Erik Blodoxe (Bloody-axe) only managed to rid himself of two rival over-kings, Olaf and Sigf red, his half-brothers, for on hearing of his father's death (933), an other son, Haakon (q.v.), called the Good, who had been brought up at Aethelstan's court, came to Norway and succeeded in eject ing Erik (934)• After Haakon's death in 961 at the battle of Fitje, where his long struggle against Erik's sons and their Dan ish allies terminated, these brothers, headed by Harald Graafeld (grey-cloak) became masters of the W. districts, though the ruling spirit appears to have been their mother Gunhild. Earl Sigurd of Lade ruled the N., and the S. was held by vassal kings whom Haakon had left undisturbed. By 969 the brothers had succeeded in ridding themselves of Sigurd and two other rivals, but the following year Harald Graafeld was lured to Denmark and treach erously killed at the instigation of Earl Haakon, son of Sigurd, who had allied himself with the Danish king Harald Gormsson. With the latter's support Earl Haakon won Norway, but threw off his yoke on defeating Ragnfred Eriksson at Tingenes in 972. The S.E. districts were, however, still held by Harald Grenske, whose father had been slain by the sons of Erik. Haakon ruled ably though tyrannically, and his prestige was greatly increased by his victory over the Jomsvikings, a band of pirates inhabiting the island of Wollin at the mouth of the Oder, who had collected a large fleet to attack Norway. The landed proprietors revolted and, in 995, there landed in Norway Olaf, great-grandson of Harald Haarfager and son of the king Tryggve of the Vik whom Gudrod Eriksson had slain, and whose father Olaf had been slain by Erik Blodoxe.
The earl was treacherously killed by his thrall while in hiding, and Olaf entered unopposed upon his short and brilliant reign. His great work was the enforced conversion to Christianity of Norway, Iceland and Greenland. Both Olaf and his successor and namesake looked for help to England, whence they obtained a bishop and priests ; hence it comes that the organization of the early church in Norway resembles that of England. The hierarchi cal party in Norway only rose to power after the establishment of an archiepiscopal see at Trondhjem in 1152.
In the year i000 Olaf fell at the battle of Svolder off Riigen, fighting against the combined Dan ish and Swedish fleets. The allies shared Norway between them, but the real power lay in the hands of Erik and Svein, sons of Earl Haakon, In 1015, when Erik was absent in England, an other descendant of Harald Haarfager appeared, Olaf, the son of Harald Grenske, a great-grandson of Harald Haarfager (see OLAF II. HARALDSSON). He defeated Svein at Nesje in 1016, which left him free to work towards a united and Christian Norway, but he strained the loyalty of his subjects too far, and on the appearance of Knut the Great in 1029 he fled to Russia. His death at the battle of Stiklestad on his return in 1030 was fol lowed by a few years of Danish rule under Svein Knutsson, which rendered Olaf's memory sweet by contrast, and soon the name of St. Olaf came to stand for internal union and freedom from external oppression. In 1035 his young son Magnus, after wards called the Good, was summoned from Russia, and was readily accepted as king. A treaty was made with Hardeknut
which provided that whichever king survived should inherit the other's crown. Hardeknut died in 1042, and Magnus became king of Denmark, but a nephew of Knut the Great, Svein Estrids son, entered into league with Harald Haardraade (see HARALD III.), the half-brother of St. Olaf, who had just returned from the East. As soon, however, as overtures were made to him by Magnus, he forsook the cause of Svein, and in 1046 agreed to become joint king of Norway with Magnus. The difficulties aris ing out of this situation were solved by Magnus's death in
The End of Harald Haarfager's Line.—Harald's attempts to win Denmark were vain, and in 1066 he set about a yet more formidable task in attacking England, which ended with his death at Stamford Bridge in 1066. His son Olaf Kyrre (the Quiet) shared the kingdom with his brother Magnus until the latter's death in 1069, after which the country enjoyed a period of peace. In 1093 Olaf was succeeded by his turbulent son Magnus Barfod (barefoot) and by Haakon, son of Magnus the Good. The latter died in 1095. Besides engaging in an unsuccessful war against the Swedish king Inge, in which he was defeated at Foxerne in 110r, Magnus undertook three warlike expeditions to the Scottish isles. It was on the last of these expeditions, in 1103, that he met his death. He was succeeded by his three sons, Eystein, Sigurd and Olaf. Olaf died young. Sigurd undertook a pilgrimage, from which he gained the name of Jorsalfar (traveller to Jerusalem). He won much booty from the Moors in Spain, from pirates in the Mediterranean, and finally at Sidon, which he and his ally Bald win I. of Jerusalem sacked. Eystein died in 1122. Sigurd lived till 113o, and was the last undoubted representative of Harald Haarfager's race, for on his death his son Magnus was ousted by Harald Gille, or Gilchrist, who professed to be a natural son of Magnus Barfod.
Harald Gille was slain in 1136 by an other pretender, and anarchy ruled during the reign of his sons Eystein, Inge and Sigurd Mund. At last Inge's party attacked and killed first Sigurd (1155) and then Eystein (1'57). Inge fell in a fight against Sigurd's son Haakon Herdebred in 116i, but a powerful baron, Erling, succeeded in getting his son Magnus made king, on the plea that the boy's maternal grandfather was King Sigurd Jorsalfar. In 1164 the archbishop of Trondhjem crowned Magnus, demanding that the crown should be held as a fief of the Norwegian Church. Owing to such concessions the Church was gaining a paramount position, when a new pretender appeared. Sverre (0.N. Sverrir) claimed to be the son of Sigurd Mund, and was adopted as leader by a party known as the Birke beiner or Birchlegs. In spite of help from Denmark, the support of the Church and of the majority of barons, Magnus was de feated time after time, till he met his death at the battle of Nordnes in 1184. The aristocracy could offer little further op position. In joining hands with the Church against Sverre, the local chiefs had got out of touch with the small landowners, with whose support Sverre was able to build up a powerful monarchy.