by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2026
Coin with the image of Olaf I Tryggvason, King of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia
Olaf I Tryggvason reigned as King of Norway from 995 to 1000. Born circa 963 in an unknown place in Norway, Olaf I was the son of Astrid Eiriksdotter and Tryggve Olafsson, King of Viken. Viken was the historical name during the Viking Age for an area in Norway that surrounded the Oslofjord. Olaf I’s father, Tryggve Olafsson, was a paternal grandson of Harald Fairhair, traditionally considered the first King of Norway.
Olaf had two elder siblings, both sisters:
Olaf was born shortly after his father was killed by King Harald II Graycloak of Norway, as part of Harald II’s effort to establish his rule over Norway. Astrid and her young son Olaf fled to the court of Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev, where Olaf was trained as a Viking warrior. In 991, Olaf joined the Viking attacks on England, which had been resumed with the accession of King Æthelred II the Unready to the English throne in 978. Æthelred II sued for peace in 991, agreeing to pay large sums in tribute. In 994, Olaf and Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark (later also King of England and King of Norway), sailed up the River Thames and raided London. Æthelred II and his council bought them off with 22,000 pounds of gold and silver, instituting the policy of paying regular protection money called Danegeld. These raids and the subsequent payment of Danegeld continued for several years.
It is thought that while raiding England, Olaf encountered Christian missionaries, received a prophecy, and was baptized and/or confirmed in Andover, England, with King Æthelred II as his godfather.
It appears that Olaf married four times:
- Geira Burislavsdatter, daughter of Burislaw of Rugen, Prince of the Wends
- Gyda, a noblewoman from the British Isles
- Tryggvi the Pretender, arrived in Norway in the 1030s and claimed to be the son of Olaf I Tryggvason and Gyda
- Gudrun, daughter of Skegge Asbjörnsson, a Viking chieftain. In 997, Skjegge was among the local pagan chieftains who opposed the spread of Christianity. Skjegge requested that King Olaf I observe a religious ceremony being conducted at a shrine of Thor, as other kings in the land had done before. Olaf I agreed, but once inside the shrine, he immediately attacked the image of Thor while his men seized and killed Skjegge. Gudrun was given as a wife to Olaf I as part of a settlement between Olaf I and Skjegge’s relatives, but she was sent away after she attempted to kill Olaf I in his sleep to avenge her father.
- Tyra Haraldsdatter of Denmark (circa 972 – 1000), daughter of a Viking warrior, Harald I Bluetooth, King of Denmark and Norway
Haakon Sigurdsson was the Earl of Norway and basically served as King of Norway from circa 970 until he was killed in 995. In 995, a quarrel broke out between Haakon Sigurdsson and the Trønders, the people who lived in the area of the current city of Trondheim, Norway and the surrounding area. Haakon Sigurdsson had become unpopular with the Norwegian people because he often took daughters of the nobility as concubines, which was his right as ruler. However, he quickly grew tired of the women and sent them home after a week or two. Haakon Sigurdsson’s rejection of the Christian faith caused fighting, which further weakened his position.
Olav Tryggvason arrives in Norway by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1831-1892) from Pictures of the History of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia
Learning of the growing revolt against Haakon Sigurdsson, Olaf Tryggvason returned to Norway. By the time Olaf Tryggvason arrived in Norway, many Norwegians were already in revolt against Haakon Sigurdsson, who was forced to hide with his slave Tormod Kark in a hole dug in a pigsty on a farm called Rimul in Melhus, Norway. When Olaf Tryggvason met the rebels, he was accepted as their king, and together they searched for Haakon Sigurdsson. When they came to the farm where Haakon Sigurdsson and Tormod Kark were hiding, their search was initially unsuccessful.
Olaf Tryggvason gathered all the men together, close to the pig sty, unaware that Haakon Sigurdsson was hiding there, and promised a great reward for the man who killed him. Both Haakon Sigurdsson and Tormod Kark heard what Olaf Tryggvason had said. Haakon Sigurdsson feared that Tormod Kark would kill him for the reward. When Haakon Sigurdsson fell asleep, Tormod Kark decapitated him with a knife.
The day after he killed Haakon Sigurdsson, Tormod Kark went to Olaf Tryggvason and presented him with Haakon Sigurdsson’s head. However, instead of a reward, Olaf Tryggvason had Tormod Kark decapitated. The heads of Haakon Sigurdsson and Tormod Kark were set on stakes for people to spit at. Olaf Tryggvason was accepted as the ruler of Norway and reigned as King Olaf I.
In 997, King Olaf I founded a town he called Kaupangen, in English, market place or trading place. In the Middle Ages, the town came to be called Nidaros. Eventually, it was called Trondheim, the historic name for the whole district, now known as Trøndelag. It was also frequently used as the king’s seat and was the capital of Norway through the Viking Age until 1300, when the capital was later moved to Oslo
Christian missionaries from England and areas now in Germany attempted to convert Norwegians to Christianity with limited success. However, they succeeded in converting King Olaf I of Norway to Christianity. He then forcefully imposed Christianity on the areas under his control, along the coast and the western islands, but failed to establish lasting religious institutions in Norway. King Olaf I started the destruction of pagan cult sites, but it was Olaf Haraldsson, Saint Olaf, who achieved the official adoption of Christianity in the 1020s.
The Battle of Svolder, by Norwegian painter Otto Sinding (1842–1909)
Olaf I’s fourth wife, Tyra Haraldsdatter of Denmark, had arranged to marry Olaf I Tryggvason, King of Norway, as his fourth wife, without the approval of her brother, Sweyn Forkbeard, who was displeased and had refused to pay her dowry to Olaf. Olaf set out to seek allies for a war against Denmark. On September 9, 1000, the Battle of Svolder, a large naval battle was fought in the western Baltic Sea between King Olaf I of Norway and his former ally, Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, who had allied with Olof Skötkonung, King of Sweden and Eirik Hákonarson, Jarl of Lade. Together, the three allies ambushed Olaf I. His ship, the Long Serpent, was overpowered, and King Olaf I of Norway was defeated. The Danish sources reported that when Olaf knew all was lost, he threw himself into the sea, “the end befitting his life”, according to the German chronicler Adam of Bremen. The Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus says that Olaf preferred suicide to death at the hands of the enemy and jumped overboard in full armor rather than see his enemies victorious. However, some sagas suggest that Olaf made his way to the shore, perhaps by swimming, perhaps with the help of angels, but a rescue by one of the Wendish ships present is more likely. After his escape, Olaf supposedly sought salvation for his soul abroad, perhaps joining a monastery.
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Works Cited
- Bidragsytere til Wikimedia-prosjektene. (2004). Konge av Norge. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_Tryggvason
- Bidragsytere til Wikimedia-prosjektene. (2006). Tyra Haraldsdatter. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyra_Haraldsdatter
- Olaf Tryggvason | Biography & Facts | Britannica. (2020). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Olaf-Tryggvason
- Olaf Tryggvason. (2020). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_Tryggvason
- Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Astrid Eiriksdotter. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
- Wikipedia Contributors. (2025, July 28). Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
