Olaf Haraldsson: King of Norway 1015-1028

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A look at the Norwegian struggle against Danish overlordship during the early Eleventh Century and the reign of one of Norway’s most celebrated kings. Olaf Haraldsson. Later canonised as a Christian Saint.
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[@HistoryTime]

*Watch my latest history documentary here* :- kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWSrommLlquEp80 Hi guys! Thanks for stopping by and welcome to History Time. I'm going to be setting up a voting system for patrons very soon to enable you guys choose and vote on my upcoming topics. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, you can help me out immensely by following the link below! www.patreon.com/historytimeUK/

[@uliseswill8488]

I know I am kind of off topic but does anyone know a good site to stream newly released movies online ?

[@alexdallas7702]

@Ulises Will Flixportal xD

[@uliseswill8488]

@Alex Dallas thank you, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D Appreciate it !!

[@alexdallas7702]

@Ulises Will no problem :D

[@hasselnttper3730]

A literal Saint! ✝☦

[@AlAndalusiIbnRagnar]

Great video, Olaf Haraldsson was my 32nd great grandfather. Learning details about him

[@kamikazefilmproductions]

Wait really?

[@AlAndalusiIbnRagnar]

@@kamikazefilmproductions Yeh, they mixed into spanish royalty so that’s how i got it. My bloodline is legendary

[@bokonoo77]

@@AlAndalusiIbnRagnar I am afraid that being from the union of aristocrat and commoner is not a great thing

[@elemperadordemexico]

​@@AlAndalusiIbnRagnar im calling bull

[@user-jf8oz2vh8d]

Olav was and is a legend

[@TheSentryRob]

@Rubber Duck exactly. The real hero was Guthbrand of the Dales

[@tomurg]

Probably my favorite Norse King after Harald Hardrada. It’s quite something to fight your first battle when you’re 12.

[@caseyjoyce8950]

glad to see your channel growing

[@MrEpic325]

So happy you're covering Norwegian history like this! excellent work as always

[@TheSamuraijim87]

The Rex Aeternum! A hero to many, a villain to some, and founder of a powerful dynasty. Good to see he made it in. Great video as always. I really hope you will continue to tell the story, and include Magnus Barefoot - the last Viking monarch- and Gudrod Crovan, King of Mann and the Isles

[@HistoryTime]

For sure mate, I'd like to eventually cover every prominent figure from the Eleventh Century.

[@TheSamuraijim87]

Didn't do Latin or Norse at uni. Alas.

[@craigyost1240]

This is great. Only recently found this channel and I absolutely love it. Would also love to read the books your sourcing. Any chance you could list them? I'm surely not the only loser that would really enjoy reading the books from which these amazing video come. Thank you for the great content!

[@chrismears2590]

Excellent work as always.

[@HistoryTime]

Thank you mate!

[@peggybrem2848]

Fantastic artwork! The images of the longships & the shields & all the men are wonderful! Love the sagas.

[@beerthug]

I love your channel! Thank you.

[@humo89]

One of the best channels on YT. Always a pleasure. You need to jump on the idea of making a podcast!

[@HistoryTime]

Thank you mate ! A podcast is on the way at some point !

[@brianwarriner8826]

Thank you for this video of my ancestor. I enjoyed it

[@nathanscarlett4772]

I've been re-watching a lot of your videos. Great stuff! Can you make a video on the Holy Roman Empire? Keep it up!

[@robertpederesn7829]

I can safely say that Olaf was not from Stiklestadir (wich again was not a hearth-land but a small area in Verdal with farms, only known for the battle). Olaf was the son of the petty king of Viken, Harald Grenske and of Åsta who was Harald Hardråde mother also. And you seem to miss Olaf key points on why the Norwegians abandon Olaf. A chiefdan in Rogaland Erling Skjalgsson challenged the autorithy of the king and was conected in a wast network of marriages with other chiefdans (most notable Tore Hund who later slaid the king) wich made him untouchable. And because Norway was still pagan Olaf came in conflict with the many chiefdans who held this faith and went on a more violent christianization on Norway than his predesessors. Because of these two factors (Erling and Faith) many of the chiefdans abandon Olaf when Knut offered rewards. Olaf was still able to hold his ground untill he captured Erling Skjalgsson and one of his men Aslak Fjitarskalle (Erlings rival cousin) killed him when he misinterpreted (mark the traitor). This was a huge mistake and everywere a hunt began after the king. Olaf was able to escape (unlike Aslak).

