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by the imposition of a levy which obliged the yeomen in the coast
districts («skibreder») to equip and man war-ships. Haakon, who
was honoured by his people with the surname of the Good, fell
in 961, while defending his country against the sons of Erik
Blodøks, who were assisted by the Danish king. After the brothers
had governed cruelly for 9 years, the eldest of them, Harald
Graafeld, was assassinated in Denmark, whereupon the others were
obliged to yield to Earl Haakon, the chief of the Trønders. This
chieftain succeeded in liberating himself from the condition of
dependence on the Danish king, in which he had originally stood,
and defeated the renowned warriors, the Jomsvikings, whom that
king sent against him. Although Haakon had submitted, under
compulsion, to baptism, he was a fanatical heathen; and at last,
by his cruelty and licentiousness, he alienated the affections of his
people. They rose against him, and he was murdered, while fleeing,
by a thrall who accompanied him (995). Just at this time, Olav
Trygvessøn, a descendant of Harald Haarfagre, came to the
country, and was immediately chosen king by the Trønders. Olav
is one of the most brilliant figures in Norwegian history. After a
romantic boyhood, he had distinguished himself as leader of a
viking army that had ravaged England. Immediately before his
coming to Norway, he had embraced Christianity; and now, after
becoming king of the country, he began to enforce the adoption of
the Christian faith. In the course of a few years, he had, in true
viking fashion, brought the population of the entire coast, from
Viken up to the borders of Finmarken, under the dominion of «the
White Christ». His proclamation of Christianity extended also to
the Norwegian settlers in the Orkney and Faroe Isles, to Iceland,
and to Greenland, then just discovered. When returning from an
expedition to Venden, Olav was attacked by an army of superior
force, that had been gathered against him by Earl Haakon’s son
Erik, the Swedish king Olav Skotkonung, and the Danish king
Svend Tjugeskæg. After a most heroic defence, his men were nearly
all killed, and he himself, mortally wounded, sought a grave beneath
the waves (9th September, 1000) [[** punktum mgl]]
Norway was now divided between the Danish and Swedish
kings and Earl Erik; but the kings gave up their shares to Erik
and his brother Svein, who governed them as their vassals. When
the Danish king, Knud den Store («the Great») went to invade
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