Olaf Tryggvason

Background

Born in the middle of the 960s
Father = king in Viken or Oppland; grandson of Harald Fairhair - according to sagas
- No evidence Olad was really descended from Harald Fairhair - Harald's territories based in W. Norway, Olaf's in E. Norway
Mother = western Norway

In reality power base came, to an extent, from outside Norway
Olaf's father killed by Erik Bloodaxe; mother took him away to Russia for safety
According to Icelandic poet Hallfreð Troublesome-poet (composed later)
- Olaf went raiding in Russia, the Baltic, Germany, Frisia, France and Scotland
- => Experienced Viking leader when he turned up in England in 991 with a large army (ASC)

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994 Olaf and army joined forces with Svein Forkbeard of Denmark - tried to conquer London
- Æthelred's response = Danegeld
  - 991: 10 000 pounds of silver
  - 994: 16 000 pounds of silver
- Æthelred divides the two, allying with Olaf
- Olaf confirmed with Æthelred as his sponsor, accepted valuable gifts and promised never to attack England again
- Encouraged by English to pursue Norwegian throne; pressures Danes
Olaf also took away mint-masters and missionaries - benefits Æthelred to have Christian Norway under control of close ally and godson
- Less Viking attacks on England; weaken Denmark's position
- Seems Æthelred contributed substantially to Olad's quick success when he came to Norway in 995

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Realm incl. W. Norway, Trondelag and northern coast
Direct conquest and christianisation won him Trondelag - usurps Earls of Lade
- Under Earl Hakon, Trondelag = political centre of the country; Olaf makes it the strategic and economic heart of his realm
- Trondelag = far from Denmark => little risk of attack
Olaf founded Niðaros (located on mouth of River Nið), a town close to the earl's seat at Lade
- Archaeology shows trade and craft activities not v. important in early stages
- => purpose = 'port of faith'
  - Bridgehead for Christianity and royal power, placed deliberately in the middle of a rich pagan area
  - Evidence of Christian burials dates back to earliest layer of town
Olaf formed alliances with local rulers in Viken and SW Norway
- Married his sisters to men in the powerful families
Unclear why Earl Hakon was forced out in favour of King Olaf
- Skaldic verse: tyrannical rule of Earl Hakon
- His sudden death through treachery at about the same time/just before Olaf came in 995
- Change in relationship with Denmark: Hakon previously fled to Denmark (Bluetooth's reign) when father killed; his son now flees to Sweden

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Olaf openly tried to christianise Norway, by force if necessary, at least in Trondelag & N.Norway
- At this stage, Christianity not unknown in Norway - cultural influence of Christianity from contact with Continent and British Isles, then strengthened through Viking activities
Christianity entered phase of establishment in Olaf's reign
- King founded places of continuous Christian cult at strategically selected sites across Norway - king and Church cooperated in their establishment, building Christian churches and cemeteries, witht he king providing land and resources for their building/maintenance
~same time: Christianity spreadng to aristocracy of the hinterlands
- Exceptions in S. Norway and inland region of E. Norway where Olaf had little control
- Central Norway: progress = irregular - some evidence that Norse cult places were abandoned unwillingly and Christian monuments were defaced/pushed over
From mid-10th cent. paganism and Christianity must have peacefully co-existed
- Christian and pagan raves occasionally found together
- Q of political conflict only came up when Christianity was forcibly imposed
Christianity = missionary religion
- Once established, able to pursue conversion more strongly - thought to be reason for increased resistance to Christianity in 2nd half of 10th cent.
- Hakon refuses conversion, and praised in skaldic verse for repairing destroyed cult sites

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Olaf undoubtedly sincere Christian
Also used conversion for political advantage
Established churches at Moster, Dragseidet and Trondheim (Trondelag) = strategically located at central locations on Norwegian coast and region of Trondheimfjord, for maximum royal control of these areas and travel routes
Missionary church led primarily by the king
- Built first churches; missionary bishops = members of king's retinue, etc.
Missionary kings (incl. Hakon the Good, Olaf Tryggvason and Olaf Haroldsson) converted abroad and saw there a cooperation between kingdom and Church that they naturally might wish to transfer to Norwegian conditions
- Introduction of new relgion serve to break down the old pagan social organisation where it resisted the king - e.g. in Trondelag and Oppland
- Here combination of Christianisation and territorial unification led to the confiscation of the estates of pagan magnates' estates and the wider transfer of a good deal of these properties to the Church

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Iceland sources (Islendingabok, Kristni saga, etc.): Olaf Tryggvason sent first missionary to Iceland
- = Thangbrand and was from Saxony, N. Germany but in Olaf's court in Norway
- Presumably sent by archbishop of Hamberg-Bremen - Olaf kept English bishops and sent Thangbrand to Iceland
- There for 1 or 2 years; some success in converting people; also violent and easily offended (said to have killed 2 or 3 men while there)
- Returned to Norway claiming Iceland could never be converted, Olaf almost executes any Icelander in Norway before Icelanders persuade him to let them try to convert their country - eventually succeed
Olaf probably using conversion of Iceland for politicala advantage
- In Middle Ages, accepted that a country that had to be convered by force lost its claim to political sovereignty
  - Hence Harald Bluetooth and Jelling stone - he made the Danes Christian
- => Icelanders careful to say it was the Icelanders who decided to accept Christianity, a decision made at the Althing in 999/1000

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Sources are few: ASC and skaldic verses
Everything is a result of his successor being declared a saint, 30yrs after Olaf died
- Saint considered special protector of Norway
- Icelanders atrtacked to idea of having their own siant, but clearly promoting Norway's patron saint would send the wrong political message
- Instead the Icelanders turned to Olaf Tryggvason, the missionary king who started the effort to christianise Iceland
  - Even though he didn't perform any miracles, he must have had a special relationship with God and it would be easy enough to fit him into a Christian view of history by means of typology

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