King Olaf II of Norway

Olaf Haraldsen, the son of King Harald Grenske who was one of the petty kings in Norway, played an important role in the conversion of the Norwegians to Christianity and centralizing them through the Christian faith. Olaf was raised by his step-father, Sigurd Syr, as his father was killed in battle by the Swedes. In his coming of age, Olaf led a series of military campaigns against the Swedes, the Finns, and the Danes under the guidance of his foster-father, Hrane who was also called the "foster-father of kings". He was called a king as was Norwegian custom at the time to declare any one who commanded a ship in battle a king. Since the Swedes were responsible for killing his father, he began his military campaigns against the Swedes. He fought off witches in Finland, and then came to the West to assist King Ethelred in battle against the Danes. The Danish King Svein was mysteriously killed during these campaigns, some attributing the death to St. Edmund. This was similar to how St. Mercurius is traditionally held to have felled Julian the Apostate. It is highly possible that Olaf converted to Christianity while assisting the English against the Danes. He had planned to head out to Jerusalem but a figure appeared to him in a dream and told him that his bloodline would reign in Norway forever and that he must return to become king of all Norway.

In the Summer of 1012, King Ethelred died and the Danish King Canute took Queen Emma's hand in marriage and forced the Anglos under the dominion of the Danes. He had Ethelred's son Edmund, who had succeeded his father as king, murdered. This move effectively placed Canute as the de facto King of England and an usurper at that. Olaf was requested to remove the presence of the Danes from England and if he could do so, he would be granted all of Northumberland. Olaf came with force and seized a significant portion of Northumberland from the Danes. Having accomplished that, he returned once again to Norway to drive Earl Hakon, the Dane, out of Norway and did so with the promise that Earl Hakon would leave Olaf alone and never engage in battle with him again. Olaf had now secured the wrath of both the Swedes and the Danes in his young military career.

Olaf was determined to free Norway from the yoke of foreign masters and has become a symbol of fierce nationalism for Norwegians,

"I know the inclination of the people well, -- that all want to be free from the slavery of foreign masters, and will give aid and strength to the attempt. I have not proposed this matter to any before thee, because I know thou art a man of understanding, and can best judge how this my purpose shall be brought forward in the beginning, and whether we shall, in all quietness, talk about it to a few persons, or instantly declare it to the people at large. I have already shown my teeth by taking prisoner the Earl Hakon, who has now left the country, and given me, under oath, the part of the kingdom which he had before; and I think it will be easier to have Earl Svein alone to deal with, than if both were defending the country against us." (The Saga of Olaf Haraldson, 33)

Due to his fierce nationalism and defense of his family, many of whom held positions as kings over the differing parts of the Uplands, for Norway was divided into different lands governed by individual kings at this point, Olaf would gain favor among the electing kings. These kings met in a counsel to elect a supreme king. There had not been a supreme king of all Norway since Olaf Trygvason had died in the year 1000. He had been a convert to Christianity but seized most of the property of the descendants of the Harald Harfager that the kings of the Uplands couldn't determine what god it was he had actually believed in. They placed their trust in Olaf Haraldsen though.

But Earl Svein, who had served as an Earl alongside Hakon over Norway, was a traitor. He stirred up rebellion against Olaf, among those who had even sworn allegiance to Olaf. Olaf was left alone with his step-father Sigurd Syr, who continued to supply him with the men he needed in Viken in order to fend off the rebels. Olaf came with 100 well-equipped men who drove the Earl out of Norway. After a battle where Svein's men suffered massive losses, the Earl went to seek his brother-in-law, Olaf the King of Sweden, for assistance against Olaf the Thick. The Earl would die in Sweden. Trondhejm and Viken both received Olaf as king and built the Church of St. Clement in Nidaros. At this point, those who were aligned with Olaf the Thick were deeply Christian. Before the battle against Earl Svein, they held Mass, and they went into battle with crosses painted across their shields.

