|
Olaf The Brash
Olof was a king who, according to a late source, ruled in Denmark in about 900 after usurping power. Evidence for his historicity is only circumstantial, since he belongs to a period of Danish history when very little is known from textual sources. Arrival from Sweden Our only source for the reign of Olof is the ecclesiastic chronicle of Adam of Bremen (c. 1075). Adam's information is allegedly drawn from an interview with the Danish king Sweyn Estridson (1047-1076) who "enumerated his forefathers". Towards the end of the 9th century Danish Viking armies suffered a series of major defeats in the Frankish kingdoms and in England. This resulted in a serious loss of manpower. Frankish chronicles are silent about political conditions in Denmark in this period and up to the 930s, which contrasts with the rather regular information in the period 777-873. This possibly implies that no strong royal power existed during these decades. After the death of the Viking rulers Sigfred and Gudf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helge (Danish King)
Helge was a Danish king who ruled at the end of the 9th century. There is no contemporary evidence for his existence, since he is only mentioned in a source from the 11th century. Adam of Bremen's account Danish Viking armies in the Frankish kingdoms suffered a series of defeats in the late 9th century, culminating with the Battle of Leuven (891). In the last-mentioned confrontation the Vikings, according to the ''Annales Fuldenses'' were killed or drowned in the hundreds or thousands, and the Danish kings Sigfred and Gudfred were among the slain. It has been guessed that Sigfred is identical with a king in the Danish homeland mentioned in 873. According to the ecclesiastic chronicle of Adam of Bremen (c. 1075), a certain king Helge ruled in Denmark after the defeat of the Norsemen. He was beloved by his people on account of his sense of justice and sanctity. Helge's reign ended abruptly when a conqueror called Olof came down from the land of the Swedes. Olof subdued the Danish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |