Life after Harald
Despite a succession of other Norwegian and Scandinavian kings following Hardrada's death, none of them truly had Viking in the blood, and the Viking Age ended as abruptly as it begun 300 years previously. Far from the war-loving, plundering and raiding mentality that won the Vikings almost all of northern Europe, these successors had neither the will nor the military might to maintain the Viking Age and their way of life, with Scandinavian influence subsiding, and gradually becoming subsumed into wider European culture over the following decades.
For example, Hardrada's successor was Magnus Haraldsson, who was left King regent upon Harald's departure for England. However, after only reigning for three peaceful and uneventful years, he died of ringworm, leaving his brother Olaf III to take the crown, who proceeded to rule Norway until his death in 1093. However, while his rule was long, it was not Viking, with the king renouncing any offensive foreign policies and diverting funds to the defence of Norwegian borders. This pattern of defensive and peaceful ruler continued, with the only combat experienced being that of the civil wars of the 12th and 13th centuries.
The domination of Viking culture had come crashing down with Hardrada's defeat at Stamford Bridge, and Europe was now entering a more peaceful and civilised age. For Hardrada, in his last glorious stand, had being fighting on the razor's edge of a more savage time; one that saw the lands, language and laws of Europe changed forever. The last true Viking king was dead, and with him, the Viking Age.
'Before he passed on to the afterlife to meet his hallowed ancestors, he needed to succumb again to the call of his blood"
Hardrada set off immediatefy to Norway and, after arriving in 1046 and negotiating with Magnus directly, struck a deal that he would joint-rule the country in exchange for half of his immense wealth. For the next two years, both Magnus and Harald ruled Norway, holding separate courts and rarely meeting. Hardrada now had everything he could want, owning much land, ruling his country and being fabulously wealthy too. However, after two years of supposedly living an ideal life, the Viking blood within Hardrada's veins called once more, leading him into a campaign of revenge against Denmark for the death of his brother and the pillaging of his ancestral lands. As such, in 1048 Hardrada plundered Jutland, pillaged and burned Hedeby - the most important Danish trade centre in the entire country - and launched a colossal naval assault on the Danish royal pretender Sweyn Estridsson. This battle was the infamous Battle of Nisa, and saw Hardrada lead 300 ships against Sweyn in a conflict that left many ships on both sides 'empty'.
Despite defeating Sweyn at Nisa and successfully launching multiple Viking raids on Denmark over the next six years, Hardrada never did take the Danish throne, and due to lack of finance was forced to begrudgingly declare peace with him in 1064. Now recognising that he would never reclaim the Danish throne as his own, Hardrada shifted his attentions towards another rich and historic land: England. England had been controlled by Cnut the Great's son Harthacnut until 1042, when he died childless. As such, Edward the Confessor had crowned himself king in his absence and proceeded to rule the island nation for over 20 years. When Hardrada heard in early 1066 that Edward had died on 5 January, he immediately decided to launch one more glorious Viking conquest. Now 50, Hardrada must have known that his time on Earth was coming to an end and, before he passed on to the afterlife to meet his hallowed ancestors, he needed to succumb once again to the call of his blood.
For the native English who witnessed the approach of 300 longships and 15,000 men on 8 September 1066 in north-east England, it must have felt like observing the coming of the apocalypse. The force was one of the greatest Vildng armies ever to be assembled, and if unopposed would bring the nation to its knees. Stepping forth on English soil, Hardrada could taste the coming war, and after just 12 days he was not to be disappointed, with a 5,000-strong subsidiary English force crushed at the Battle of Fulford - see the 'Three ruthless victories' boxout for more information. Striding through the English dead, finally back in his element after years of inactivity and luxury, little did Hardrada know that this was to be his last victory. Just five days later, his army was surprised by the fierce force of the now English king Harold Godwinson, who marched over 180 miles in four days to meet with the Viking warlord at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. It was a battle that would end Hardrada - for a step-by-step account of the battle, please see the 'Hardrada's last hurrah' boxout - and, as history shows, have a profound effect on the course of England and Europe going forward.
