| Magnus the Good | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Obverse of a coin minted for Magnus the Good inLund (at the time a town inDanish Scania) | |||||
| King of Norway | |||||
| Reign | 1035 – 25 October 1047 | ||||
| Predecessor | Cnut | ||||
| Successor | Harald III | ||||
| Co-ruler | Harald III (1046–47) | ||||
| King of Denmark | |||||
| Reign | 8 June 1042 – 25 October 1047 | ||||
| Predecessor | Cnut III | ||||
| Successor | Sweyn II | ||||
| Born | c. 1024 Norway | ||||
| Died | 25 October 1047 (aged 23) Zealand,Denmark | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Issue | Ragnhild Magnusdatter [no] | ||||
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| House | St. Olaf (Vestfold branch ofFairhair dynasty) | ||||
| Father | Saint Olaf | ||||
| Mother | Alfhild | ||||
Magnus Olafsson (Old Norse:Magnús Óláfsson;Norwegian andDanish:Magnus Olavsson;c. 1024 – 25 October 1047), better known asMagnus the Good (Old Norse:Magnús góði; Norwegian and Danish:Magnus den gode), wasKing of Norway from 1035 andKing of Denmark from 1042 until his death in 1047.
Magnus was an illegitimate son ofSaint Olaf, and fled with his mother Alfhild when his father was dethroned in 1028. He returned to Norway in 1035 and was crowned king at the age of 11. In 1042, he was also crowned king of Denmark. Magnus ruled the two countries until 1047, when he died under unclear circumstances. After his death, his kingdom was split betweenHarald Hardrada in Norway andSweyn Estridsson in Denmark.
Magnus was an illegitimate son of King Olaf Haraldsson (laterSaint Olaf) by hisEnglish concubine Alfhild,[1] originally a slave (thrall) of Olaf's queenAstrid Olofsdotter.[2] Born prematurely, the child was weak and unable to breathe for the first few minutes, and he was probably not expected to survive. Olaf was not present at the child's birth, and his IcelandicskaldSigvatr Þórðarson became his godfather. In a hasty baptism, Sigvatr named Magnus after the greatest king he knew of, also Olaf's greatest role model,Karla Magnus, orCharlemagne. Against the odds, Magnus went on to grow strong and healthy, and he became of vital importance to Olaf as his only son.[3]
Olaf was dethroned by the Danish kingCnut the Great in 1028, and he went into exile with his family and court, including the young Magnus.[1] They travelled over the mountains and throughEidskog during the winter, enteredVärmland, and were given shelter by a chieftain called Sigtrygg inNärke. After a few months, they departed Närke, and by March went eastwards towardsSigtuna, where the Swedish kingAnund Jacob had left them a ship. The party thereafter sailed through theBaltic Sea and into theGulf of Finland, eventually landing inKievan Rus' (Garðaríki). They made their first stop atStaraya Ladoga (Aldeigjuborg) to organise the further journey.[4] From there they travelled southwards toNovgorod (Holmgard), where Olaf sought assistance from Grand PrinceYaroslav the Wise. Yaroslav, however, did not want to become directly involved in the Scandinavian power-struggles, and declined to help. After some time, in early 1030, Olaf learned that theEarl of LadeHåkon Eiriksson, Cnut's regent in Norway, had disappeared at sea, and gathered his men to make a swift return to Norway. Magnus was left to be fostered by Yaroslav and his wifeIngegerd.[5]
In early 1031, a party including Magnus's uncleHarald Sigurdsson (later also to be king and then known as Harald Hardrada) arrived to report the news of his father's death at theBattle of Stiklestad. For the next few years, Magnus was educated inOld Russian and someGreek and was trained as a warrior.[6] In 1030, Cnut appointed his first wifeÆlfgifu and their sonSvein as regents, but the Norwegians found their rule oppressive and, by the time of Cnut's death in 1035, they had been driven out and Magnus was established as king.[7]Einar Thambarskelfir andKalf Arnesson, who had both sought to be appointed regents under Cnut after Olaf's death in 1030,[8] had gone together to Kievan Rus' to bring the boy back to rule as theKing of Norway.[9] After receiving the approval of Ingegerd, they returned with Magnus to Sigtuna in early 1035, and received backing from the Swedish king, brother of Magnus's stepmother Astrid. Astrid immediately became an important supporter of Magnus, and an army was gathered in Sweden, headed by Einar and Kalf, to place Magnus on the Norwegian throne.[10]
Magnus was proclaimed king in 1035 at 11 years of age. At first, Magnus sought revenge against his father's enemies, but on Sigvatr's advice, he stopped doing so, which is why he became known as "good" or "noble".[9]
Another son of Cnut,Harthacnut, was on the throne of Denmark and wanted his country to reunite with Norway, while Magnus initiated a campaign against Denmark around 1040.[11] However, the noblemen of both countries brought the two kings together at theGöta älv. They made peace and agreed that the first of them to die would be succeeded by the other.[12][13] In 1042, Harthacnut died while in England, and Magnus also becameKing of Denmark, in spite of a claim by Cnut's nephewSweyn Estridsen, whom Harthacnut had left in control of Denmark when he went to England,[12][14] and who had some support.
