Harald Fairhair

Biography

Harald Fairhair — Harald Hárfagri in Old Norse — made a vow not to cut or comb his hair until he had conquered all of Norway, and ruled a unified Norway for over forty years after Hafrsfjord made that vow possible. The saga account says the vow was made for the love of a woman who refused to become the concubine of a mere petty king; whether or not that story is true, the political project was real and consequential. Harald inherited the small kingdom of Vestfold from his father and spent roughly fifteen years systematically expanding it, defeating other petty kings in succession until the decisive naval battle at Hafrsfjord around 872 gave him control of the entire Norwegian coast. His subsequent reign lasted until his death around 932 — roughly sixty years — making him one of the longest-reigning monarchs of the Viking Age. His political impact extended far beyond Norway. The jarls and petty kings who refused his overlordship emigrated rather than submit, and their emigration populated Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Norse settlements across the British Isles. Harald thus inadvertently created the conditions for the Norse discovery of Greenland and America: the independent Icelandic commonwealth, founded by men fleeing his authority, produced Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson. The longship that reached North America was, in a sense, sailing away from Harald.

Key Battles