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Introduction:RoyalPowerReconsidered
conceptualisationintoasetofvirtuesandskillsthatanidealmonarchwas
expectedtopossessandexhibit.Theroyalideologymanifesteditselfnotonly
inthealreadymentioneddisplaysofbraveryandgenerosity,butalsoinother
methodsimportanttolegitimizeroyalundertakings,suchasinthecontactswith
thesphereofthedivine,inlaw-giving,andinitsexecution,tolistbutafew.
TheChristianisationofScandinaviaunderstandablyaffectedtheideologi-
calexpressionoftheroyalpower.AmodelChristianmonarchwashenceforth
expectedtoimbuehisdeedsanddecisionswiththeauraofreligiousbeliefand
practice.Theroyalgenerosity,previouslyreservedfortheking’sretinueand
followers,begantoembracetheChurchanditsinstitutions,whiletheroyal
charismaandwisdomweresupposedtodemonstratepietyandoperateinfull
compliancewithwhatwasassumedtobeGod’swill.InmedievalScandinavia
thefigurationofanexemplarymonarchfounditsfullestexpressioninthe
charactersofthetwoNorwegianmissionarykings,ÓldfrTryggvasonandÓldfr
Haraldsson,who,withtheparticularemphasisonthesaintlystatusofthelatter,
evolvedintoroyalidealstobefollowed.
ThehistoryofmedievalScandinaviaprovidesnumerousinstancesofthe
manifestationoftheroyalideologywhichinviteandenablemodernhistorio-
graphicalstudiesonthevariousphenomenarelatedtoitsriseanddevelopment.
Thecurrentstateofresearch,althoughtoovasttobesatisfactorilyrecapitulated
here,includesenquiriesintotherelationshipbetweenpowerandreligion(both
paganandChristian),analysesoftherelationbetweenthemythicizationof
royalpowerandidentity-formation,discussionsofroyallegitimacy,andofthe
commemorationsofroyaldeeds.
Withthepresentvolumeweintendtocontributetotheongoingexamina-
tionsofthiscruciallyimportantsubject.Thepapersitconsistsofresultedfrom
aseminarentitled“AspectsofRoyalPowerintheMedievalNorth”whichwas
heldattheUniversityofSilesiainKatowice,Poland,inFebruary2016.Thevol-
umehasdrawntogetheraninternationalgroupofscholarsrepresentingvarious
disciplines(history,literarystudies,legal,andreligiousstudies),whoapproach
theproblemofroyalpowerfromthespecificanglespertainingtotheirsubject
areas,andwhoinvestigateanumberofindividualissuesandcasesrelatedtoit.
AnneIreneRiisoy(UniversityCollegeofSouth-EasternNorway),inher
articleentitled“Conversion,Things,andVikingKings,”discussestheroleof
regionalthingsinthemissionaryenterprisesofthreeNorwegiankings,Hdkon
góli,ÓldfrTryggvason,andÓldfrHaraldsson,basingheranalysisonboththe
kings’sagas,andonolderanalogues,predominantlyontheaccountofRimbert’s
VitaAnskarii.JakubMorawiec(UniversityofSilesiainKatowice),inthearticle
titled“SveinnHaraldsson-TheCapturedKingofDenmark,”discussesthe
motifofSveinn’scaptureandoftheconsequentransompaidbyhissubjects,
whichispresentinaseriesofScandinavianandcontinentalsources.Evenifit
isimpossibletodeterminewhetherthemotifinquestionholdsanyportionofthe
