| Harald I Born: 850 AD
Died: 933 AD
Location of death: Rogaland
Cause of death: unspecified
Remains: Buried, Karmsund
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Royalty Nationality: Norway
Executive summary: King of Norway, 872 to 930 AD Harald I, surnamed Haarfager (of the beautiful hair), first king over Norway, succeeded on the death of his father Halfdan the Black in AD 860 to the sovereignty of several small and somewhat scattered kingdoms, which had come into his father's hands through conquest and inheritance and lay chiefly in southeast Norway. The tale goes that the scorn of the daughter of a neighboring king induced Harald to take a vow not to cut nor comb his hair until he was sole king of Norway, and that ten years later he was justified in trimming it; whereupon he exchanged the epithet "Shockhead" for the one by which he is usually known. In 866 he made the first of a series of conquests over the many petty kingdoms which then composed Norway; and in 872, after a great victory at Hafrsfjord near Stavanger, he found himself king over the whole country. His realm was, however, threatened by dangers from without, as large numbers of his opponents had taken refuge, not only in Iceland, then recently discovered, but also in the Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides and Faeroes, and in Scotland itself; and from these winter quarters sallied forth to harry Norway as well as the rest of northern Europe. Their numbers were increased by malcontents from Norway, who resented Harald's claim of rights of taxation over lands which the possessors appear to have previously held in absolute ownership. At last Harald was forced to make an expedition to the west to clear the islands and Scottish mainland of Vikings. Numbers of them fled to Iceland, which grew into an independent commonwealth, while the Scottish isles fell under Norwegian rule. The latter part of Harald's reign was disturbed by the strife of his many sons. He gave them all the royal title and assigned lands to them which they were to govern as his representatives; but this arrangement did not put an end to the discord, which continued into the next reign. When he grew old he handed over the supreme power to his favorite son Erik "Bloody Axe", whom he intended to be his successor. Harald died in 933 in. his eighty-fourth year.
Father: Halfdan the Black
Mother: Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter
Wife: Åsa (dau. of Håkon Grjotgardsson, four children)
Wife: Gyda (five children)
Wife: Ragnhild Eiriksdotter (one child)
Son: Erik Bloodaxe (King of Norway)
Wife: Svanhild (dau. of Eystein Earl, three children)
Wife: Åshild (dau. of Ring Dagsson, four children)
Wife: Snøfrid (dau. of Svåse the Finn, two children)
Wife: Tora Mosterstong (maid)
Son: Haakon the Good (King of Norway)
King of Norway 872 to 930 AD
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