[@HistoryTime]

Robert Pederesn Ah you are very right there. I think somewhere in my unorganised piles of notes and sleepless nights Ringerike became Stiklestad. I'll look into making an annotation to correct this error.

[@norseross8084]

It happened in the backyeard of Nidaros which was a pretty powerful stronghold -- and heartland -- of the earls of Lade. As a Northern Norwegian I'll always look upon olav digre (meaning the fat one, his nickname when he was alive) as a tyrrant who was more interested in the subjugation of nothern norway, centralization and taking resources (seal blubber, whale blubber, walrus ivory, pelts, rights to trade with the Sami etc.) than the salvation of my ancestors souls xD ... This is not too disimilar to how Scots view the takeover of their lands by the English. Still to this day, my hometown has two streets named after Tore Hund and Hårek fra Tjøtta, but no street named after Olav. I really love the antichristian connotation of naming two streets after northern norwegian pagan chiefs and warriors who killed st. olav instead of having an "olavs gate". In that way, my hometown is totally metal

[@jannikgotpanick1469]

@@norseross8084 They killed him for upsetting the nobility because he treated the peasantry fairer at their cost and because he challenged the Danish control of the country, most people were already christian by that point

[@osgubben]

Modern historians in Norway say he most likely was not a descendant of Harald Fairhair. It was a necessary propaganda to get legitimacy as new King, but nothing proves it was correct, quite thr opposite.

[@robertpederesn7829]

​@@osgubben Depending on the historian you ask you might get different critisism, but there is indeed more lenient towards skeptism towards his ancestral conection to Harald Fairhair. Issue lies with that the writers in the 12th century may have got facts wrong, switch details or falsely proclaimed facts, it does again not disprove Olafs ancestral conection to Fairhair, rather makes it indeed uncertain.

[@JoseGarcia-nj6un]

Awesome video! Where did you get that picture you use at the end of the video? The one with the four northmen in the longship?

[@tordenbob]

Olav Haraldson was not FROM Stiklestad, but he was, according to various sources, killed there in ca1030-1031. The sagas say that he was brought up in Ringerike, which is the same place today as it was then, just a couple of hours north/northwest of Oslo :)

[@maxwalker1159]

Awesome!

[@nathanscarlett4772]

Your videos are awesome! Keep them coming please. Also more Scottish history when you have time.

[@HistoryTime]

Thanks bud. Tons more Scottish history on the way.

[@kaoyirengoku4023]

Fantastic , always I wanted to know about this king and his kingdom. I´m from Spain and in my university only speak about France , England or Germany, so few of Nordic Story.

[@jolieber]

Olav Haraldsson was also called Olav "Digre" which translates into thick/big. It is known that he preferred the nickname to refer to the latter, but the Danish is known to have called him Olav the fat.

[@kais.1684]

Saint Olaf, pray for us and for your people, that we return to God and that He will deliver us from the invasion of aliens!

[@joecombs7468]

Amen

[@felipeacostamunoz1249]

disgusting..you dishonor the gods and the Allfather Odin with your filth. Away with you...

[@elemperadordemexico]

And protestants

[@PabloTheGreat1]

What happened to his battle axe?

[@humo89]

Would love if you did some videos on Tariq Ibn Ziyad, Muhammad Ibn Qasim Conquerer of Sind, Mahmoud of Ghazni, and Berke Khan of the Golden Horde!

[@HistoryTime]

Great suggestions mate. Will look into covering all of these figures.

[@tazeroiu3286]

King Knutr video!!!

