tartu in Estonia is founded. earliest mention of Thalwil, Switzerland Deaths September 30 William V, Duke of Aquitaine Olav Haralds), in which King Olaf met his death. He took refuge for a short time with Prince Yaroslav of NovgorodFor other cities named Novgorod see Novgorod (disambiguation). Novgorod is a city in North-Western Russia. Since 1998 the official name of the city is Velikiy Novgorod Great Novgorod . It is the capital of Novgorod Oblast. The city lies along the Volkhov (a Russian principality then, now a city, founded by ScandinaviaScandinavia is the cultural and historic region of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Scandinavian countries are Norway, Sweden and Denmark, which mutually recognize each other as parts of Scandinavia. The collective label "Scandinavia" reflects the culturalns), and thence went to ConstantinopleConstantinople (Roman name: Constantinopolis; Greek: Konstantinoupolis or ) is the former name of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Its original name was Byzantium ( Greek: Byzantion or Bυζαντιο&nu pronounced roughly B, where he took service under the Empress Zoe of Byzantium, whose VarangianThe Varangians or Variags were Vikings who travelled eastwards from Sweden. Promoting trade, piracy and mercenary militarism, they roamed the river systems and portages of what later became Russia, reaching the Caspian Sea and Constantinople. They created guard he led to frequent victory in Italy, Sicily, and North Africa, also penetrating to Jerusalem.
In the year 1042 he left Constantinople, supposedly because he was refused the hand of a princess, and on his way back to his own country he married Ellisif or Elizabeth, daughter of Yaroslav of Novgorod. In Sweden he allied himself with the defeated Sven of Denmark against his nephew Magnus, now king of Norway, but soon broke faith with Sven and accepted an offer from Magnus of half his kingdom. In return for this gift Harald is said to have shared with Magnus the enormous treasure which he had amassed in the East.
The death of Magnus in 1047 put an end to the growing jealousies between the two kings, and Harald turned all his attention to the task of subjugating Denmark, which he ravaged year after year; but he met with such stubborn resistance from Sven that in 1064 he gave up the attempt and made peace. Two years afterwards, possibly instigated by the banished Earl Tostig of Northumbria, he attempted the conquest of England, to the sovereignty of which his predecessor had advanced a claim as successor of Harthacanute. In September 1066 he landed in Yorkshire with a large army, reinforced from Scotland, Ireland, and the Orkney Islands; took Scarborough by casting flaming brands into the town from the high ground above it; defeated the Northumbrian forces at Fulford on 20 September; and entered York on the 24th of September. But the following day the English King Harold arrived from the south, and the end of the long day’s fight at Stamford Bridge saw the rout of the Norwegian forces after the fall of their king Harald. Tostig was also killed in battle.
He was only fifty years old, but he was the first of the six kings who had ruled Norway since the death of Harald Haarfagre to reach that age. As a king he was unpopular on account of his harshness and want of good faith, but his many victories in the face of great odds prove him to have been a remarkable general, of never-failing resourcefulness and indomitable courage.
Popular non-fiction books that discuss Hardraada's significant role in shaping English history include:
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica
| Preceded by: Magnus I | King of Norway | Succeeded by: Magnus II |