The United Islands of the AtlanticBoard

Harald II

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King of Norway

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Reign	13 March 1051 - 30 May 1096
Regnal Name	Harald III
Predecessor	Sanctus Magnus
Successor	Harald IV

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King of Denmark

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Reign	13 March 1051 - 30 May 1096
Regnal Name	Harald III
Predecessor	Sanctus Magnus (de jure) Hákon (de facto)
Successor	Harald IV

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King of England

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Reign	13 March 1051 - 30 May 1096
Regnal Name	Harold II
Predecessor	Sanctus Magnus (de jure) Edward II (de facto)
Successor	Harold III

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Born	18 July 1033 Uppsala, Sweden
Died	30 May 1096 (aged about 63 years) London, England
Spouse	Edith of Scotland
House	Yngling
Issue	Salbjorg Harald Hakon Rannveig Amalrike Gytha Hrodbjartr
Father	Sanctus Magnus
Mother	Gunhildr of Kænugarðr

As the only son of Magnus the Good, Harald was one of his chief commanders in the Invasion of England, and served as his Marshal. When Magnus passed away, Harald was proclaimed king in Norway but his kingship was contested in Denmark by his brother-in-law Hákon Bjornharðursson, and in England by Edward II who Magnus had previously overthrown in his invasion, leading to a brief civil war that would be concluded by 1052 with the detainment and execution of Edward and the exile of Hákon. Disgruntled English noblemen would refuse to see him as their liege and took up arms, leading to another insurrection that would not be quelled until the Christmas of 1053. For the next few years, Harald spent much of his time rebuilding Denmark and England and reorganizing the latter's nobility and legal system. After 1058, he began a period of expansion, campaigning around the Irish Sea until he had subjugated the Lordship of the Isles, which held territory in Ireland and the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Following his success in the Irish Sea, Harald led campaigns into Scotland, claiming Hadrian's Wall as the rightful border between the countries and aiming to seize Northumbria, but after two unsuccessful invasions and a number of skirmishes, he initiated peace talks and concluded peace with the Scots in 1063 by agreeing to marry Edith, daughter of the Scottish king Malcolm III who bared his neck and agreed to pay tribute.

After his victory against Malcolm III, Harald would regularly be referred to as Emperor of the North Sea, though he, a faithful Aeneist believing in the sanctity of the Imperial Title, never claimed such a title. Following his conquests in the British Isles, Harald would spend most of his time improving and repairing infrastructure, raising buildings and churches across Norway, Denmark and England. Most notable was the establishment of the Shiremoots, the compilation of the Book of Roskilde, and the establishment of a Royal Road in England that connected Monkchester to London. When the First Crusade was called for by Pontifex Hadrianus IV on November 1095, Harald pledged his support, but was murdered while overseeing the construction of his fleet only a few months before the Crusade began. Though he was marked as a beloved ruler in Norway and a distant king in Denmark, Harald's reign in England was marked by the construction of castles, settling a new Norwegian nobility on the land, and change in the composition of the English clergy. Harald did not integrate his domains into one empire but continued to administer each part separately, but on his deathbed he named his son Harald as his sole successor in all his domains.

Yngling

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Norwegian

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Attributes

10	23	10	11	8
		18

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Traits

Harald was born to Magnús Óláfrsson and Gunhildr Jarisleifsdóttir, daughter of the Jarisleif the Lame, Grand Prince of the Rus. Harald, born in Uppsala, was taught Norse by his parents, educated to read and write in English, Greek and High German by Einar Thambarskelfir, Magnus' de facto regent and Court Tutor. As he grew older, he showed more adeptness at war than in running a realm, so he was made an apprentice of Yngvarr of Rygjafylki, one of Magnus's closest friends and champions, while he was also taught to speak in Latin, Norway's court language, by Hendrik of Oslo, the Bishop of Nidaros.