"It was King Olaf's custom to rise betimes in the morning, put on his clothes, wash his hands, and then go to the church and hear the matins and morning mass. Thereafter he went to the Thing- meeting, to bring people to agreement with each other, or to talk of one or the other matter that appeared to him necessary. He invited to him great and small who were known to be men of understanding. He often made them recite to him the laws which Hakon Athelstan's foster-son had made for Throndhjem; and after considering them with those men of understanding, he ordered laws adding to or taking from those established before. But Christian privileges he settled according to the advice of Bishop Grimbel and other learned priests; and bent his whole mind to uprooting heathenism, and old customs which he thought contrary to Christianity." (ibid, 56)

Olaf, having heard how other regions within his domain had allowed practices contrary to Christianity, set out to reform the code of laws in order to orient them to Christianity. The decline of Paganism within Europe is seen through the works of Sts. Olga, Ludmilla, Wenceslaus, Vladimir, Olaf. The turn of the millennium signified the collapse of Paganism and the victory of Christianity, resulting in the beginning of civilization. The Christianization of Norway was more successful at first in the region of Viken as the people there were more acquainted with Christian tradition, but slowly, Scandinavia was fully recognizing Christianity much as Rus' had done shortly before and Bohemia before that. After gravely inflicting punishment on Christians who were adhering to Pagan practices, five of the Upland kings rebelled against him. Olaf subdued those kings, one of whom was Hrorek, a kinsman who would make an attempt on the king's life, and he seized their lands. Olaf would eventually exile Hrorek to Iceland, refusing to put the rebel to death on account of his relation.

Olaf had been pursuing an alliance with Olaf of Sweden. But Olaf of Sweden remembered the early campaigns of King Olaf and the raids he had made against the Swedes. For this, Olaf of Sweden held a permanent and insatiable grudge against the Norwegian king. Yet he had promised his daughter Ingegard to Olaf II. However, due to his grudge, Olaf refused to make good on his word and married Ingegard to the Russian king Jarisleif instead. The Earl Ragnvald, who had been behind the previous marriage arrangement and had desired peace with Norway, was given the Earldom of Lagoda as a marital gift and had Olaf of Norway married to the Swedish king's daughter Astrid instead. This enraged Olaf of Sweden even greater. The Swedish people, troubled by the broken promises of Olaf, held a Thing to coronate Olaf's son, Onund the kingdom. The Swedish land was divided between Olaf and Onund with the Norwegian King Olaf forming an alliance with Onund. This alliance strengthened in 1021 when Olaf of Sweden died and Onund became sole ruler of Sweden.

Olaf continued the spread of Christianity throughout Norway, often through forceful tactics. The Halogaland people were fierce opponents of Christianity. Disgusted by their Pagan practices, Olaf threatened them to embrace Christianity and give up these practices. They did so and churches were built and Norway continued to be a bastion of Christianity in Scandinavia thanks to the tactics of Olaf. Though this may be seen as imprudent on the part of the Norwegian King, it should be noted that Christian law gives legitimate rulers the right and authority to protect the spread of Christianity by the usage of force, censorship, and suppression.

Ten years into Olaf's reign as Supreme King of Norway, Canute the Great of Denmark and England forged a territorial claim on the Norwegian lands held by Olaf. This included all of the Uplands, the Orkney Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland. Canute the Great was hellbent to claim them back for himself stating that because of the Danish Earldoms of his father, he was entitled to those lands. Canute was able to fuel rebellion in the midst of the Norsemen by planting spies among their ranks. Much of the Swedish men deserted from Onund and only the strongest remained with the brothers-in-law as they fought against Canute and the rebels. The Saga explains why the people eventually rebelled against St. Olaf.

"He punished great and small with equal severity, which appeared to the chief people of the country too severe; and animosity rose to the highest when they lost relatives by the king's just sentence, although they were in reality guilty. This was the origin of the hostility of the great men of the country to King Olaf, that they could not bear his just judgments. He again would rather renounce his dignity than omit righteous judgment. The accusation against him, of being stingy with his money, was not just, for he was a most generous man towards his friends; but that alone was the cause of the discontent raised against him, that he appeared hard and severe in his retributions. Besides, King Canute offered great sums of money, and the great chiefs were corrupted by this, and by his offering them greater dignities than they had possessed before. The inclinations of the people, also, were all in favour of Earl Hakon, who was much beloved by the country folks when he ruled the country before." (ibid, 192)

Olaf fled to Russia where his sister-in-law, Ingegard was with King Jarisleif. There, the Queen offered him dominion over any Russian lands he desired, including Bulgaria, and Olaf even considered joining a monastery. He realized that his deposal had ended his reign. There was nothing he could do to win his throne back. But in a dream, he heard Olaf Trygvason call him to remember his right over the land of Norway and with few men and the aid of Onund, he would head back to Norway one last time.

