HALFDANSSON Harald Hárfagri

Abt 0850 - 0933  (83 years)

• Name	HALFDANSSON Harald Hárfagri
  Birth	Abt 0850	Norway
  Gender	Male
  Death	0933	Rygjafylkí, Norway
  Notes	Harald Hårfagre/Haraldr hárfagri is regarded as the first king of a unified Norway. Son of HALFDAN "Swarti/the Black" King of Vestfold & his second wife [Ragnhild Sigurdsdatter] ([853/54] or 860-Hogaland 933, 934 or 940. Succeeded his father at age 10. --- The business of conquest lasted Harald about (A.D. 860-872?), in which he subdued Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides, and Man. Sixty more years were given him to consolidate and regulate what he had conquered. His reign altogether is counted to have been of over seventy years. --- HE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BETWEEN 20 AND 24 CHILDREN, CREATING A DYNASTY THAT LASTED 3 Centuries. (Twelve of his sons are named as kings, two of them over the whole country.) BASED ON DATES IN THESE PROFILES, IT IS VERY DOUBTFUL HE COULD BE THE FATHER OF ALL THE CHILDREN LISTED AS HIS. There is a pair two Olafs and two Haralds being his children. Old King Fairhair, at the age of seventy, had another son, to whom was given the name of Hakon. His mother was a slave in Fairhair's house; slave by ill-luck of war, though nobly enough born. Birth He is thought to have been born about 850, and was the son of Halvdan Svarte in all sources. Based on Snorre's work, Halvdan Svarte might have been from Ringerike or Hadeland, and descended from the swedish Ynglingeætten. Egils Saga says that Harald inherited the lands øst i Viken, which would have been Østfold. Nóregs konungatal states that Harald's ancestors ruled Sogn on the West coast. His mother is most frequently found in sources as Ragnhild Sigurdsdatter, daughter of Sigurd Hjort Helgesson, or Ragnhild Haraldsdatter, daughter of Harald Gullskjegg in Sogn. Marriage According to the sagas, he had after Gyda, in succession, or perhaps even simultaneously in some cases, at least six other wives; and by Gyda herself one daughter and four sons. Children with Gyda: Ålov Årbot (Haraldsdotter) Rørek Haraldsson Sigtrygg Haraldsson Frode Haraldsson (Torgils Haraldsson)(considered questionable) Children with Åsa, daughter of Håkon Grjotgardsson, Earl of Lade: Guttorm Haraldsson, king of Ranrike Halvdan Kvite (Haraldsson), king of Trondheim Halvdan Svarte (Haraldsson), king of Trondheim. Sigrød Haraldsson, king of Trondheim Children with Ragnhild Eiriksdotter of Jutland: Eirik Bloodaxe, king of Norway. Children with Svanhild, daughter of Eystein Earl: Bjørn Farmann, king of Vestfold. Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, king of Vingulmark, later also Vestfold. Ragnar Rykkel Children with Åshild, daughter of Ring Dagsson: Ring Haraldsson Dag Haraldsson Gudrød Skirja Ingegjerd Haraldsdotter Children with Snøfrid, daughter of Svåse the Finn: Halvdan Hålegg Gudrød Ljome Ragnvald Rettilbeine Sigurd Rise Children with Tora Mosterstong, his maid: Haakon the Good, king of Norway. Other children: Ingebjørg Haraldsdotter Harald was the grandfather of Harald II. Death and Burial Ágrip af Nóregs konunga sögum states that he died of illness in Rogaland and was buried at Haugar up from Hasseløysund (which corresponds with the location of the national monumen. Haraldsstøtta, which was raised in 1872). Heimskringla states that he died of illness in Rogaland and is buried at Haugar by Karmsund (the sound between Haugesund and Karmøy) There was a king's seat at Augvaldsnes/Avaldsnes, which also is named as one of Harald's homes in Heimskringla and in Egils Saga; he is probably likelier to have died there than at Hauge, which is named after there being a burial mound there. Avaldsnes once had a great number of burial mounds, and it is suggested that he may have been buried on the Karmøy side of Karmsund instead of at Hauge. Research Notes The problem points (points of broken genealogy) in the medieval royal lineage in the so-called Fairhair dynasty are: whether either Olav I of Norway or Olav II of Norway descended from Harald I of Norway (Harald Fairhair) whether Harald III of Norway descended from Harald I whether Harald IV of Norway was son of King Magnus III of Norway whether King Sverre was son of King Sigurd II of Norway, whether Haakon IV of Norway was son of King Haakon III Each of them came from "nowhere" and won the kingdom, the three latter claiming to be hitherto unknown natural sons of an earlier king. Sources Snorra Sturlusonar. Heimskringla, Haralds saga hins hárfagra. N. Linder og H. A. Haggson, 1869-1872 Ágrip af Nóregs konunga sǫgum Wikidata: Item Q206123 help.gif http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORWEGIAN%20NOBILITY.htm Acknowledgments Thank you to Katherine Wall for creating Halfdansson-314 on 24 Oct 13. WikiTree profile Halfdansson-259 created through the import of jefflorrie(1).ged on Sep 10, 2011 by Jeff Johnson. Thanks to Sheri Sturm for starting this profile. Gordon Lokken, firsthand knowledge. WikiTree profile Halfdansson-227 created through the import of wikitree.ged on Aug 1, 2011 by Abby Brown. This person was created through the import of Sheppard_Duncan_Bickham_Stroud.ged on 01 February 2011. WikiTree profile UNKNOWN-130411 created through the import of Spencer Family Tree 4 2002.GED on Nov 28, 2011 by Chet Spencer. WikiTree profile Hårfagre-2 created through the import of WILLY.GED on Aug 17, 2011 by Robin Pedersen. WikiTree profile UNKNOWN-125509 created through the import of Helene.ged on Oct 31, 2011 by Helene Ring Teppan. This person was created through the import of David Rentschler Family Tree_2010-09-30.ged on 01 October 2010. WikiTree profile Halfdansson-178 created through the import of FAMILY 6162011.GED on Jun 20, 2011 by Michael Stephenson. WikiTree profile Halfdansson-227 created through the import of wikitree.ged on Aug 1, 2011 by Abby Brown. WikiTree profile Halvdansson-6 created through the import of Forsstrom och Eriksson Wikitree.GED on Jul 16, 2011 by Torbjörn Forsström. This person was created through the import of McQuery Family Tree.ged on 20 May 2011. This person was created through the import of Acrossthepond.ged on 21 February 2011. This person was created through the import of Williams_AndersForWikiTree.ged on 07 May 2011.
  Person ID	I58702	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	GUDRØDSSON Halfdan Svarte,   b. Abt 0830, Sogn, Oppland, Vestfold, Norway d. 0870, Vestfold, Norway (Age 40 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	SIGURDSDATTER Ragnhild,   b. Abt 0830, Ringerike, Norway d. Norway
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	0847	Sogn, Norway
  Family ID	F26162	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	EYSTEINSDOTTIR Svanhild,   b. Abt 0860, Hedmark, Norway d. Rogaland, Norway
  Children	1. HARALDSSON Bjørn Farmann,   b. Abt 0895, Vestfold, Norway d. Abt 0930, Tønsberg, Vestfold, Norway (Age 35 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   2. HARALDSSON Olav Geirstadalf,   b. 0898, Oslo, Oslo, Norway d. 0934, Tønsberg, Vestfold, Norway (Age ~ 36 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F26135	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026