In 1042, Magnus inherited the throne of Denmark from Canute III of Denmark and England when he died ill with consumption. He sent Harald to live with Olaf Yngvarrsson, the future Jarl of Rygjafylki and the two would grow a fast friendship. Alongside Olaf and Yngvarr, he regularly attended Magnus' court, usually in Nidaros, Oslo, Jelling, Malmo and Roskilde, and during these times he developed a rivalry with Rikiwulf, the adolescent jarl of Scania. Nevertheless, by 1048 he had reached adulthood and was residing permanently in Magnus's own household as one of his hirdmen and personal champions.

Despite Magnus' claim to England through his agreement with Canute III, the Witangemoot of England elected Edward Æthelredsson, Canute III's half-brother to the throne as Edward II after Canute died in 1042. Much later in 1047, Magnus summonned his hirdmen and noblemen in Denmark and Norway to build up an army, promising them that their landless sons would be given titles in a conquered England. Immediately before the invasion on 25 October, the king fell overboard from one of the ships he was mustering to invade England, though he was rescued before he could drown. While it was never confirmed, this was considered to be a plot by either Einar Thambarskelfir or Harald Sigurdsson to have Magnus assassinated. Nevertheless, suffering from hypothermia, Magnus was forced to postpone his invasion by another year, until October of the next year.

Magnus' forces landed in England in the September of 1048, led by himself, Yngvarr of Rygjafylki and his son Harald Magnusson. Harald's forces quickly seized Lindisfarne on 8 September, landing in Bamburgh and after a brief fight with the forces of earl Siward of Northumbria in the Battle of the Ford of Morpet, he would besiege Monkchester, crossing Tyne and reaching Mydilsburgh on the Christmas Day of 1048. After wintering in Mydilsburgh, Harald caught up with the army of Yngvarr of Rygjafylki in Bradford, coming to Magnus' aid. Magnus had landed at the mouth of Thames but his attempt to besiege London had been repelled by Edward II in Greenwich, so he had retreated north to Gildenburgh, where Harald and Yngvarr would reinforce him. The combined might of the Norse army landed a crushing blow on Edward's forces in Swaefsey on May 16. Though they were prepared for a long siege, London surrendered the city to Magnus on May 28, and Edward, having fled to Wessex, was finally defeated at Guildeford on June 3. Edward's knights were captured and he himself fled south to Normandy to live in exile once again.

Harald's bother-in-law Hákon, wed to his half-sister Ragnhild, claimed to be King of Denmark jure uxuris, and his title was only supported by the jarl Rikiwulf of Scania. At the same time, the Witangemoot would name Edward II, who had been king in 1042-49, as Magnus' successor, and he sailed from Normandy to be crowned king in London. Harald, already having the support of King Gunnar of the Swedes, would decide to challenge Edward. He mustered an army 9,000 men strong and marched on Bahusia, seizing Rikiwulf's fort along Göta älv on 25 March 1051, and then crossed through Sweden to besiege Wardbergh, Helsingborg and finally Malmo, concluded with the arrest of Rikiwulf and his family and the confiscation of their titles. Immediately afterward Harald was encountered by his uncle, the legendary Varangian Harald Sigurdsson, who had been promised the kingdom of Norway in exchange for helping Hákon. Though Sigurdsson's army was defeated, the battle was pyrrhic and Magnusson would have to promise his uncle Jarldom in Scania and a viceroyal position in 'Denmark or Norway' to have his help. Harald later crossed the Oresund to besiege Roskilde, Hákon and Ragnhild's capital on August 19, which fell within the month. Hákon surrendered to prevent bloodshed and would be banished to the lands of the Rus, though he and Ragnhild would be welcomed back two years later when Grand Prince Jarisleif died.

With Denmark secured, Harald sailed to England with 250 warships, most of them made of his loyal champions and landless noblemen, to take his throne from Edward. Harald landed in Gippeswic on October 18, 1051 and harried the countryside until he faced Edward's forces in the Battle of Romsford. Though initially holding the Norse onslaught back, Edward's forces were beaten thanks to a light cavalry charge led by Olaf Yngvarrson which broke their center and sent the rest fleeing. Edward fled to make a final stand in Winchester, and London fell to Harald with little fanfare. Winchester would be besieged for four months, until Harald's forces broke through and plundered the city. Finally, Edward II of England was brought to London to be beheaded on March 1, 1052.