Mere weeks after defeating Hardrada at Stamford Bridge, Godwinson himself would too be defeated by the Norman prince William, in large part due to troop exhaustion from the combat and enforced marching to and from York. As such, William became William the Conqueror, and instigated a centuries-long period of Norman rule over England, radically transforming its economy, language, architecture, law and education. Indeed, by the time the Norman presence in England had dissipated, the medieval age had long since transformed into the Renaissance, and its new, intoxicating culture, religion and science had swept away much of Europe's once-strong Viking presence.
When Harald Hardrada fell on the battlefield in England, it was more than just the flame of one great life being extinguished; it would prove to be the death of the last Viking warrior king.
Hardrada's
Lineage
Great great grandfather
Harald Fairhair
850 - 932 CE
Noted by many historians to be the first king of Norway, Fairhair became a legendary figure during the Viking Age, with his deeds relayed in numerous epic sagas. He supposedly won many battles against Norwegian opponents on his way to becoming the country's ruler, and famously had anywhere between 11 to 20 sons.
Great grandfather/ grandfather
Halfdan Sigurdsson of Hadafylke 935 - 995 CE
Little is known about Hardrada's grandfather, other than that he was supposedly Halfdan Sigurdsson, the alleged son of King Sigurd Hrise of Norway, Hardrada's great grandfather. Both Hrise's and Halfdan's lineage is unconfirmed, with only information as passed down from Icelandic sagas mentioning their link to Harald.
Father - Sigurd Syr 970 CE - 1018
According to Icelandic sagas, Syr was a prudent and modest man who was known for his hands-on approach to the management of his lands and properties. Records also indicate that he was a wealthy man, and that in 998 CE, chose to be baptised with his wife into the Christian faith.
Nephew - Magnus Olafsson 1024 - 1047
At times both king of Norway and king of Denmark, Hardrada's nephew Magnus garnered the nickname 'Magnus the Good'. He was crowned king of Norway at 11 and king of Denmark at 18, ruling both lands until his mysterious death aged 23. Upon his death the kingdoms were split, with Hardrada taking the Norwegian crown, and Sweyn Estridsson the Danish Crown.
-1109 - 1185-
King Afonso I
The legendary first King of Portugal, Afonso I spent his tenure on Earth fighting a brutal series of wars to ensure his kingdom's independence
King Afonso I of Portugal was known by many different names during his lifetime, including Afonso Henriques, Prince Afonso of Portugal and Afonso the Conqueror, however it was as King Afonso I of Portugal that he cemented his place in history, with his bloody deeds in battle founding an entire nation. Today, Portugal is a thriving country, sharing a landmass with its neighbour Spain, however, in the 12th Century, this land was segregated along very different lines, with the Kingdom of Leon and Kingdom of Galicia, among others, each fighting among themselves and with the Moorish peoples of the Iberian Peninsula for control of the region.
It was into this hectic mix that Afonso Henriques was born, the son of Henry, Count of Portugal, and Theresa of Leon. Both his parents reigned jointly as Count and Countess of Portugal, with the pair paying allegiance to King Alfonso VI of Leon. However, upon Henry's death, Theresa reigned alone and soon remarried a powerful but disliked Galician count, who proceeded to exile his enemies from the kingdom. The Portuguese nobility, angered by the allegiance with Galicia and the banishment of their own, threw their support behind Afonso and as soon as he turned 14 he made himself a knight on his own account, elevating himself in the Cathedral of Zamora.
Now a knight and with the support of the majority of the Portuguese nobility, Afonso found no difficulty in raising an army, and moved against his mother and the Galician count's troops, defeating them near Guimaraes in the Battle of Sao Mamede. With a decisive victory his, he then
A statue of Afonso I that stands today in Guimaraes, Portugal
46 years of Moor war
Why did Afonso I spend 46 years of his life in bloody battle with the Moorish peoples of the Iberian Peninsula?
While today Afonso I is mainly remembered for his foundation of Portugal as an independent country, separating itself through battle from the Kingdom of Leon in 1139 CE, he in fact spent far more of his life fighting against the Moors of the Iberian Peninsula than his enemies closer to home. This was largely due to Afonso inheriting the centuries-old Christian church-led 'Reconquista', a holy mission to reclaim territories that had once belonged to them from a series of now predominantly Muslim states. The importance of Afonso using his power as King of Portugal against the Moors was ensured by the support of the pope in Rome, who not only recognised his new country's independence, but claimed that he was free under the eyes of the Christian God to take as much Moorish territory as he liked, while also being free to pillage and loot to enhance his kingdom's wealth.