Olaf was questioned as to whether he should mutilate the traitors and plunder them as he had done though with the Pagan sympathizers, to which he responded,

"The bondes have well deserved that it should be done to them as ye desire. They also know that I have formerly done so, burning their habitations, and punishing them severely in many ways; but then I proceeded against them with fire and sword because they rejected the true faith, betook themselves to sacrifices, and would not obey my commands. We had then God's honour to defend. But this treason against their sovereign is a much less grievous crime, although it does not become men who have any manhood in them to break the faith and vows they have sworn to me. Now, however, it is more in my power to spare those who have dealt ill with me, than those whom God hated." (ibid, 217)

Not intent on punishing them more than necessary, Olaf even distributed pieces of silver on behalf of the souls who had betrayed him.

King Canute had placed a bishop on the episcopal throne in Norway who encouraged and egged on insurrection against King Olaf. This bishop rallied up the bondes who would soon fight against Olaf. Olaf II would eventually fall in the Battle of Stiklestad. Thorer Hund and Kalf Arnason confronted the King and killed him. It is uncertain if Kalf dealt the wound in the neck or if it was Thorer Hund. Thorer found the King's body lying on the ground and saw the King lying as if asleep, not dead. The blood still flowing, it went up to where Thorer had been wounded and healed him as if he was never wounded. Thus, Thorer would be the first of the King's opponents to testify of his sanctity. King Olaf had also healed the son of a widow when he was in Russia of a boil that grew and festered upon his neck. Olaf's body was hidden from the rebels during the skirmish but a blind boy who had not seen anything in much while found himself in a cabin where the body of the king had been hidden and was found to be healed of his blindness upon the unbeknownst to him encounter.

King Canute broke many of his promises and placed his son Svein on the throne of Norway rather than Kalf Arnason, the leader of the rebel army. Svein ruled as a tyrant, which greatly led to the people's penance over their slaying of the saintly king.

"King Svein introduced new laws in many respects into the country, partly after those which were in Denmark, and in part much more severe. No man must leave the country without the king's permission; or if he did, his property fell to the king. Whoever killed a man outright, should forfeit all his land and movables. If any one was banished the country, and all heritage fell to him, the king took his inheritance. At Yule every man should pay the king a meal of malt from every harvest steading, and a leg of a three-year old ox, which was called a friendly gift, together with a spand of butter; and every house-wife a rock full of unspun lint, as thick as one could span with the longest fingers of the hand. The bondes were bound to build all the houses the king required upon his farms. Of every seven males one should be taken for the service of war, and reckoning from the fifth year of age; and the outfit of ships should be reckoned in the same proportion. Every man who rowed upon the sea to fish should pay the king five fish as a tax, for the land defence, wherever he might come from. Every ship that went out of the country should have stowage reserved open for the king in the middle of the ship. Every man, foreigner or native, who went to Iceland, should pay a tax to the king. And to all this was added, that Danes should enjoy so much consideration in Norway, that one witness of them should invalidate ten of Northmen." (ibid, 253)

The attitudes of the people began to change and they chased out Bishop Sigurd who had inspired the insurrection against King Olaf and Olaf's body would be disinterred by Bishop Grimkel who had discovered the body almost as if it had been asleep for a year, rather than dead. Many more healings were attributed to Olaf II. Olaf fell on July 29, 1030 A.D. and was disinterred on August 3, 1031 A.D., only a little over a year after his martyrdom. His body was moved to Clement's Church which was replaced by Christ Church. It is possibly now hidden under another Church today called Saint-King's Church in Norway, but archeologists have been trying to determine whether this is so. In the year of 1034, Kalf Arnason made a venture all the way to Novgorod where he inquired of King Jarisleif to make King Magnus, the son of Olaf II, King of Norway. Those who had been Olaf II's opponents in battle were reconciled together with Olaf's son.

Olaf II is a symbol of nationalism for his fight against foreigners sapping off the fields of a country they belong not to. Olaf II is greatly venerated in Norway to this day. With the emphasis on solidarity, we tend to forget the Church also holds to subsidiarian values as well. If these values are neglected, we fall under the tyranny of the collective brain. Olaf II embraced both as he united his country through Christianity and ended Paganism and crushed heresy and he liberated his country from foreign oppression at the same time. Today, the liberal media talks unendingly about the dangers of "Christian nationalism" and yet we see it as a virtue in Olaf II. What the media hates is Christianity in general because if people believe in God, there is no means to oppress any one into collectivism. St. Olaf II of Norway, pray for us!