This enraged the nobility of England, and other than Osric of Kent and Godwin of Wessex, they would rise up in rebellion, most notable among them Siward of Northumbria and Leofric of Mercia. A body made up of these noblemen convened in York, forming what is now called the Laussþing, and named Edward Ætheling, the son of old King Edmund Ironside, as the new King of England. Through 1052, Harald would take advantage of the earls' lack of organization and take their holdings one by one, finally besieging York beginning in November 1052, but after York fell on 1 May, 1053, the earls fled northward, and were finally crushed in the Battle of Sunderland on Christmas Day of 1053. Siward, Leofric and most other earls captured were arrested and brought to London where they would, alongside their family and that of Rikiwulf of Scania, Harald's old rival, be crucified during the Triumphal Sacrifice held in honor of Divus Julius. Other than what was held by Osric, Godwin and a handful of other earls that had been either loyal or not particularly aggressive, all of England went to new landless noblemen, primarily of Norwegian origin, who would become dynastic peers of England in the oncoming centuries.

This period of peace ended however when a band of raiders from the Lordship of Mann and the Isles sacked Blackpool on 18 March 1058. Though the Insular lordship was nominally under suzerainty of the King of Norway and owed him tribute, in reality this had been abandoned for decades now, and Harald was eager to rectify this mistake now that he had a justification. Following a forma request from the earl of Lancaster on behalf of its Moot, Harald raised an army of Thingmen and sacked Mön, and then systematically besieged and captured Veisafjorðr, Veðrafjorðr, Cork and Dyflin in Ireland, and then Onglisey by the November of 1058. Once winter had ended, he would attack the Hebrides, the last Insular holdouts, from Dyflin, staging an assault on Skíð, defeating the armies of Lord Sigtryggr Ívarrsson in a short battle on March 13, 1059 and forcing him to swear loyalty and pay tribute. While he was on his way back to England, Harald's forces were harassed by Scottish outriders and forces eager to abduct and punish him for crossing Scotland without permission, though Harald still crushed the Scotch in the Battle of Clyde.

Though he was initially assured that Malcolm III of Scotland was not responsible for the assaults, Harald grew tired of Scottish insolence as Scottish clans began a series of raids across the border, culminating in the Battle of Lancaster. Harald summoned the Great Thing, demanding all his noblemen provide levy and men-at-arms for what he promised to be a 'short but fruitful' campaign in Scotland. His forces burned down Eskmuthe and besieged Edinburgh, which fell on February 7. Then, he crossed the Forth, burning down Rosyth and Dunfermline and marching for St. Johnstone, only to be challenged and defeated by the Scots in Kinross. Harald retreated south to Rosyth and crossed the Forth once again, this time marching for Beornstun, Falkirk and Stirling, which was captured by 19 October. Harald marched north once more, crushing the Scots in the Second Battle of Kinross, but while he still burned down Kinross as revenge for having resisted him twice, he had lost too many men and had to return to England empty-handed.

