Historical Context
As the Viking Age was drawing to a close, King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway rose to power, deposing his pagan predecessor and launching crackdowns on pagan worship in the name of spreading Christianity.
The first sources mentioning the battle were written almost two centuries and so offer a distant view on the causes of the battle, mentioning tensions over Tryggvason's marriages and division of Norwegian territory.
The Norwegian king was defeated in the battle and jumped into the ocean as his ship was about to be captured. Afterward Norway was ruled by the Jarls of Lade as it came under Swedish and Danish dominance.
Photo Info
Location taken: Baltic sea
Related Events
- 1000-09-09 Battle of Svolder, Baltic Sea: King Olaf on board the Long Serpent defeated in one of the greatest naval battles of the Viking Age. He leaps to his death overboard.
