Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
14
AnneIreneRiisøy
ThreeKingsWenttoThings
Hdkongóli(c.934-961)wasthefirstkingtoattempttoconverthissubjects,
whichisprobablyduetohisChristianupbringingatthecourtofKingÆthelstan
inWessex.Anglo-Saxonsourcesdonotwitnessthisevent;however,fivesagas
writteninbothOldNorseandLatinagreethatHdkon,repeatedlyreferredto
asAlalsteinsfóstri,wasfosteredatKingÆthelstan’scourt.2HisfatherHaraldr
hdrfagri(Fairhair)musthaveknownthatthenewreligionwouldinfluencehis
youngestson,anditisthereforelikelythat,throughthisfosteringarrangement,
analliancewithmutualbenefitswasestablished.Æthelstanmayhavelooked
uponHaraldrasanallyagainstDanishVikingsinNorthumbria,andbesides,
menwhofledfromHaraldr’srisingpowersusedEnglandasabaseforattack-
ingbothkings.3
Atthattime,therewasnounifiedkingdomof“Norway,”buttherewere
threedistinctcentresofpower.TheDanescontrolled“Viken”inthesouth,
“Norvegr”wasthewesternkingdom,whichHaraldrandhisdescendantssought
tocontrolincompetitionwiththeDanes,andthejarlsofHlalirruledthearea
tothenorth(TrondelagandHålogaland).Thejarlsaccumulatedwealthbased
onfishandfurinHålogaland,beforetheymovedsouthwardsandestablished
themselvesinTrondelag,withtheircentralfarmatHlalir.Thejarldomcov-
eredalargerareathanHaraldr’smoresouthernkingdom,anditwasprobably
equallypowerful.4
WhenHaraldrdied,HdkonwascalledbackfromEnglandandÆthelstan
mayhavegivenhimmilitarysupportalongtheway.5Hdkon’sgoalwasto
converthissubjects,andbecausehewasapopularking,somepeoplestopped
makingsacrificesandothersletthemselvesbebaptised.Then,whenHdkonhad
thesupportofsomepowerfulmen,hesenttoEnglandforabishopandother
priests,andhadsomechurchesbuilt.6Thereisindependentsupportforthis
information.WilliamofMalmesbury’sDeAntiquitateGlastoniensisEcclesiae
containsalistofGlastonburymonkswhohadbecomebishops,andoneof
these,SigefridusNorwegensisepiscopus,probablyservedwhenHdkonwas
2G.Williams,“HdkonAlalsteinsfóstri.AspectsofAnglo-SaxonKingshipinTenth-Century
Norway,”inTheNorthSeaWorldintheMiddleAges.StudiesintheCulturalHistoryofNorth-
WesternEurope,ed.T.R.LiszkaandL.E.M.Walker(Dublin2001),108-26.
3JónVilarSigurlsson,Skandinaviaivikingtiden(Oslo2017).IwouldliketothankPro-
fessorSigurlssonforgivingmeaccesstoamanuscriptofthisbookbeforeitsreleasebyPax
Forlag.
4B.Solberg,JernaldereniNorge.500førKristustil1030etterKristus(Oslo2000),286.
Forgoodoverviews,seealsoJónVilarSigurlsson,Skandinavia;B.Lincoln,BetweenHistory
andMyth.StoriesofHarldFarihairandtheFoundingoftheState(Chicago2014).
5S.Foot,Athelstan.TheFirstKingofEngland(NewHavenandLondon2011),167-69.
6B.Alalbjarnarson,HeimskringlaI(islenzkfornrit),Vol.26,(Reykjavik1941),163-67.