Though Harald returned empty-handed, this only paused the ongoing fight between Harald and Malcolm and neither side pursued any attempts at peace as both Kings had intended to use the brief lull in fighting to build their own host and continue the fight. Malcolm, having retreated north to St. Johnstone as early as the Fall of Edinburgh in early February of that year, was quicker to rebuild his forces and he would instigate the next phase of the ongoing war in the Spring of 1060. Malcolm crossed the Tweed on March 26, 1060, quickly taking Monkchester, Sunderland, Dunholm, Hartlepool, Darlington, and finally Mydilsburgh by the late Summer of that year, though throughout this period he would be harassed by English, Norwegian, and Danish outriders, to speak nothing of the forces loyal to the Earls of York and Monkchester. Finally, Malcolm's forces met Harald's personal army south of Thirsk on 19 October, 1060 in the largest battle of their war. Of Malcolm's army of 19,000, only a few hundreds survived the battle, at the cost of less than three hundred out of Harald's army of 13,500. Malcolm's two brothers Donald and Máel Muire, as well as Alexander, Earl of Morway and Edgar, Earl of Strathclyde -by this time his best champions and commanders of his armies- were killed, all of them in personal combat with Harald himself. Malcolm was chased back to Tweet and he recalled the troops he had stationed in Monkchester en route to reinforce his rear. Harald advanced as far north as Edinburgh, Falkirk, and Stirling, but no further, as most of his vassals had withdrawn with their levies and men-at-arms to return to their own estates. Harald wintered in Edinburgh and resumed his conflict by hiring Lowlander mercenaries to prosecute the next phase of the fight. He stormed St. Johnstone on June 1061, and finally caught up with Malcolm's forces in Dundee. When Malcolm's forces were crushed in the battle on 27-30 June, 1061, he retreated into the city, leading to the months long Siege of Dundee, which Harald won on 9 January, 1062.

With his victory in Dundee, Harald set sail to Nidaros, his Norwegian capital, where he was planning on having his war prisoners crucified in a Triumphal Sacrifice. He was convinced to stay his hand by his friend and Chancellor Olaf Yngvarrsson, and so he sent Malcolm to languish in his dungeon. Two years later, Princess Edith of Scotland, Malcolm's daughter and temporary regent, offered peace between the two Kings: Harald would marry Edith and Malcolm would bare his neck, offer tribute, and acknowledge Harald as the Lord Paramount of Scotland. Though Malcolm was hesitant to accept at first, a stint of 16 months in the dark dungeons of King Harald changed his mind, and he bent the knee and acknowledged Harald as his oveerlord and liege in a ceremony in St. Johnstone on 19 April, 1063.

In Norway, Harald ruled as a feudal monarch, holding court in his Castle in Nidaros twice every year in summer. His Council for Norway was made up of the Archbishop of Nidaros, the Jarl of Rygjafylki, the Jarl of Þrǿndalǫg, the Jarl of Vestfold, and the Jarl of Viken. Olaf Yngvarrsson, the Jarl of Rygjafylki was his regent in Norway, though after his death he was succeeded by Álfífa Einarsdottir, the Jarl of Trøndelag and his lover. Harald's rule in Norway was marked by regular feasting and hunting, attentive respect towards his vassals -all of whom having remained loyal throughout the chaos of his early reign-, and the investment of his treasury on the betterment of his own domains.

Harald would leave Norway late in summer and attend court in Roskilde. His Council for Denmark consisted of the Jarl of Scania, the Jarl of Holstein, the Archbishop of Jylland, and the Count of Bornholm, and the Bishop of Aarhus. Regency in his name was held by Harald Sigurdsson, the King's uncle and the Jarl of Scania, while Hákon Bjornharðursson, his brother-in-law, held the title of the Viceroy in his name. After Sigurdsson died in 1071, Hákon succeeded him as Regent and Jarl of Scania. Denmark, as with Norway, had been mostly loyal -the main exception being Rikiwulf, the Jarl of Scania and Harald's rival, who Harald defeated in 1051 and crucified as a Triumphal Sacrifice a year later. As a result, Harald likewise did not touch the political system of Denmark and left its nobility, clergy, and merchants to their own device.

