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- It is unlikely that Harald's nickname "Blaatand" is connected to histeeth, as the oldest known version of his name is "Blatan" - but nobodyseems to know its meaning. According to "Nachkommen Gorms des Alten" (S.Otto Brenner, 1978) was first married to Gunhild (-965-) and second toTove (-970-); the mother(s) of Harald's children are uncertain.
Adam of Bremen wrote that Harald reigned for 50 years, but perhaps thiswas just his way of saying "many". Harald conquered Norway in 960, andthus became the King of both Denmark and Norway. The Roskilde Chroniclestell that Harald reigned for 15 years together with his father, Gorm; andalso relate a story about Bishop Poppo carrying red-hot iron withoutburning his fingers, and thus convincing Harald of Christ's superiorstrength over the old Norse gods, Odin and Thor. After which, circa 965,Harald decided to be baptized as a Christian. This story became widelytold, and can be seen depicted on church frescoes all over Europe. In965 the Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great granted tax exemptions to hisbishops in Schleswig, Ribe, and Aarhus - which could be interpreted asmeaning that he had transferred them to Harald.
The third addition to the embankment of the Viking fortress of Dannevirkeis dated to 968, and thus must have been done during Harald's reign. Hewas also responsible for the construction of other Viking fortresses:Trelleborg in 980-981, and also of Fyrkat, and probably also ofAggersborg in Skåne. He also had constructed a bridge, calledRavningbro, across the inlet at Vejle in 979. That he could undertakesuch massive construction projects attests to his having a strong andunited command over the population.
According to the annals, Harald - referred to as Duke (Hertug) - paid histaxes to Emperor Otto in 973. Otto died that same year, and since theDuke of Saxony, Herman Billung, had also just recently died, Haralddecided in 974 now was the time to wage a war to free Denmark from theoverlordship of the Germanic empire. The resulting war can be foundchronicalled in several annals, and in Snorri's "Heimskringla", whichtell of heavy battles at Dannevirke, ending with Danish defeat. Haraldnow has to pay taxes to Emperor Otto II, and the southern part ofSchleswig (from Dannevirke to the the Eider River) becomes part of Saxony.
In 982 Otto II suffered a defeat at the hands of the arabs, and both theSlavs and the Danes rebelled, trying to free themselves from the Germanicempire. Harald took back the land he had lost in 974, and refused to payany further taxes to the Germans. However the peace treaty, in which theEmperor relinquish Hedeby and the land north of the Eider, was not signeduntil the time of Harald's grandson, Knud den Store, circa 1025. Haraldhad fortified a fortress in Poland, called Jomsborg, against attacks fromthe Vends. In 975 his forces stationed at Jomsborg suffered a defeat atHjørungavåg and as a result he lost control of Norway.
On a Rune-stone located in what is now the Jelling churchyard is carvedthe following inscription in old Norse:
(Translated to modern Danish:)
"Harald Konge bød gioere kumler disse efter Gorm fader sin og efter Thyramoder sin, den Harald som sig vandt hele Danmark og Norge og gjordedanerne kristne."
(Translated to English:)
"King Harald raised these Rune-stones to honour his father Gorm and hismother Thyra, the Harald who won all of Denmark and Norway, and made theDanes christians."
The text on Harald's Jelling-stone ends with (but may have been addedlater): "the Harald who won all of Denmark and Norway". However, theFrankish annals tell us that Denmark was a complete country long beforeGorm and Harald. Skåne, Jylland, and the islands in-between, had beenruled by the same king now and then, for instance: under King Godfred inthe early 800s. By 811-813 the Danish kingdom encompassed an area from:the Eider River in the south, to Skåne in the east, to Vestfold (OsloFjord) in the north. Also, the travelogues of Attar and Wulfstan fromthe end of the 800s tell of a Denmark consisting of: Oslo Fjord, theprovinces of Bohus, Halland and Skåne, the Danish islands, and Jyllandpeninsula down to the Eider River; at that time Blekinge belonged toSweden, and Bornholm had its own king. But it would be safe to say it isonly from the time of Harald that the kingdom of Denmark seems to havebecome a stabile entity.
So there is no reason to believe that either Gorm or Harald gatheredtogether several small kingdoms into one country known as Denmark. Thetext from Harald's Jelling-stone could be interpreted as meaning: "theHarald who recovered for himself Denmark and Norway". There is somecircumstantial evidence that Gorm lost Skåne and Norway, as well as hislife, in 958 and that what Harald accomplished was merely a re-conquest.But the standard explanation is that Harald held the lands from thebeginning, and that what he won was merely the area around Haithabu, in983, which he had first lost to Emperor Otto II.
Harald's son Svend Tveskæg led an uprising against his father in 986.During a battle Harald was wounded, and is said to have fled toJomsburg. It is recorded that he hid in a little town named variouslyas: Iumne, Julin, Hyumsburgh, Iumneta, Vineta, which today is known asWolin, and is located on the eastern outflow of the Oder River. A listof names to be prayed for tells us that he probably died on November 1,986 or 987.
(Sources: "Det danske Rige i den ældre Vikingetid", Erik Kroman, 1976,pages 115-123; "Da klinger i Muld", Steen Hvass and Birger Storgaard,1993; "Ottar og Wulfstan", Niels Lund, 1983.)
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,Ontario, copyright 2006. [2]
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Anebasen — Ole Thyge Plannthin
før 915 - ca. 986 (> 71 år)
[1]