[@trolldrool]

To be fair, everyone who vied for rulership of Norway claimed to be a direct descendant of Harald Fairhair. Olaf's claim may very well have been true, it's impossible to confirm or refute at this point, but it was a fairly standard political move. Fairhair was also known to impregnate at least one or more women on every farm or village he visited when traveling across the land that would become his kingdom. To this very day it's a common joke in Norway that we're all descended from Harald Fairhair.

[@evolvh3159]

I've been doing my ancestry stuff recently and I've found I am directly liked to olaf ii.

[@nickvandenberg5894]

Let the history hype begin again :D !

[@Bullski123]

Nice video,i live near Stiklestad where he fell.Too bad its nothing found to prove it was a battle there,its just written in the sagas

[@basilofgoodwishes4138]

Hypatia next?

[@HistoryTime]

At some point for sure!

[@basilofgoodwishes4138]

History Time Thanks, I would also like to see a video on the Indus valley culture as it's completely new as a topic compared to Egypt.

[@tordenbob]

And the battle of Helgeå was in the southern parts of Sweden, not in Norway :) Most likely somewhere in Skåne

[@tordenbob]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Helge%C3%A5

[@VRCM_Skywarn_XUSA]

I'm supposedly descendant from these folks. And oldest living male heir... Ollie.....(Oleifer/Oliver)....sent me. We ended up stranded in Arcadia...along the Mississippi River. Now known as Missouri/Louisiana. U.S. A Spanish/French Indian Region in the United States area. Our name changed to Christianized Latin... Oliver/Olivero.... The other part of the family became Olsen

[@RedEyeGoose]

Olaf II is actually my ancestor

[@76footballlover]

What about the character Ragnar Lothbrok from the Vikings tv show, any of that is historical facts?

[@HistoryTime]

His story seems to have some basis in reality. (Around 150 years before Olaf Haraldsson) Video on him coming soon.

[@Scarfaceman77]

Just remember that Loðbrók is not his family name, just a nickname.

[@HistoryTime]

Family names didn't really exist at all in Europe until several hundreds of years after Ragnar's time.

[@Scarfaceman77]

Yeah, but you know what I mean. For example, you wouldn't say "The sons of Loðbrók" You would just say sons of Ragnar.

[@sammya7745]

Rollo's family originated from Kvenland, central Finland. They were much taller than average norrmen so their bloodline was well respected. It is said Rollo did not ride the viking ponys because of his long legs dragged the ground.

[@theblackprince1346]

History Time are we going to get a face reveal Q&A video?

[@humo89]

The Black Prince I enjoy the mystery

[@HistoryTime]

Maybe one day..

[@rasmussvensson8953]

Olaf 2 was not an heir of Finehair, his older brother and him tried by force to play missionaries and got crushed by his own countrymen, Sweden, Denmark and ofc the order Jomsviking . Making the boy who were to scared to draw a bow while pinking at his enemies claiming they were but animals. He lost his hope when Norway joined aswell as, according to this Saint, Norwegians were humans. Its just weird to hear this version of a failed bloodthirsty warlord turned saint....

[@Vitalis94]

Why did you label most of southern's Baltic coast as Wendland? Prussians were Baltic. It would be correct if you moved "Wendland" where you placed the Slavs, and moved "Baltic peoples" a bit south, so it would include Prussians. I know, it's only a minor detail, sorry for nitpicking. EDIT: I just realized that the map you used could be made by somebody else. Either way, my point stands.

[@Nozylatten]

LOL prussians?

[@Vitalis94]

Pœnitet Yeah, Prussians.

[@Nik-xi2ri]

These documentaries are sexy

[@DerekP777]

Woke Leftist produced series Vikings Valhalla portrayed him a as Vilian but in real life he was a Hero a Great Warrior-Olaf Haraldsson The defender Of Faith......💯🔥

[@svent1000]

The twisting of the names, is a little annoying. Knut, Svein, olav haarfagre, should be able to prenounced by english people?

[@MacSmithVideo]

a lot of these are repetitive. when do you get past the danes?

[@TheOneCalledSloth]

Ólaf The Fat

[@perhage338]

CT Crap Time