England however was where things differed immensely. Other than a handful of noblemen -namely Osric of Kent and Godwin of Wessex, as well as some minor castleholders- every other noble in England had sided with Edward as anti-King to Harald, and then had risen up in open revolt following Edward's execution. In retaliation, Harald would burn most of them on the cross on the Royal Road to London, confiscate their lands and divide England into 32 Shires, which he distributed among his landless hirdmen after the Uprising of 1052 was done and over with. Each shire was centered around a fortified holding in which the Sheriff himself lived. The most notable of these new castles was the White Tower, the main keep of the new Tower of London. Harald required his settled Norwegian Sheriff to keep retinues of champions and hirdmen both as part of their feudal duties to him in times of war and as a general service to garrison his fortified holdings, and he was noted for his generosity in giving smaller holdings to his personal champions who had shown bravery in his military campaigns. After 1070, most of his Sheriffs were elevated to Earlship, though their duties and privileges mainly remained the same. In addition to the system of shires, Harald pressed each Shire to organize a Moot, shire-level parliaments that acted as a parallel authority to the Earl and answered directly to the King himself. These Moots later became the basis of Harald's government in England and were adopted in Denmark and Norway by his successors, eventually giving way to the unification of the three realms into a solidified High Kingdom of the North Sea by the 1200s. Harald held court in England during winter and spring, though he would remain in England from 1057 to 1062 as a result of the ongoing military conflicts. He did not have a regent in England, though his wife Edith usually served in that capacity in times of his absence. The Earls of Wessex and Kent -both having been here since before the Conquest-, the Earls of York and Devon, and the Archbishop of Canterburgh were the members of his Council for England.

Harald continued the collection of Danegeld, a land tax, in England -at the time the only universal tax collected anywhere in Europe outside of the two Roman Empires-, an annual tax based on the value of landholdings, generally two to six shillings per hide. Harald used the taxes mostly to rebuild the devastation of the Middle Boroughs until 1060, and then Northumbria and York afterward, both being direct results of his previous military campaigns in the regions. At Christmas 1070, Harald ordered the compilation of a survey of the landholdings held by himself and by his vassals throughout his three realms, which was completed by August 1072. The book, which is now known as the Book of Roskilde, is a listing that gives the holdings of each landholder, grouped by owners. The list describes the holding, the holder's subsidiaries and direct vassals, its value, what the tax assessment was, and the number of peasants, ploughs, and any other resources the holding had. Towns and Bishoprics were listed separately.

In contemporary recordings, King Harald was described as generous to those who were loyal, and completely ruthless to those whose loyalty he suspected. Olaf Yngvarrsson, the Jarl of Rygjafylki and probably his oldest and closest confidant, often said that he was 'vengeful, but not paranoid. Ruthless, but not sadistic. He'll kill hundreds and will have thousands killed while in battle even for the price of a measly wooden fort, but he will not see anyone who hasn't personally wronged him suffer even a moment after'. Malcolm III of Scotland, probably his longest-living rival -as he died only three months before Harald himself- described him as harsh, but not cruelly so. Edith of Scotland -later Queen of Denmark, England, and Norway- described him as 'the cruelest man I've ever met' in one of her journals from the earliest months of their marriage, though her opinion towards him changed in later years.

Harald was an avid hunter, though not a proficient one in his realm, and he regularly organized hunts in various forests all around his realm. In his later years, Harald funded the construction of roads and dockyard from his own pocket and was considered a major patron of arts in all three of his Courts. He was not theologically inclined but still a remarkably devout man, and when Pontifex Hadrianus IV called for a Crusade against the Persian Empire and the liberation of Jerusalem, he was the only king in contemporary Europe to pledge to the effort -though both Roman Emperors were involved in the war, and though Harald died before the Crusade could be launched and his son did not personally participate in the war.

Harald married Princess Edith of Scotland in April 1063. Their marriage was not a happy one, Edith in effect being a hostage in Harald's court to keep her father Malcolm obedient, but while Edith initially harbored great dislike towards her husband and Harald lacked any trust in her whatsoever in return, this changed in time, and by the 1070s Harald regularly left Edith in charge of England while he was holding court elsewhere. Aside from Edith, Harald had short stints with many lovers and a long, life-lasting stint with the Jarl of Trøndelag, one of his vassals in Norway, with whom he had three bastards.

Harald had seven children, and an unknown number of unacknowledged bastards.

