Haakon Ericsson (
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
: ''Hákon Eiríksson''; ; died c. 1029–1030) was the last
Earl of Lade and governor of Norway from 1012 to 1015 and again from 1028 to 1029 as a vassal under Danish King
Knut the Great.
Biography
Håkon Eiriksson was from a dynasty of Norwegian rulers in the eastern part of
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
, bordering the
Trondheimsfjord
The Trondheim Fjord or Trondheimsfjorden (), an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's List of Norwegian fjords, third-longest fjord at long. It is located in the west-central part of the country in Trøndelag county, and it stretches from Ørl ...
. He was the son of
Eirik Håkonson, ruler of Norway and earl of
Northumbria
Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland.
The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...
. His mother is commonly believed to have been Gytha, a daughter of
Sweyn Forkbeard
Sweyn Forkbeard ( ; ; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 until his death, King of England for five weeks from December 1013 until his death, and King of Norway from 999/1000 until 1014. He was the father of King Ha ...
and
Sigrid the Haughty of
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and half-sister of King Knut. After the
Battle of Svolder, Eirik Håkonson, with his brother
Sveinn Hákonarson, became kings of Norway under Sweyn Forkbeard. In 1014 or 1015 Eirik Håkonson left Norway and joined Knut for his campaign in England. The north English earldom of
Northumbria
Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland.
The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...
was given by Knut to Eirik after he won control of the north. Eirik remained as earl of Northumbria until his death between 1023 and 1033.
As his father's successor in Norway, Håkon Eiriksson ruled as a Danish vassal from 1012 to 1015, with
Einar Tambarskjelve as his aide and his uncle, Sveinn Hákonarson, holding some areas as a Swedish vassal. After some years' absence in England fighting the Danes,
Olaf Haraldsson returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the petty kings of the Uplands. In 1016, Olaf defeated Sveinn Hákonarson at the
Battle of Nesjar. After the victory of Olaf Haraldsson, Håkon fled to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
where he was well received by King Knut and made Earl of
Worcester. After the
Battle of the Helgeå, Norwegian nobles rallied behind Knut.
He is recorded as being the
ruler of the Sudreyar from 1016 until 1030. In 1028, Håkon Eiriksson returned as Knut's vassal ruler of Norway.
Håkon died in a shipwreck in the
Pentland Firth
The Pentland Firth (, meaning the Orcadian Strait) is a strait which separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland. Despite the name, it is not a firth.
Etymology
The name is presumed to be a corruption of the Old Nors ...
, between the
Orkney Islands
Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...
and the Scottish mainland, in either late 1029 or early 1030.
Notes
References
*
Further reading
*Forte, A. ''Viking Empires'' (Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005)
*Christiansen, Eric ''The Norsemen in the Viking Age'' (Blackwell Publishing. 2002)
{{Authority control
11th-century deaths
11th-century rulers of the Kingdom of the Isles
11th-century Norwegian monarchs
Deaths due to shipwreck at sea
People from Worcester, England
Ladejarl dynasty
11th-century regents
Year of birth unknown
Norwegian exiles
Year of birth uncertain