As part of consolidating his control, Magnus destroyed theJomsborg, headquarters of theJomsvikings. Sweyn fled east and returned as one of the leaders of an invasion by theWends in 1043, which Magnus decisively defeated at theBattle of Lyrskov Heath, nearHedeby.[13][15] In the battle, Magnus wielded Saint Olaf's battle-axe, named Hel after thegoddess of death.[13][16] He had dreamt of his father the night before, and the Norwegians swore that before the battle they could hear the bell that Saint Olaf had given to the Church of St. Clement in Kaupang, in Nidaros—a sign that the saint was watching over his son and the army.[17] It was the greatest victory ever over the Wends, with up to 15,000 killed.
Sweyn continued to oppose Magnus in Denmark, although according toHeimskringla, they reached a settlement by which Sweyn became Earl of Denmark under Magnus.[18]
Magnus wanted to reunite Cnut the Great's entireNorth Sea Empire by also becoming king of England. When Harthacnut died, the English nobles had chosen as their kingÆthelred the Unready's son Edward (later known asEdward the Confessor); Magnus wrote to him that he intended to attack England with combined Norwegian and Danish forces and "he will then govern it who wins the victory."[19] The English were mostly hostile to Magnus; Sweyn was made welcome there, although Edward's mother,Emma, curiously favored Magnus and in 1043 the king confiscated her property, with which by one report she had promised to assist Magnus.[20]
Meanwhile, Magnus' uncleHarald Sigurdsson had returned to Norway from the east and contested his rule there, while Sweyn was still a threat in Denmark; Harald allied himself with Sweyn.[1][14] Magnus chose to appease Harald,[1] and made him his co-king in Norway in 1046.[21][22]
Sweyn increased the pressure on Magnus from his base inScania,[11] but by late 1046, Magnus had driven Sweyn out of Denmark. However, on 25 October 1047, Magnus suddenly died while in Denmark, either inZealand or inJutland, either in an accident or of a disease; accounts vary.[23] Reports include falling overboard from one of the ships he was mustering to invade England and drowning,[13] falling off a horse,[14][24] and falling ill while on board a ship.[1] He is said to have made Sweyn his heir in Denmark, and Harald in Norway; some say in a deathbed statement.[1] Magnus was buried with his father inthe cathedral at Nidaros, modernTrondheim.[1]
Heimskringla describes Magnus as "of middle height, with regular features and light complexion. He had light blond hair, was well spoken and quick to make up his mind, was of noble character, most generous, a great warrior, and most valorous."[25]
The line of Olaf II ended with Magnus' death. However, in 1280,Eric II of Norway, who was descended through his mother from Magnus' legitimate sister,Wulfhild, was crowned king of Norway.
Magnus was not married, but had a daughter out of wedlock,Ragnhild Magnusdatter [no], who marriedHaakon Ivarsson [no], a Norwegian nobleman.[14] Ragnhild and Haakon had daughters Sunniva and Ragnhild. Sunniva had a sonHakon Sunnivasson, whose son became KingEric III of Denmark. Ragnhild marriedPaul Thorfinnsson,Earl of Orkney, and together they were the parents ofHaakon Paulsson, who also became an earl ofOrkney.
Magnus the Good House of St. Olaf Cadet branch of theFairhair dynasty Born:c. 1024 Died: 25 October 1047 | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Norway 1035–1047 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | King of Denmark 1042–1047 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | — TITULAR — King of England 1042–1047 | Succeeded by |
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