Harald Hardrada - 1066: The Wild Card

Harald Hardrada (1015-1066) is known as The Last Viking, and he went out with a bang. He ain’t called the Thunderbolt of the North for nothin’.

(This is part three of four about the Norman Conquest of England in 1066)

Hardrada is a nickname meaning “Hard Ruler” and he earned it. He lived life to the fullest, at least as full as any Viking before him. And nobody would ever live that life again.

Harald’s story begins with a fight. At age 15 he fought alongside his brother who was trying to reclaim his crown as king of Norway. The famous Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 was about more than just who would wear the crown. It’s one of those pivotal battles in the development of the nation of Norway and its transition to Christianity from the ancient pagan gods.

The legend is that the battle was fought during a total eclipse of the sun. But Heaven did not smile upon Harald that day, and his side was defeated. Harald was severely wounded, and his brother was killed.

Now in exile, he found refuge in the east with the Kievan Rus. He earned his living as a mercenary for the Grand Prince of Kiev, fighting against the Polish kingdom and the Pecheneg nomads and anyone else the prince thought needed a whomping.

Harald was born to fight, and men flocked to fight beside him. By 1034, he had amassed a force of 500 men, so they headed down the Dnieper River to Constantinople. There he joined the Varangian Guard, the elite force of northern soldiers that fought for the emperor.

He quickly rose to be the leader of the soldiers, fighting all over the Byzantine Empire. Serving under three different emperors, he fought extensively on both land and sea. Did he police pirates in the Aegean? Yes. Fight to retake Sicily? Check. Did he make it to Jerusalem and capture forts as far east as Iraq? That’s what they say.

After serving with distinction under two emperors, Harald fell afoul of emperor # 3, who threw him in prison on trumped up charges. The whole episode is shrouded in mystery, and may have involved some shenanigans with the empress, but in the end, Harald busted out of jail, the emperor was blinded, and Harald sailed back north with his soldiers in boats loaded down with tons of gold.

The timing of his departure was fantastic. In 1042, the empire that included Norway, Denmark, and England founded by the king who defeated him a dozen years earlier had broken apart, so he headed back home to reclaim his crown. Of course he stopped back in Kiev to knock back a couple tankards with his Rus buddies on the way. Did he marry a princess while in Kiev? You know he did.

Back in Scandinavia, he played politics with the Swedes and the Danes to win their support for him on the throne of Norway. His nephew was king of Norway, and offered to share the throne with his uncle, but only if Harald would share the loot he had brought back from Constantinople. It was a deal. Money and politics, a never-ending love story.

His nephew died in 1047, so from then on Harald ruled as sole king of Norway. Never content with his situation, Harald spent the next 15 years fighting to gain the throne of Denmark too. While he was most often successful in battle, he never did get the crown of the Danes.

But Harald was always open to new opportunities, and in 1066, a new one landed in his inbox. The king of England had died without an heir, so the throne was up for grabs. Harald Hardrada had the most tenuous claim to the English crown, especially considering he was defeated by the last Danish King of England back in 1030, but whatever. Vikings gotta do what Vikings gotta do.

A different Harold, Harold Godwinson, had been hastily crowned king of England in January 1066. His disgruntled younger brother came to Norway to propose an alliance with Harald Hardrada. Together, they would take England.

Harald Hardrada may have envisioned rebuilding the North Sea Empire that for a few decades had combined England, Norway, and Denmark. He might have just wanted more riches and glory. He was 51 years old and the most famous Viking in the world, so maybe he saw it as the capstone to his epic career.

He loaded his men onto boats and sailed for England. Destiny was calling. Would he soon dine in the king’s palace in London or in Valhalla? Only time would tell…

Some people take a structured approach to their career, with very deliberate steps. This could mean spending many years at the same company, rotating through several different roles to get a very broad view of the business. Alternatively, it could mean becoming a specialist at one thing, then changing companies every few years to practice your specialty.

Harald Hardrada did not have a structured path. He was opportunistic, following a winding path to chase whatever fate presented him. But he didn’t jump willy-nilly from one thing to another. He was a warrior and stayed on that path. Prince, exile, mercenary, elite guard, king. The roles changed, but he spent his entire life building on the skills he would need to get and hold a crown.

Only you can decide what next step is best for you. You might stay on your planned path, with no disruptions along the way. But if circumstances change, and your ride is not so smooth, try to stay resilient and focused on your goal. Keep on the path, but adapt to changes. Life is unpredictable, but keep at it, and hopefully you too will sail home with your boat loaded down with gold one day.