Afonso took this to heart during his reign, frequently ordering or encouraging his troops or allies - such as the Knights Templar, who Afonso welcomed to Portugal with open arms - to fight the Moors wherever possible. As a consequence, Afonso I oversaw more than ten wars between Portugal and the Moors during his reign, including one of the largest and most famous sieges in history, with the Siege of Lisbon seeing much of the Christian world's troops descending on the city to place it in Catholic hands. Interestingly, however, despite Afonso's many conquests, the Reconquista would not come to an end in his lifetime or even that of his son or grandsons, with the religious warfare continuing on and off right up until the close of the 15th Century, over 300 years later.
Timeline proceeded to banish his mother for her crimes to a monastery in Galicia, where she lived out the remainder of her days in disgrace. Afonso, who was now Duke of Portugal and sole ruler, then proceeded to fight off his mother's nephew, Alfonso VII of Leon, thereby freeing the Kingdom of Portugal from dependence on the dominant Kingdom of Leon. On 6 April 1129, Afonso took the next step in his epic journey, declaring himself Prince of Portugal.
His mother and the rival Kingdom of Leon dealt with, Afonso then proceeded to turn his troops onto the Moorish peoples who inhabited
His kingdom's southern territories.
The Islamic Moors had travelled across from Africa over the preceding centuries, sometimes taking terrain on the Iberian Peninsula by force, other times merely by expanding trade routes. Either way, with the rise and spread of Catholicism throughout Medieval Europe, the Moorish presence was considered heretical and something that needed to be eradicated. As such, as Afonso rose to power he found himself indoctrinated into the Reconquista, an established movement by Christian countries to conquer all Islamic peoples throughout Europe.
As such, over the next decade from 1129 to 1139, Afonso led a series of successful campaigns against the Moorish people of the region, culminating on 25 July 1139 with a crushing victory at the Battle of Ourique over the long-established Almoravid Moors of Ali ibn Yusuf.
This victory was so complete that Afonso was immediately proclaimed King of the Portuguese, an act that elevated him to a rank equal to the rulers of the other realms of the Peninsula. Afonso's coronation was held the next day, officially making him King Afonso I of Portugal and the newly-established country's first monarch.
While Afonso's position and country were now established in terms of politics and arms, it was still largely unrecognised by the highest Christian authority in the world, the Catholic church and Pope in Rome. Afonso therefore immediately moved to rectify this, wedding Maud of Savoy - daughter of Amadeus III of the long-established and respected Christian House of Savoy - and sending an envoy of ambassadors to Rome to negotiate becoming a vassal of the papacy, as the kings of Sicily and Aragon had historically done before him.
"With the rise and spread of Catholicism through Medieval Europe, the Moorish presence was considered heretical”
Mother dies
Banished to Galicia, Afonso's mother's health deteriorates and she dies in 1130. In the same year, Afonso invades Galicia and the Knights Hospitaller install themselves in Portugal.
1130
> Born in Guimaraes
Afonso Henriques is born to Henry, Count of Portugal and Theresa of Leon. His parents reign jointly as Count and Countess of Portugal until Henry's death, after which time Theresa reigns alone.
25 June 1109 i Defeats his mother
After Theresa remarries a disliked Galician count, Afonso is backed by the rest of the Portuguese nobility and he defeats her forces at the Battle of Sao Mamede before exiling her permanently to a monastery in Galicia.
1128 Moors conquered
Now proclaimed Prince of Portugal, Afonso continues to conquer by taking Leiria and overthrowing its Moorish inhabitants. King Alfonso VII of Castile and Leon proclaims himself Emperor.
1135 i Independence of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal is declared independent from the Kingdom of Leon after the Battle of Ourique. Prince Afonso Henriques finally becomes Afonso I, King of Portugal, the new country's first monarch.
25 July 1139
World History
