Turner, James Harald Hardrada

The Making of Europe

The wounded teenager Harald Hardrada fled Norway in 1030 after his half-brother King Olaf II was killed in the Battle of Stiklestad. Decades later, he returned as a battle-hardened mercenary leader, laden with spoils from wars he had fought throughout the Mediterranean. Harald's transformation from exiled half-king to famous adventurer and warrior took him on a winding path from the steppes and trading posts of Kievan Rus to the glittering palaces of Constantinople and the ancient, war-torn cities of Sicily. As commander of the legendary Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Empire, Harald travelled extensively before putting his hard-earned wealth, experience and political connections to use in a ruthless game for the throne of Norway. The world of eleventh-century Europe was neither self-contained nor compartmentalised, but benefited from long-established trade and communication routes. Hardrada's travels and his interactions with the many overlapping cultures and political entities he encountered further illustrate this essential interconnectedness. The 11th century was a particularly formative century in European history, with a number of combative new kingdoms emerging and the foundations for the future of Europe being laid. As 11th-century Europe was thrown into turmoil and struggled to find a new balance due to the cultural, political and demographic changes it was undergoing, incredible opportunities opened up for adventurers brave enough to take advantage of this period of uncertainty. Upon his return to Norway after a long exile, Harald's ambitions extended far beyond the Norwegian throne and included restoring the North Sea empire of Cnut the Great, his family's greatest enemy. Harald has often been referred to, with no small amount of admiration and respect, as the last Viking. Yet this title underestimates the scope of Harald's achievements and his profound influence on the form and internal coherence of the Kingdom of Norway. This book, part biography, part medieval travelogue, extends his critical and incisive examination of Harald's career to the many European and Mediterranean states he travelled through and fought in during his long exile. By placing Harald in his proper historical context, he is detached from his role as a mere runner-up in the battle for the kingdom of England in 1066 and revealed as one of the great rulers and state founders of his time.