Harald Greycloak

Harald II Greycloak (Old Norse: Haraldr gráfeldr, Norwegian: Harald Gråfell, Danish: Harald Gråfeld) (died 970) was a king of Norway.^[1]

Harald Greycloak was the son of Eirik Bloodaxe and a grandson of Harald Fairhair. His mother was Gunnhild Gormsdatter, the sister of King Harald Bluetooth.

After his father's death in 954, Harald and his brothers allied with their grandfather, King Harald Gormson, against King Haakon I of Norway. They fought several battles against King Haakon including the Battle of Rastarkalv near the island of Frei in 955 and the Battle of Fitjar in 961.

After King Haakon's death at Fitjar, Harald and his brothers became kings of Norway, but they had little authority outside Western Norway. Harald, by being the oldest, was the most powerful of the brothers. In 961, their uncle King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark traveled to Norway and declared Harald Greycloak to be his vassal king in Norway.

Harald moved to strengthen his rule by killing the local rulers including Sigurd Haakonsson, Tryggve Olafsson and Gudrød Bjørnsson. Harald Greycloak thus took power over the country up to and including Hålogaland. Harald established control over the trade route along the Norwegian coast. He also undertook a Viking expedition to Bjarmaland, today the area of Arkhangelsk in northern Russia. Harald soon became less dependent on support from Harald Bluetooth.^[2]

In 970, he was tricked into coming to Denmark and killed in Hals in the Limfjord in a plot planned by Sigurd Haakonsson's son Haakon Sigurdsson, who had become an ally of Harold Bluetooth. Haakon Sigurdsson had become the Jarl of Lade after his own father was killed by Harald Greycloak's men in 961. The surviving brothers of Harald Greyhide fled the country after his death. With the death of Harald Greycloak, King Harald Bluetooth won back power over Norway and he supported Haakon Sigurdsson as his vassal king.^[3]

Ancestors of Harald Greycloak

16. Gudrød the Hunter               8. Halfdan the Black                       17. Åsa Haraldsdottir of Agder               4. Harald I of Norway                             18. Sigurd Hart               9. Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter                       19. Ingeborg or Thorny Haraldsdotter               2. Eric Bloodaxe                                   20. Eric Ericsson               10. Eric II, king of Jutland                       5. Ragnhildr in ríka                             22. Harald Klak               11. Gisela Haraldsdotter                       23. Sigrid Helgesdotter               1. Harald II of Norway                                         24. Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye               12. Harthacnut I of Denmark                       25. Blaeja of Northumbria               6. Gorm the Old (or Ozur Toti)                             26. Alfred The Great of Wessex               13. Ælfigu                       27. Ealhswith               3. Gunnhild, Mother of Kings                                   28. Hemming of Denmark (Also spelled Halvdan)               14. Possibly Harald Klak                       29. Helga Dagsdottir               7. Possibly Thyra                             30. Helgi the Sharp               15. Sigrid Helgesdotter                       31. Aslaug Sigurdsdotter

References

1. Harald 2 Eiriksson Gråfell – utdypning (Store norske leksikon)
2. Bjarmeland (Store norske leksikon)
3. Sturluson, Snorri ; Eiríkr Magnúson (trans.) ; Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar, ch. 12 to 14, in Heimskringla. History of the Kings of Norway, 1905]

Other sources

• Krag, Claus Harald Gråfell in Norsk biografisk leksikon 2. utg. Bd 4, 2001.
• Koht, Halvdan Harald Graafeld in Norsk biografisk leksikon, 1. utg. Bd 5, 1931.