The Greatest King of All

Vegar Nygеrd

Ms. M. Ambrose

English IV 1st period

The Greatest King of All

One source says, “War’s a game, which, were their subjects wise, Kings would not play at” (Bartlett 377). Harald Hardrada was born in 1015 in the great kingdom of Norway. His first major battle was the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. After this he spent several years in Russia and Bulgaria. He came back to Norway after terrorizing the continents of Europe and east Asia for 15 years. When he returned he claimed the throne, after dialogue with his nephew over Norway, they agreed to split it in half. In 1066 he invaded England in the last great Viking Invasion, sadly this was brutally stopped by King Harold of England at the famous battle of Stamford Bridge. Harald Hardrada was the greatest Viking king of all times; because of his traveling experience , creativity, governing excellence, and glorious death.

The experience and outward expansion of the mind developed by traveling makes this one of the crucial qualities for a Viking king. Voyaging to different cultures was very important, especially the middle east were Vikings such as Harald Hardrada met and mingled with Arabs. One source comments, “Legends credit him with capturing eighty Arab cities, the loot which he sent back to Constantinople” (Donovan 74). Harald conquered over eighty cities, thousands of miles from home, in the middle east, a different climate with different people and sent his earnings to Constantinople. Many mighty warriors would serve under different emperors. A source elaborates, “Ten years service in he imperial armies fighting in Sicily and Bulgaria”(“Harald III” 77). Harald served with many different armies and achieved a lot of experience fighting in various places. To be brought into a world of strange customs and society’s would shape a attitude important for a king. Harald came to the Russian town of Kiev at fifteen as a result of a lost battle (Donovan 74). Harald started his service in foreign lands as a result of a lost battle. All the exposure Harald received through his service through different emperors expanded his knowledge for the world.

For leaders in the Viking community tactical intelligence was essential, something showed through castle conquering. Most of the properties Vikings seized were locked between thick castle walls. To enter these castles, great ingenuity was required. One source says,

In another instance he surrounded a city, but made no effort to attack. Instead, He had some of his men play games just out of arrow range of the walls. After a few days of this, the defenders, curious as to the strange games, came outside the gate to watch. The Vikings edged nearer and nearer in their play until they were close enough to whip their swords from under their cloaks and make a dash for the gate holding it until the main body came out of hiding (Donovan 77).

Harald used patience and deception involved in luring the defenders out of their protective shell; the castle, and out, thus making it accessible for the smaller group letting the rest of the army enter it for some splendid pillaging and plunging. The task of getting in a larger castle was a task that sometimes needed to be approached creative. One source explains,

He made his bird-catchers catch the small birds which had their nests within the castle, but flew into the woods by day to get food for heir young. He had small splinters of tarred wood bound upon the backs of the birds, smeared these over with wax and sulphur, and set fire to them. As soon as the birds were let loose they all flew at once to the castle to their young, and to their nests, which they had under the house roofs that were covered with reeds or straw. The fire from the birds seized upon the house roofs (Sturlson 6).

To seize a castle which seemed impossible; Harald took birds captive, strapped tarred wood and smeared these splinters with wax and sulphur. He then had his men arsenate the back of the birds and let them loose, the birds quickly flew to their nests, these nests were in house roofs made by dry grass in the castle, these roofs caught on fire and people fled the castle, from fire to Vikings. Deception was an important part of the art of castle seizing. In another instance a source adds,

Now when the corpse was brought within the castle gate Varings set down the coffin right across the entry, fixed a bar to keep the gates open, and sounded to battle with all their trumpets, and drew their swords. The whole army of the Varings, fully armed. Rushed from the camp to the assault of the castle with shout and cry” (Sturlson 10).

Harald pretended to be dead to access the gates of the castle, when they were inside they exposed themselves as warriors and attacked with