Harald Greycloak (Old Norse: Haraldr gráfeldr, lit. "Harald Grey-hide"; Norwegian: Harald Gråfell; Danish: Harald Gråfeld; c. 935 – c. 970) was a king of Norway from the Fairhair dynasty.[1]
Harald acquired his nickname "Gray-hide" after an encounter with the crew of an Icelandic merchant ship which carried a large load of vararfeldir, a type of faux fur made from sheep's wool. The Icelanders were having trouble selling their faux furs so when the king asked them if they would make a present to him of one of the furs, which happened to be grey, the sailors did not hesitate and the king immediately used it as a cloak. This set an instant fashion trend and before long the Icelanders had sold their entire load of previously unsalable furs to the king's men and the locals. Harald was ever after known as Harald "Gray-hide".[2]
Harald was the son of Eric Bloodaxe and a grandson of Harald Fairhair. His mother was Gunnhild, the sister of King Harald Bluetooth.
After his father's death in 954, Harald and his brothers allied with their uncle, King Harald Bluetooth, against their half-uncle King Haakon the Good. They fought several battles against King Haakon including the Battle of Rastarkalv near the island of Frei in 955 and the Battle of Fitjar in 961.
After King Haakon's death at Fitjar, Harald and his brothers became kings of Norway, but they had little authority outside Western Norway. Harald, by being the oldest, was the most powerful of the brothers. In 961, their uncle King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark traveled to Norway and declared Harald Greycloak to be his vassal king in Norway.
Harald moved to strengthen his rule by killing the local rulers including Sigurd Haakonsson, Tryggve Olafsson and Gudrød Bjørnsson. Harald Greycloak thus took power over the country up to and including Hålogaland. Harald established control over the trade route along the Norwegian coast. He also undertook a Viking expedition to Bjarmaland, today the area of Arkhangelsk in northern Russia. Harald soon became less dependent on support from Harald Bluetooth.[3]
In 970, he was tricked into coming to Denmark and killed in Hals in the Limfjord in a plot planned by Sigurd Haakonsson's son Haakon, who had become an ally of Harald Bluetooth. Haakon Sigurdsson had become the jarl of Lade after his own father was killed by Harald Greycloak's men in the autumn of 962. The surviving brothers of Harald Greyhide fled the country after his death. With the death of Harald Greycloak, King Harald Bluetooth won back power over Norway and he supported Haakon Sigurdsson as his vassal king.[4]
^Harald 2 Eiriksson Gråfell – utdypning (Store norske leksikon)
^[1] Sturluson, Snorri; Haralds Saga Gráfeldar, ch. 7, in Heimskringla. History of the Kings of Norway
^Bjarmeland (Store norske leksikon)
^[2] Sturluson, Snorri ; Eiríkr Magnúson (trans.) ; Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar, ch. 12 to 14, in Heimskringla. History of the Kings of Norway, 1905
HaraldGreycloak (Old Norse: Haraldr gráfeldr, lit. "Harald Grey-hide"; Norwegian: Harald Gråfell; Danish: Harald Gråfeld; c. 935 – c. 970) was a king...
over most of Jutland and Zealand. Harald's rule as king of Norway following the assassination of King HaraldGreycloak of Norway was more tenuous, most...
who have borne the name are Harald Fairhair, HaraldGreycloak, Harald Bluetooth, Harald Hardrada, and Harald Gille. Harald Bluetooth is usually not given...
conspired with Harald Bluetooth against HaraldGreycloak. The two arranged the death of HaraldGreycloak around 971, after which Harald Bluetooth invited...
Valhalla. After Haakon's death, HaraldGreycloak, the eldest surviving son of Eric Bloodaxe, ascended the throne as King Harald II, although he had little...
let HaraldGreycloak rule the rest of Norway as king, nominally under himself.[citation needed] Harald Bluetooth later switched his support to Harald Greycloak's...
Harald II (or Harold II) may refer to: HaraldGreycloak of Norway (died 976) Harald II of Denmark (c. 980s – 1018) Harold Godwinson of England (c. 1022...
scholars view this rule as lasting only three generations, ending with HaraldGreycloak in the late 10th century. The moniker "Fairhair dynasty" is a retrospective...
Haakon at the Battle of Fitjar (Slaget ved Fitjar på Stord) in 961, HaraldGreycloak, the son of Eirik Bloodaxe and his brothers became kings of Norway...
HaraldGreycloak, third son of Eirik Bloodaxe, jointly with his brothers became kings of Norway. Tryggve was subsequently killed by HaraldGreycloak as...
control the area of Oslofjord. Erling Eiriksson, Sigurd Sleva and HaraldGreycloak, three of the sons of Eric Bloodaxe (Eirikssønnene) landed unnoticed...
known as HaraldGreycloak. Harald III of Norway (1015 – September 25, 1066 in Stamford bridge, England), also known as Harald Hardråde. Harald IV of Norway...
skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir (d. ca 990) compares the greed of King HaraldGreycloak (Old Norse: Haraldr) to the generosity of his predecessor, Haakon the...
Kormákr came to England (ca. 965) not long after the expedition of King HaraldGreycloak of Norway to Bjarmaland, today the area of Arkhangelsk in northern...
1022–1066) Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Harald II of Denmark (c. 996–1018) Harald III of Denmark (1040–1080) Harald Fairhair (850–933) HaraldGreycloak (c....
attributes the conversion of Norway to four kings—Haakon the Good, HaraldGreycloak, Olaf Tryggvason and Olaf Haraldsson—who were baptised abroad in the...
Heimskringla—three churches built near Trondheim were burned down. His successor, HaraldGreycloak, was also a Christian but similarly had little success in converting...
was hiding from her husband's killers, led by HaraldGreycloak, the son of Eirik Bloodaxe. Greycloak and his brothers had seized the throne from Haakon...
Norway with Orn, a sea-captain and hirdman of King HaraldGreycloak. He gained great honor at Harald's court, and was a favorite of the king's mother Gunnhild...
(Eiriksønnene). After their father's death, HaraldGreycloak and his brothers were allied against King Haakon with King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark. Haakon had put...
Eirik Bloodaxe Sons of Eric Bloodaxe Kingdom of Denmark Norway Defeat HaraldGreycloak becomes king of Norway. 974 German–Danish war of 974 Kingdom of Denmark...
the Good Eric Bloodaxe Denmark Pyrrhic victory to Haakon the Good HaraldGreycloak becomes king Sack of Santiago de Compostela (968) Norwegian Vikings...
Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) HaraldGreycloak (died 970) Harald Hardrada (1015–1066) Harald Gille (reigned 1130–1136) Mstislav...
construct. The murder of king HaraldGreycloak in 970 brought an end to the rule of the immediate family of his grandfather, Harald Fairhair, and Norway was...
King Haakon the Good defeats the rebelling force, but is killed. HaraldGreycloak becomes ruler of the western part of Norway. The Lombard army under...
King Haakon the Good defeats the rebelling force, but is killed. HaraldGreycloak becomes ruler of the western part of Norway. The Lombard army under...
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