[September 25] Harald III, king of Norway

Surnamed: "Hardrada" ("Hard Ruler")
Parents: Signurd Syr, king of Norway, and Asta of Vestfold
Date of Birth: circa 1015
House: Hardrada (Fairhair)
Spouse(s): (1) Elisiv, daughter of Yaroslav I, grand prince of Kiev, and Ingegerd of Sweden, and (2) Tora, daughter of Torberg and Ragnhild
Predecessor: Magnus I

Reign: 1046 – 1066
Brief: For many years, Harald served as a military commander in the Kievan Rus' and the Byzantine Empire. As early as 1030, he fought against Cnut the Great who had dispossessed his family two years prior. In 1043, now older, militarily experienced, and wealthy, Harald returned to Kiev to begin his bid to reconquer Norway from his illegitimate nephew, Magnus I. He joined with the Danish pretender Sweyn II and began raiding the Danish coast. Magnus agreed to joint rule of Norway, but Harald renegged on the deal and Magnus died soon after. Harald III, now sole king of Norway, moved on to conquer Denmark for himself, fighting his former ally, Sweyn. In 1066, Harald gave up on Denmark and set his sights on England instead to depose Harold II. He arrived in England in September and won the battle of Fulford before being killed at the battle of Stamford Bridge. His death generally marks the end of the Viking Age, and it directly led to the defeat of Harold II at the battle of Hastings the next month.

Date of Death: 25 September 1066

Successor: Magnus II

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• William VIII, duke of Aquitaine (1086)
• Morikuni, shogun of Japan (1333)
• Felipe I, king of Castile (1506)
• Clement VII, pope of Rome (1534)
• Go-Yozei, emperor of Japan (1617)
• Léopold III, king of Belgium (1983)

[May 8] Håkon V, king of Norway

Parents: Magnus VI, king of Norway, and Ingeborg of Denmark

Date of Birth: 1270

House: Hardrada-Sverre
Spouse: Eufemia, daughter of Günther, count of Arnstein

Predecessor: Eric II

Reign: 1299 – 1319

Summary: A distant descendant of Saint Olav and the last of the Fairhairs, the kings of Norway were a dying breed when Håkon took to the throne. He was married to the daughter of a regional count and his own daughter, Ingeborg, was married to a Swedish duke. He had no son. The sons of his illegitimate daughter, Agnes, would rule as regents during his grandson's reign.


Håkon, still, would not allow the future to dominate his present. He made Oslo his capital in 1314, the first Norwegian king to do so. He built two massive fortresses, Akershus and Bohus, as well. He continued his brother's war with the Danish until 1309 when he finally made a lasting peace with his smaller but militarily superior neighbor. Håkon also fought to protect his royal prerogative against the growing power of the aristocracy that hoped to turn the king into a puppet. Håkon died the last of his dynasty in 1319 and was succeeded by his grandson, Magnus, the first joint king of Norway and Sweden, though he was a child at the time of his ascension. His son's line would only last three short generations before the Kalmar Union permanently ended Norway's independence until 1905.

Date of Death: 8 May 1319

Successor: Magnus VII

Other Monarch Deaths:

Ottokar IV, duke of Styria (1192)

Duanzong, emperor of China (1278)

Kamehameha I, king of Hawai'i (1819)