Horik II (died after 864), also known as Hårik or, in late sources, Erik Barn (Danish: "Erik the Child"), was King of the
Danes
Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
History
Early history
Denmark ...
from the fall of
Horik I
Horik I or Hårik (died 854) was a king of the Danes. He was co-ruler from 813, and sole king from c. 828 until his violent death in 854. His long and eventful reign was marked by Danish raids on the Carolingian Empire of Louis the Pious, son an ...
in 854 to an unknown date between 864 and 873. During his reign the Danish kingdom showed tendencies of breaking up. After his demise under unknown circumstances, Denmark entered a long period of obscurity, until the rise of the
Jelling
Jelling is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 4,038 (1 January 2025), located in Jelling Parish, approximately 10 km northwest of Vejle. The town lies 105 metres above sea level.
Location
Jelling is located in Vejle municipality ...
dynasty in the 10th century.
Political crisis and ascent
His predecessor
Horik I
Horik I or Hårik (died 854) was a king of the Danes. He was co-ruler from 813, and sole king from c. 828 until his violent death in 854. His long and eventful reign was marked by Danish raids on the Carolingian Empire of Louis the Pious, son an ...
had a long reign of more than 40 years. By the mid 9th century he was old by the standards of the time, and younger relatives began to create trouble. One of them, Guttorm, attacked Horik in 854. In the brief civil war that followed, the branches of the royal family were nearly wiped out. The Frankish '' Fulda Annals'' and the ''
Vita Ansgari
The ''Vita Ansgarii'', also known as the ''Vita Anskarii'', is the hagiography of saint Ansgar, written by Rimbert, his successor as archbishop in the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. The ''Vita'' is an important source not only in detailing Ansgar ...
'' make clear that only a single royal child was left alive, also called Horik (Old Norse, Hárikr). In later historiography he is hence known as Erik the Child. The problem with the story is that at the time there was no hereditary kingship. Kings were literally shouted into office at the assemblies (Danish: landsting) by the chiefs and peasants who supported him. Moreover, there still relatives of the former king
Harald Klak
Harald 'Klak' Halfdansson (c. 785 – c. 852) was a king in Jutland (and possibly other parts of Denmark) around 812–814 and again from 819–827."Carolingian Chronicles: Royal Frankish Annals and Nithard's Histories" (1970), translation by Bernh ...
alive. Judging from the Frankish sources, the power center of the dynasty lay in extreme southern Denmark, including Hedeby, and Horik II emerged as the strongest of the claimants although young. Little is known about him except for stray references in various Frankish annals and '' The Life of Ansgar'' by
Rimbert
Saint Rimbert (or Rembert) (''c.'' 830 - 11 June 888 in Bremen) was archbishop of Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, Hamburg-Bremen, in the northern part of the East Francia, Kingdom of East Frankia from 865 until his death in 888. He most famously wr ...
.
Horik II was probably not the son of Horik I, but a close relative, perhaps a nephew or grandson of the old king. At any rate he belonged to the powerful House of Gudfred which held power in much of Denmark. Sons were not usually named after fathers in Viking Age Denmark.
Struggle for South Jutland
The old Horik I had been friendly disposed to
Ansgar
Ansgar (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar, Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishopric of Bremen, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the ...
,
Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen
This list records the bishops of the Archdiocese of Bremen, Roman Catholic diocese of Bremen (), supposedly a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Archbishopric of Cologne, then of the bishops of Bremen, who were in personal union archbishops ...
, and allowed the construction of a church in Hedeby. However, the violent showdown in 854 cost the lives of the Danish grandees who had been favourable to the archbishop. Some people blamed the recent disasters on the intrusion of the new faith. After his accession, Horik II followed the advice of the anti-Christian Hovi Jarl and closed the Hedeby church, expelling its priest. However, political developments soon changed the conditions for missionary work. Already in 855 two claimants arrived from their base in
Frisia
Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...
. They were Rørik and Gudfred, nephew and son of the former king Harald Klak, who were probably distant relatives of the Gudfred clan. They therefore had a claim to power as valid as Horik's. At the time Rørik was attempting to carve out a Frisian kingdom between the Saxons and the Danes with the help of the
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
rulers
Lothair I
Lothair I (9th. C. Frankish: ''Ludher'' and Medieval Latin: ''Lodharius''; Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century emperor of the ...
and later
Lothair II
Lothair II (835 – 8 August 869) was a Carolingian king and ruler of northern parts of Middle Francia, that came to be known as Lotharingia, reigning there from 855 until his death in 869. He also ruled over Burgundy, holding from 855 just th ...
. The two Viking princes demanded part of the Danish realm but were turned away.
Rørik nevertheless came back in 857, using the authority of Lothair II of
Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a historical region and an early medieval polity that existed during the late Carolingian and early Ottonian era, from the middle of the 9th to the middle of the 10th century. It was established in 855 by the Treaty of Prüm, a ...
to intimidate Horik. As it turned out the young king had to give up his lands in South Jutland between the Eider River and the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
. This may have included Hedeby at the Schlei, an inlet of the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
, where Hovi Jarl probably supported Rørik. The possession of Hedeby would have secured considerable toll incomes, as it was one of the most important commercial centers of Viking Age Scandinavia. It would have been in Lothair II's interest to use the port to increase trade between Lotharingia and Scandinavia. However, the plans were cut short by a new incident, since Rørik's Frisian port Dorestad was ravaged by other Vikings while he was absent. Rørik soon had to leave his Danish kingdom for Frisia, and his possessions apparently reverted to Horik. Circumstances thus prevented a thinly veiled attempt to add southern Denmark to the Carolingians.
