History of Europe

Magnus the Good:the Norwegian who was King of Denmark (1042-47)

The history of the medieval Nordic kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden and Norway is closely linked. On several occasions the kings of Denmark were also kings of Sweden and, above all, of Norway. However, the case of Magnus the Good is a unique assumption, since he was the only Norwegian to occupy the throne of Denmark as king.

Born in 1024, Magnus was the natural son of King Olav II of Norway the Saint and his mistress Alvhild. In 1028 his father was forced to flee Norway and take refuge with the Viking groups that had settled in Russia, and Magnus was raised by the king of Novgorod. In 1034, Norwegian nobles who opposed King Svend's rule called for Magnus to return to the country to lead a rebellion and take the throne.

Everything seemed to turn in their favor when soon after King Svend died and ascended the throne, but then the crown of Norway was claimed by Svend's half-brother, who was neither more nor less than King Hardknut of Denmark and claimant to the throne of England and son of Knut the Great . The regulars of the blog will remember that we talked about him in the entry that we dedicated to his mother, Emma of Normandy.

The situation seemed to lead to an inevitable war between Norway and Denmark over whether Magnus would retain the throne of his country or if Hardknut would add Norway to his holdings. The sources do not agree if what happened later was the result of a meeting between Magnus and Hardknut (as represented in the image that heads this entry) or if it was the result of an agreement between the Danish and Norwegian nobles who wanted all cost to avoid a bloody conflict between the two countries. The point is that the war was avoided by a compromise according to which each king would rule in his own country (Hardknut in Denmark and Magnus in Norway) and that when the first of the two monarchs died, the other would inherit the throne of his kingdom and he would become ruler of both Denmark and Norway.

As fate would have it, Hardknut died first in 1042 and Magnus was recognized as King of Denmark. His reign was anything but peaceful, both in his native Norway and on Danish soil.

In Denmark he had to face a severe war with a Slavic ethnic group known as Wends, who had settled in southern Jutland. In fact, it is speculated that the real reason Magnus was accepted by the Danes as king was to enlist the support of Norway in the campaign against the Wends. Magnus led a combined Danish and Norwegian army that defeated the Slavs at the Battle of Lyrskow (in what is now the German territory of Schleswig). It is said that at least fifteen thousand Wends died in the battle. Despite this victory, for the rest of his reign Magnus had to deal with various rebellions by Danish nobles, especially those led by Hardknut's cousin Svend Estridsen. He had tried unsuccessfully to claim the throne of England and when he failed he went to Denmark, where Magnus, against the advice of his advisers, made him Earl of Jutland.

He also did not have a peaceful reign in Norway, where much of the east of the country rose against him. He led the rebels by his father's brother, Harald Hardradda. Harald was the most famous warrior of his day and had earned his reputation fighting across the known world, from Scandinavia to Constantinople, Russia and France. him (he would die trying to conquer the crown of England at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066).

In 1047, Harald and Magnus agreed to end their differences and launch a joint campaign to put an end to Svend Estridsen's rebellions in Denmark and to bring the unruly Danes under Norwegian rule . However, on October 25, 1047, when he was only 23 years old, Magnus the Great passed away According to some sources he fell from a horse and according to others he drowned trying to get on a boat and fall into the sea.

Be that as it may, on his death the Danish throne passed into the hands of his enemy Svend Estridsen and that of Norway was inherited by his uncle Harald Hardradda . The destinies of both countries were separated, but it would not be the last time they would come together, especially under the influence of Margaret I of Denmark and the Kalmar Union… but that's another story.

Fonts| Henning Dehn-Nielsen:Kings and Queens of Denmark.

Palle Lauring:A history of Denmark.

Image| Wikipedia