You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Danish. (July 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Danish Wikipedia article at [[:da:Harald Kesja]]; see its history for attribution.
You may also add the template {{Translated|da|Harald Kesja}} to the talk page.
For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Harald Kesja
Anti-King of Denmark
Born
1080
Died
1135 (aged 54–55) Jutland
Spouse
Ragnild Magnusdotter of Norway
Issue
Bjørn Haraldsen Ironside Eric Haraldsen Magnus Haraldsen Olaf Haraldsen Canute Haraldsen Harald Haraldsen
House
Estridsen
Father
Eric I of Denmark
Harald Kesja (lit. Harald the Spear[1]) (1080–1135) was the son of Eric I of Denmark and anti-king of Denmark.[2]
He acted as regent 1103–1104 for his father while he was on pilgrimage to Jerusalem alongside Archbishop Asser of Lund. As regent, he was courageous, but violent, cruel and debauched. Harald plundered far and wide from his stronghold Haraldsborg at Roskilde, which greatly contributed to him not being elected king after his father died in 1103. Instead, his uncle Niels of Denmark was elected king in 1104.
In 1132, he allied with his half-brother Eric Emune in order to avenge his third brother Canute Lavard, but he later turned to the murderer Magnus I of Sweden because he had desires for the Danish throne himself. He tried to gain recognition as king and was successful in receiving the homage of Jutland, but he was defeated along with Magnus Nilsson at the Battle of Fotevik in Skåne, 1134. He fled after the defeat but he was taken captive near Vejle on Jutland and decapitated together with eight of his sons.
Harald Kesja
Memorial stone to Harald Kesja
Born
1080
Died
1135 (aged 54–55)
Cause of death
Decapitation
Children
Olaf Haraldsen Bjørn Haraldsen Ironside
Parent
Eric I of Denmark
Relatives
Eric II of Denmark (brother) Canute Lavard (brother)
^A kesja is in fact an unidentified weapon, probably a polearm which may have included some kind of hook in addition to the spear blade. See Viking halberd.
^Johannes C. H. R. Steenstrup (27 August 2010). "Medieval Danish Families: Harald Kesja, 1135, Ragnhild, a daughter of Magnus Barfod". Retrieved 2010-12-21.
HaraldKesja (lit. Harald the Spear) (1080–1135) was the son of Eric I of Denmark and anti-king of Denmark. He acted as regent 1103–1104 for his father...
Kesja is an Old Norse word that may refer to: a Viking weapon, probably a kind of polearm, used by Scandinavians during the Viking age HaraldKesja, a...
962 – 18 March 978 Several sons of HaraldKesja, some of which might have been minor, were murdered in 1135 Harald (son of Sigurd Munn & Kristin Sigurdsdatter)...
Falster. When Lavard was murdered in 1131, Eric joined his half-brother HaraldKesja in a rebellion against the responsible king Niels of Denmark. Eric was...
II of Denmark Harald III of Denmark Harold Harefoot HaraldKesja Prince Harald of Denmark Harald Skrænk, pretender to the Danish throne, alleged illegitimate...
pleas of his subjects, he would not be deterred. Eric appointed his son, HaraldKesja, and Bishop Asser as regents. Eric and Boedil and a large company traveled...
Additionally, Eric's brother HaraldKesja and his sons revolted on the side of Niels and Magnus on the condition that Harald be elected co-king. Eric quickly...
challenged children. According to Saxo Grammaticus, Haraldsborg was built by HaraldKesja. It was most likely a ring fortification with palisades. Saxo mentions...
Sigrid Saxesdatter from Vik in Strinda, Trøndelag. Ragnild: Married HaraldKesja, Danish pretender and son of Danish king Eric Evergood. Tora: Married...
1084–1127 Ingeborg of Kiev Canute Lavard c. 1090–1131 Duke of Schleswig HaraldKesja 1080–1135 Ragnhild of Denmark Eric II the Memorable c. 1090–1137 King...
Battle of Färlev: Magnus IV of Norway defeats Harald IV Gille of Norway. Battle of Fotevik: HaraldKesja and Magnus the Strong are defeated by the forces...
Gyrd Gøtrik, challenged Charlemagne in 810 HaraldHarald Klak Harald Bluetooth Harald II Harald III HaraldKesja Harthacnut (I) Helge Hemming Horik I Horik...
his fleet to Schleswig. During his flight Niels reckoned his nephew HaraldKesja as his co-king in Denmark. Niels was murdered in Schleswig on 25 June...
1213) Richeza (1190–1220), married King Eric X of Sweden (d. 1216) HaraldKesja (1080–1135), from 1102 to 1103 regent of Denmark, married Ragnhild Magnusdotter...
of Burgundy, marchioness of Montferrat, French noblewoman (b. 1075) HaraldKesja ("the Spear"), king of Denmark (b. 1080) Liang Hongyu ("Red Jade"), Chinese...
(d. 1143) Guarinus of Palestrina, Italian cardinal-bishop (d. 1158) HaraldKesja (the Spear), king of Denmark (d. 1135) Helie of Burgundy, countess of...
Battle of Färlev: Magnus IV of Norway defeats Harald IV Gille of Norway. Battle of Fotevik: HaraldKesja and Magnus the Strong are defeated by the forces...
the son of HaraldKesja and thus nephew of King Eric II of Denmark. He seems to have been the only one who escaped Eric II's murder of Harald and his sons...
seat of Lund between 1137 and 1138. Olaf "II" Haraldsen, the son of HaraldKesja who is killed in 1143, is still alive as of the writing. With these in...
(d. 1143) Guarinus of Palestrina, Italian cardinal-bishop (d. 1158) HaraldKesja (the Spear), king of Denmark (d. 1135) Helie of Burgundy, countess of...
(1090–1131), son of king Eric I of Denmark Canute Haraldsen (d. 1135), son of HaraldKesja Canute Eriksen (d. bef. 1250), son of king Eric IV of Denmark Canute...
King of Denmark (died 1134) c. 1078 – Asser Rig (died 1151) c. 1080 – HaraldKesja (died 1135) c. 1082 – Ingegerd Knutsdatter c. 1083 – Cecilia Knutsdatter...
King of Denmark (born c. 1063) 1134 – Bjørn Haraldsen Ironside 1135 – HaraldKesja (born c. 1080) 18 September 1137 – Eric II of Denmark (born c. 1090)...
cutting and impaling foes on his atgeir. Several weapons (including the kesja and the höggspjót) appearing in the sagas are Viking halberds. No weapon...
Global Information
