King harald hardrada biography of mahatma gandhi

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But then, an English arrow found its mark. He fought like a man possessed, wielding his great axe, clearing a space around him.

But this was only the beginning of an odyssey that would take the young exile to the very heart of the Byzantine Empire, where he would serve in the elite Varangian Guard and walk the marble halls of Constantinople.

Harald Hardrada: The Legend Begins

What began as a desperate flight from a lost battle would transform into one of history’s most remarkable adventures.

He was also a fervent Christian, later to be sainted as St. Olaf, who sought to forcibly convert his realm.

When Harald was just fifteen, these tensions exploded at the Battle of Stiklestad. Fatefully, Magnus was also the King of Denmark. Believing he had a legitimate claim based on old agreements, Harald invaded England with a large Viking army.

The heart of the Norse army died with him.

His forces were routed.

King Olaf fell, his body hidden, and the boy Harald was left wounded on the battlefield, presumed dead.

He was not. He and his core troops were relaxing in the sun, many without their heavy mail coats. So complete was the defeat that of the 300 ships that arrived, only 24 were needed to carry the survivors home. Yaroslav, a canny ruler, recognized the value of a Norwegian prince.

The mild prince was left on the snow at Stiklestad; the hardened Viking rose from it.

With a price on his head, Harald fled Norway. For nearly a decade, from 1034 to around 1043, Harald Hardrada became the sword of the Byzantine Empire.

His campaigns read like a tour of the medieval world:

• In the Mediterranean: He fought Arab pirates and led campaigns in Sicily and Southern Italy, perhaps even encountering Norman knights who would later conquer England.
• In Anatolia and the Levant: He served as a commander in brutal wars against the Muslim empires, securing vital frontiers for the empire.
• In the Holy Land: Byzantine chronicles and Norse sagas claim he traveled to Jerusalem, securing the pilgrimage routes for Christian travelers and amassing vast wealth in the process.

  The two men agreed to invade England and in early September around 300 ships sailed along the coast and did some plundering, including the burning of Scarborough. His father, Sigurd the Sow, was a regional king who preferred farming to fighting – a trait that earned him respect among his people but hardly suggested his son would become one of history’s most feared warriors.

  Harald’s step-brother Olaf the Stout had already made his mark as King of Norway, ruling through a combination of Christian zeal and spectacular violence.

  Then, around 1045, he sailed for Scandinavia, his ships heavy with Byzantine gold and his hulls filled with hardened Varangians.

  Norway was now ruled by the young Magnus the Good, the son of Harald’s half-brother, Olaf.

  Unlike his brother’s earlier conquests, this invasion was welcomed by many Norwegians who had grown weary of Olaf’s harsh Christian rule.

  Olaf fled into exile, spending two years gathering allies in the forests of what is now Russia.

  The Norse shieldwall, led by the giant Harald himself, held firm for a time.

  In medieval history, few figures capture the imagination quite like Harald Hardrada – the “Thunderbolt of the North” and the last great Viking king.