Harald Grenske OF NORWAY ( -995)

Individual Events and Attributes

Additional Information

Marriage

	A medieval representation of Saint Olaf.

Individual Note

Harald Grenske (10th century) was the petty king in Vestfold in Norway.[1]

Harald Grenske was the son of Gudrød Bjørnsson. Gudrød was a grandson of Harald Fairhair and the king of Vestfold. Harald's cognomen Grenske is due to his being raised in the district of Grenland, Norway. When Harald was only 11 years old, his father was slain by the sons of Gunnhild (i.e. Harald Greyhide and his brothers). Harald fled to Oppland and from there to Sweden, where he stayed with the powerful strongman Skagul Toste. They went on Viking expeditions together, principally within areas of the Baltic Sea.

When the sons of Gunnhild had been banished, Harald Grenske followed Haakon Sigurdsson who ruled Norway as a vassal of the Danish king Harald Bluetooth. Harald became the king of Vestfold and Agder. He married Åsta, the daughter of Gudbrand Kula.

Harald subsequently abandoned Åsta to woo Sigrid the Haughty, the daughter of Skagul Toste. She was the wealthy widow of Eric the Victorious and owned several farms in Svithjod. Sigrid found him too eager with his entreaties. She had him burnt to death inside a great hall following a feast to discourage other suitors. Harald died together with another suitor, Vissevald (Wsevolod) from Gardarike (Novgorod).

His widow, Åsta, promptly gave birth to the son Olaf the Stout, the future king of Norway and patron saint of the nation. Åsta later remarried to Sigurd Syr, the king of Ringerike.[2]

No contemporary sources said anything about Harold, and the sagas writing only about him in connection with St. Olav's history. According to Snorri Sturlasson in Olav Trygvessons saga, he was a king of Vingulmark, Vestfold and Agder. Recent scholarship has questioned the historicity of Harald.

NOTES:

1 Harald Grenske (Family Links)

2 Harald Grenske – utdypning (Store norske leksikon)

SOURCES:

Bergljot Solberg Jernalderen i Norge (Oslo, 2000)

This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.[1]²

Sources