Missionary recovery
Now Hovi Jarl was expelled from Hedeby by Horik, who opened friendly relations with the East Frankish kingdom, as his predecessor Horik I had done before him. The king, although not a Christian, turned increasingly tolerant of the Christians among his people and of the missionaries from the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen who found their way north. Horik was guided by a relative called Burghard who had also been influential during Horik I's reign and was well disposed to Ansgar. According to the polished account of Rimbert, the young ruler appreciated Ansgar as a good and upright ally. He was persuaded by Ansgar to reopen the ruined church and donated land for a new church at
Ribe
Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,367 (2025). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding municipality and county. It is now part of the enlarged E ...
. It is sometimes alleged that the king gave permission for a third Danish church to be built in Århus during the time of Bishop Rimbert, Ansgar's successor, in 866. However, Århus is only mentioned in the actual sources in 948. Horik even allowed the Christians in Hedeby to ring church bells for the first time, much to the disgust of the non-Christians who believed the bells would frighten off the land spirits (Danish: landvætter) and ruin the harvest. In 864
Pope Nicholas I
Pope Nicholas I (; c. 800 – 13 November 867), called Nicholas the Great, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 858 until his death on 13 November 867. He is the last of the three popes listed in the Annuario Pontif ...
received gifts from Horik via the East Frankish king. The Pope wrote that Horik had made a promise to God and
Saint Peter
Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
and hoped he would continue in the steps of
Cornelius the Centurion
Cornelius (; ; fl. 1st century AD) was a Roman centurion who is considered by some Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles (see Ethiopian eunuch for the competing tradition). The baptism o ...
(one of the first gentile converts to the teachings of Christ). In a letter to Horik he encouraged him to accept baptism and abstain from worshiping wooden idols. There is no evidence that he was actually converted, however.
End of the reign
During Horik's reign, Vikings raided England in 855 and 860 with varying success. The
Great Heathen Army
The Great Heathen Army, also known as the Viking Great Army,Hadley. "The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire", ''Antiquaries Journal''. 96, pp. 23–67 was a coalition of Scandinavian warriors who invaded ...
arrived to
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included.
The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...
in 865 and conquered
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
in
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 ...
two years later, starting the Viking conquest and colonization of much of northeast England. While they are expressly called Danes in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons.
The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...
, the army appears to have been formed by Vikings operating in
Francia
The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest History of the Roman Empire, post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks, Frankish Merovingian dynasty, Merovingi ...
and Frisia. Whether the royal power in Denmark had part in the planning and organization is unknown. Later sagas assert that this was the case, depicting the leaders of the invasion as sons of the Danish king
Ragnar Lodbrok
Ragnar Lodbrok (Old Norse: ''Ragnarr loðbrók'', ), according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Legendary Kings of Sweden, Swedish and Legendary kings of Denmark, Danish king.Halfdan and Bagsecg were known as "kings" and may or may not have been related to the kings in the Danish homeland.
Horik II is not mentioned after 864. In 873 the Franks entertained diplomatic contacts with the kings Sigfred and his brother Halfdan. Nothing in particular is known about them, but for chronological reasons they were probably not sons of Horik II. According to Rory McTurk, Halfdan may be identified with the Halfdan of the Great Heathen Army, while Sigfred might have been the prototype for the legendary
Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye () or Sigurd Ragnarsson was a semi-legendary Viking warrior and Danish king active from the mid to late 9th century. According to multiple saga sources and Scandinavian histories from the 12th century and later, he is one ...
, son of Lodbrok and king in Denmark according to the later sagas. A Christian Dane called Sigfred, nephew of "Heoric the Dane" (presumably Horik II) is mentioned in West Francia in 884.
Later accounts
Horik II was known to the 11th century chronicler Adam of Bremen. Through his influential church history, the ruler occurs in some medieval Scandinavian texts, his name being misinterpreted as "Erik".
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...
(c. 1200) makes Erik the Child a son of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye and thus grandson of Ragnar Lodbrok. According to Saxo he developed into a Viking raider on the lines of his grandfather, but eventually accepted Christianity through the influence of Ansgar. He married a daughter of Guttorm (the nemesis of Horik I) and sired a son called Canute, ancestor of the later kings.
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
(c. 1230) mentions King Erik of
Jutland
Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...
whose daughter Ragnhild married
Harald Fairhair
Harald Fairhair (; – ) 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 Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway. Supposedly, two ...
and gave birth to
Eric Bloodaxe
Eric Haraldsson ( , ; c.930−954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( , ) and Brother-Slayer (), was a Norwegians#Viking Age, Norwegian king. He ruled as List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 932 to 934, and twice as List of monarchs of Northumbr ...
Norsk biografisk leksikon
is the largest Norwegian biographical encyclopedia. It is part of the '' Great Norwegian Encyclopedia''.
Origin
The first print edition (NBL1) was issued between 1923 and 1983; it included 19 volumes and 5,100 articles.
Kunnskapsforlaget to ...