1. Salbjorg was born between 1065 and 1068. Died at childbirth in 19 April 1099. Was married to Thibault III, Duke of Normandy, had issue (including Thibault IV, Duke of Normandy and ancestor of High King Hrodbert I of the North Sea)

2. Harald was Salbjorg's twin, born between 1065 and 1068. Succeeded Harald as Harald IV & III of Denmark, Norway, and England. Died of old age in 1132. Had issue including Beorn I and II of Denmark, Norway, and England.

3. Hakon was born in early 1075. Died in the Siege of Antioch in 1097. Had no issue

4. Rannveig was born in late 1078. Died in the Siege of Paris in 1117. Married Prince Robert of Francia, at the time heir apparent to the Frankish throne, had issue including Robert III of Francia and Mathilde, Lady of the Poles

5. Amalrike Álfífasson: was born in early 1052 to Álfífa Einarsdottir, at the time heir presumptive of the Jarldom of Trøndelag. Acknowledged by King Harald in 1087, later made Prince Amalric I of Antioch following the First Crusade. Died in March 1117. Had issue including Amalric II, Prince of Antioch. His descendant would hold the Principality of Antioch until 1266.

6. Gytha Álfífasdaughter: was born in the autumn of 1055 to Álfífa Einarsdottir, Jarl of Trøndelag. Acknowledged by King Harald in 1087. Died in 1113. Had no issue

7. Hrodbjartr Álfífasson: was born in the winter of 1064 to Álfífa Einarsdottir, Jarl of Trøndelag. Acknowledged by King Harald in 1087. Was a renowned mercenary hired by King Alfbad IV of the Frisians most notably in Wilhelm's Uprising in 1103. Died in 1119. Married Princess Onna of Frisia, had issue.

At this time, many princes, dukes, and counts in continental Europe pledged to help the two Roman Empires take back Anatolia, while King Harald would be the only sovereign monarch to pledge his support. Harald called for the training of champions and the construction of siege weapons, and ordered a massive fleet be built that would take him and his army to Contantinople, where he would join the forces of Emperor Alexius I. He announced this decision in a feast held in London in December 1, and promised not to tax any of his vassals who would raise an army and accompany him. This promise was extended to Malcolm III of Scotland who, owing to his old age, had refused to attend the feast. Malcolm died February 3, 1096 and was succeeded by his son Duncan II. Duncan only showed to swear his oath of fealty to Harald as Lord Paramount in May, and was reported to have been 'shaking with rage where he stood' by many contemporary recordings. Harald, meaning to ease relations with his fellow monarch and tributary, quartered him as an honored guest and offered Duncan to accompany him in a ceremony overseeing the construction of his fleet. On 30 May, Duncan threw Harald overboard, and the latter monarch drowned. Upon Harald's drowning and before he could be captured, Duncan II fled back to St. Johnstone.

Harald was succeeded in his three crowns by his eldest son Harald, who would reign as Harald IV of Denmark and Norway and Harold III of England. His second son, Hacon, was already in Rome in preparation of the crusade, fighting as a knight under command of the Pontifex's personal army, and would later die in the Crusade. Though Harald IV & III intended to fulfill his father's pledge, he saw the resumption of Scottish raids in the Borders as a more important thing to deal with, and ordered the fleet's construction to be stopped. Later in 1099, war broke out between Scotland and England, but Duncan would not see the same defeat Malcolm had, and though Harald IV & III continued to fashion himself as Lord Paramount of Scotland, effective dominion over the Scots would not be reestablished under his reign.

Harald's victory in England and his effective rule -and that of his successors- led to the establishment of an Anglo-Norse noble caste in England -and later during the reigns of his successors Denmark and Norway. By the times of Magnus III, the last Yngling King of the three crowns in 1189, the individual institutions of the three realms had eroded to a level that Magnus' successor Hrodbert I could successfully crown himself as High King of the North Sea, ruling his three domains as one Empire with a cohesive administrative and legal system.