The Hardrada dynasty ( no, Hardrådeætta) was a powerful royal

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

which ruled, at various times in history, the

Kingdom of Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, the

Kingdom of Mann and the Isles The Kingdom of the Isles consisted of the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Firth of Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or Nort ...

, and the

Earldom of Orkney The Earldom of Orkney is the official status of the Orkney Islands. It was originally a Norse feudal dignity in Scotland which had its origins from the Viking period. In the ninth and tenth centuries it covered more than the Northern Isles (' ...

. The royal house was founded, albeit unknowingly, by

Harald Sigurdsson Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' (; modern no, Hardråde, roughly translated as "stern counsel" or "hard ruler") in the sagas, was King of Norway from 1046 t ...

when he was made king of Norway. His descendants would expand the influence, wealth and power of the dynasty after his death at Stamford Bridge September 25, 1066. It is very unlikely that the rulers ever referred to their dynasty as the "House of Hardrada", this is a term coined for the dynasty by modern historians. The younger saga writers (not the kings themselves) claimed that Harald Hardrada descended from Norway's first king

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...

, but this is not accepted as historically correct by most modern historians. It replaced the Saint Olaf dynasty, and was again replaced by the Gille branch, whose founder

Harald Gille Harald Gille (Old Norse: ''Haraldr Gilli'' or ''Haraldr Gillikristr'', c. 1102 − 14 December 1136), also known as Harald IV, was king of Norway from 1130 until his death. His byname Gille is probably from Middle Irish ''Gilla Críst'' "servant o ...

claimed to be a descendant of the Hardrada line. Sometimes this line is considered a part of the House of Hardrada. The line was briefly restored under

Magnus Erlingsson Magnus Erlingsson ( non, Magnús Erlingsson, 1156 – 15 June 1184) was a king of Norway (being Magnus V) during the civil war era in Norway. He was the first known Scandinavian monarch to be crowned in Scandinavia. He helped to establish primoge ...

, a cognatic descendant of the dynasty, but was replaced again by the House of Sverre in 1184.

List of kings and rival kings

The rulers within the royal house or dynasty would often have a "rival king" to oppose the "legitimate" king's right to rule the realm and dominions (rival kings noted in bold). Here is a list of the rulers when the house held the power in Norway: * Harald Hardrule ''Harald Hardråde'': 1046–1066 * Magnus Haraldsson ''Magnus II of Norway'' : 1066–1069 * Olaf the Peaceful ''Olav Kyrre'' or ''Olaf III of Norway'': 1066–1093 * Håkon Magnusson : 1093–1094 *

Magnus Barefoot Magnus Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Magnús Óláfsson'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Olavsson''; 1073 – 24 August 1103), better known as Magnus Barefoot (Old Norse: ''Magnús berfœttr'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Berrføtt''), was King of Norway (being Ma ...

''Magnus Berrføtt'' or ''Magnus III of Norway'': 1093–1103 *

Olaf Magnusson Olav Magnusson (1099 – 22 December 1115) was king of Norway in 1103–1115. He was the son of King Magnus Barefoot and Sigrid, daughter of Saxe of Vik. Olav became king together with his half-brothers Sigurd Jorsalfar and Øystein Magnusson wh ...

: 1103–1115 *

Øystein Magnusson Eystein Magnusson (Old Norse: ''Eysteinn Magnússon'', Norwegian: ''Øystein Magnusson''; c. 1088 – 29 August 1123) was King of Norway (as Eystein I) from 1103 to 1123 together with his brothers Sigurd the Crusader and Olaf Magnusson, althoug ...

''Eystein I of Norway'': 1103–1123 *

Sigurd the Crusader Sigurd Magnusson (1089 – 26 March 1130), also known as Sigurd the Crusader (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Jórsalafari'', Norwegian: ''Sigurd Jorsalfar''), was King of Norway (being Sigurd I) from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his half-broth ...

''Sigurd Jorsalfare'' or ''Sigurd I of Norway'': 1103–1130 *

Magnus the Blind Magnus Sigurdsson (c. 1115 – 12 November 1139), also known as Magnus the Blind, was King of Norway (being Magnus IV) from 1130 to 1135 and again from 1137 to 1139. His period as king marked the beginning of the civil war era in Norway, which las ...

''Magnus Blinde'' or ''Magnus IV of Norway'': 1130–1135 ** Sigurd the Noisy ''Sigurd Slembe'': 1135–1139, rival king *

''Magnus V of Norway'' : 1161–1184 **

Olav Ugjæva Olav Ugjæva or Olav Gudbrandsson (Old Norse: ''Ólafr úgæfa'') (died 1169) was a pretender to the Norwegian throne during the civil war era in Norway. Olaf was named king in 1166, but was subsequently defeated by King Magnus V of Norway (''Mag ...

''Olav Gudbrandsson'': 1166–1169, rival king **

Sigurd Magnusson :''Sigurd Magnusson was also the name of Sigurd I of Norway.'' Sigurd Magnusson (ca. 1180 – 3 April 1194) was a Norwegian nobleman who campaigned against King Sverre of Norway during the Civil war era in Norway. Background Sigurd Magnusson was ...

: 1193–1194, rival king **

Inge Magnusson Inge Magnusson or Inge Baglar-king was from 1196 to 1202 the Bagler candidate for pretender to the Norwegian throne during the Civil war era in Norway. In 1197, a serious challenge to the reign of King Sverre of Norway arose. Several prominent op ...

: 1196–1202, rival king ** Erling Stonewall ''Erling Steinvegg'': 1204–1207, rival king

References

{{Royal houses of Norway Hardrada Norwegian monarchy