Magnus I Good

In 1028, his father, Olaf the Holy, was forced to flee to Novgorod to Yaroslav the Wise . He fled there with the young Magnus, leaving his wife Astrid in Sweden. In Novgorod, Yaroslav’s wife, Ingergerd, insisted that Magnus stay with Yaroslav after the return of St. Olaf to Norway in 1030, where he died in the same year in the battle for the return of the Norwegian throne.

After the death of his father, the young Magnus was adopted by Yaroslav the Wise and raised in his family. He lived mainly in Novgorod.

After the death of Knud the Great, the Norwegian nobility, dissatisfied with the rule of the son of Knud Sven , with the support of Yaroslav, proclaimed Magnus the king. After the death of Hardeknud, he, according to the agreement, inherited the Danish crown. This right was disputed by Sven Estridsen , the nephew of Knud the Great (the son of his sister Estrid and Jarl Ulf). In 1042, Magnus was forced to give Sven the title of Jarl of Denmark, and appoint him his viceroy. In Norway, there was also a contender for his crown - Harald Hardrada , the uterine brother of Olaf II the Saint, Magnus's father, who returned from Byzantium in 1045, where he served in the Varangian Guard. As a result of the struggle, he became co-ruler of Magnus in 1046.

In 1043, Sven Estridsen took over the title of King of Denmark and deposited himself with Magnus. The Norwegian army of Magnus captured Denmark, Sven fled. In the same 1043, Magnus captured the legendary Jomsborg , and in the fall, in alliance with his brother-in-law, the Duke of Saxony Ordulf, routed the pagan Vendian army in a battle at Lürskov Hede ^[3] . During 1043-1046, Magnus defeated Sven Estridsen three times in naval battles: at the islands of Re (1043) and Aros (1043), as well as at Cape Helganes (1045). Sven had to take refuge in Sweden. In 1047, Magnus died (possibly from a fall from a horse). It is alleged that before death he himself proclaimed his heirs in Denmark - Sven, and in Norway - Harald. Magnus's body was transported to Norway and buried in Trondheim Cathedral.

There are two versions of the origin of the nickname. According to Snorri Sturluson , at first Magnus was a cruel and formidable king who avenged the exile of his father, especially the Norwegian aristocracy, but then the skald Sigvat influenced Magnus so much with his speech that he turned from a tyrant into a soft and kind sovereign. According to another version, he received his nickname after a brilliant victory over the Wends , who invaded Jutland in 1043.

With the death of Magnus the Good, the male line of Saint Olav II was suppressed. Magnus the Good was not married, but left the illegitimate daughter Ragnhild, who became the wife of the Norwegian nobleman Hakon Ivarsson. Great-grandson of Ragnhild was King of Denmark Eric III ( 1137 - 1146 ).

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• Ryzhov K.V. All monarchs of the world. Western Europe. - M .: Veche, 2001. - 560 p.
• Gurevich A.Ya. Vikings . - M. - St. Petersburg. : University Book, 1999.

• Adam of Bremen . Acts of the Archbishops of the Hamburg Church
• Snorri Sturluson . Earth Circle