2. Genealogy
  3. Harald I `Fairhair` Hårfagre Halvdansson King Of Norway, 1st King Of Unified Norway

Harald I `Fairhair` Hårfagre Halvdansson King Of Norway, 1st King Of Unified Norway

Claim Value Date Age Reliability
ID I11198      
User ID Reference D818B6506FDC426DB3103E49DC57F4B213F5      
User ID Reference L7BN-Q3P      
Gender Male Gender    
Name Harald I "Fairhair" Hårfagre Halvdansson King Of Norway, 1st King Of Unified Norway    
Occupation 1st King of Norway
unsupported
Title King, Norway (870–933)
unsupported
  • The first king of Norway (885-933), he was the son of the petty king Halfdan the Black. After the death of Halfdan, civil war erupted, from which Harald 'Finehair' emerged as the first king of a united Norway. He initiated a series of battles against the other petty kings, climaxed by a great victory at Hafrs Fjord in 872 which made him ruler of Norway. After being defeated, many of the Viking rulers fled to Iceland. This conquest was also the impelling force in driving forth the Vikings to conquer Normandy under Rollo. Harold conquered the Shetland and the Orkney Islands. On his death his lands were divided among his sons, Eric Blood-axe being made overlord. --- King of Vestfold - Gathered Norway into one kingdom in 872. His nickname - Haarfagre (Fair-Hair) was given him because he swore he would not cut his hair until he gathered Norway into one kingdom, which he accomplished in 872. He had several wives and concubines. Grandson of Asa of the ship burial and Gudrod Hunterking, King of Vestfold. Norway was the first of the three Scandanavian countries to be united in 872, Denmark under Sven Forkbeard in 985 and Sweden under Olaf Skutkonung in 993. Notes: Mary Woodland, Feb. '95. From Columbia Encyclopedia (1969) Vol. 9, p 2783 - Harald I or Harald Fairhair, ca 850 - ca 933, first King of Norway, son of the petty king Halfdan the Black (does this mean he had black hair? OR a black heart!). Harald initiated a series of battles against the other petty kings, climaxed by a great victory at Hafrs Fjord in 872, which made him ruler of Norway. Migration to Iceland reached its peak during Harald's reign, as did the raids by Norsemen on Europe's coasts. The king maintained friendly relations (like being friendly with a smiling tiger) with Althestan, Saxon king of the English. The Viking civilization of 9th century Norway flourished at his court. On his death, his lands were divided among his sons; Eric Bloodaxe was made overlord, but Harald's other son Haakon I seized power. --- Harald I, byname HARALD FAIRHAIR, or FINEHAIR, Norwegian HARALD HÓRFAGER, Old Norse HARALD H RFAGRI (b. c. 860--d. c. 940), the first king to claim sovereignty over all Norway. One of the greatest of the 9th-century Scandinavian warrior chiefs, he gained effective control of Norway's western coastal districts but probably had only nominal authority in the other parts of Norway. The son of Halvdan the Black, ruler of part of southeastern Norway and a scion of the Yngling dynasty, the ancient royal house of Sweden, Harald succeeded his father at the age of 10. His first conquest came with the suppression of a revolt in the Uplands region. A pact with Haakon, earl of Lade, enabled him to pursue conquest of the western districts, culminating in the battle of Hafrsfjord, dated 872 by medieval historians but placed 10 to 20 years later by modern historians. Harald's conquests and taxation system led many chiefs and their followers to emigrate to the British Isles, adjacent lands, and perhaps to Iceland, which first became known to Scandinavians during the era of Harald's rule. He acquired wealth through his control of coastal trade but ruled indirectly through lesser chieftains in areas other than his own tightly controlled home district, in the southwest. His major governmental contribution lay in the development of provincial administrations (lagtings). The most reliable information on Harald's life is contained in contemporary poems written down in Iceland in the 13th century. His career is also described in 12th- and 13th-century Icelandic and Norwegian historical works of questionable reliability, the fullest account being written by the Icelander Snorri Sturluson (d. 1241) in the Heimskringla. Harald I Haarfager or Fairhair (more precisely Fine-hair) (9th to 10th century), the first king of all Norway was the son of Halvdan the Black, ruler of part of southeastern Norway, and was said to descend from the Ynglingar, the ancient royal house of Sweden. Harald succeeded his father at the age of ten and in early youth, it is said, was inspired to conquer Norway by a woman, Gyda, who refused to be his wife until he could rank with the kings of Sweden and Denmark. Harald suppressed the petty kingdoms one after another, finally defeating his assembled opponents in Hafrsfjord, in southwestern Norway. The dates of Harald's career are not known precisely. Medieval historians differ in their calculations but in general date the battle of Hafrsfjord c. 872 and the death of Harald c. 933. Modern historians, however, place these events 10 to 15 years later. His conquests had far-reaching results. Some of the petty princes submitted to his authority and became his officers, but others fled to the British Isles and other lands. Iceland first became known to the Scandinavians at this period, and its settlement was said to be a direct result of Harald's oppression in Norway. Sources for the story of Harald's life are of many kinds. The most reliable are contemporary poems, preserved orally until they were written down in Iceland in the 13th century, but the information that they give is poor. Harald's career is also described in detail in historical works written in Iceland, and partly in Norway, in the 12th and 13th centuries, but their veracity is questionable. The fullest account of Harald was written by the Icelander Snorri Sturluson (d. 1241) in the Heimskringla. Differences between Icelandic and Norwegian traditions about Harald sometimes come to light in the medieval histories. For Icelanders, Harald was a harsh tyrant, but for the Norwegians he was, rather, the king who brought peace and stable government. Encyclopedia Britannica 1971. Vol. 11, p. 77.
Number Same As Name Reliability Path

6 Total Ancestors
Generation 1
[1.01  2]   Harald I `Fairhair` Hårfagre Halvdansson King Of Norway, 1st King Of Unified Norway (845-933)
Generation 2
[1.02  3]   Halfdan, III, son of Gudreyd (~818-863)
unsupported
[2.01  4]   Queen Ragnhild `the Wise` Sigurdsdotter (835-855)
unsupported
Generation 3
[1.03*  ]   Gudreyd, son of Halfdan (771-824)
unsupported
[2.02*  ]   Sigurd Helgesson Hjort (791-850)
unsupported
[3.01*  ]   Alfhild (774-)
unsupported
[4.01*  ]   Ingibjorg Thyrne Haraldsdatter (814-860)
unsupported
Toggle Markers

Last Modified:

Are we related? Are you a long lost cousin? Spotted an error here? This website remains a work-in-progress and I would love to hear from you. Drop me a line at minchinweb [at] gmail [dot] com.