Harald Hardrada was the last of the great Viking Kings. He would meet his end in England.
Harald Hardrada is the more common name of the Norwegian king Harald Sigurdsson. Born in the year 1015, Harald was the younger brother of King Olaf and third in line for the Norwegian throne. However, in 1030, King Cnut of Denmark (and later England and Norway) invaded and killed Olaf in battle. Harald was wounded in the same battle, but managed to flee the country with a group of loyal warriors.
Harald and his warriors journeyed to the land of the Rus (later Russia) and took service with the king Yaroslav, where they stayed for several years fighting in many battles. Harald became restless though, and packed up his men and set out for Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, and the wealthiest city in the known world. There, Harald and his men joined the Varangian Guard, an elite mercenary unit. Again Harald proved himself a great warrior and leader of men, and soon took command of the entire unit. In this position, he was given broad powers to plan his own attacks, and he won many victories for the Empire. He also amassed a huge amount of personal wealth.
In 1045, Harald decided to take his wealth and return to Norway. King Cnut had died years before, and the throne had passed to Harald’s nephew Magnus. Harald brought a large force of warriors with him to Norway, and King Magnus quickly agreed to share the throne with his uncle. A year later, Magnus died, circumstances unknown.
For twenty years, Harald ruled Norway, picking up the nickname Hardrada, meaning hard-ruler. But Harald could not sit easy on a throne; he craved the adventure of his Viking ancestors. In 1066, Tostig Godwinson approached him about staking his claim to the English throne. (Harald did have a vague claim through his Nephew. It wasn’t much, but none of the main participants of 1066 really had much claim to the throne.) Harald agreed and, gathering his army, set out for England.
The rest of the story is told in my article on Fulford Gate and Stamford Bridge.
