Magnus II Haraldsson

It is known that Magnus took part in 1056-1058 , and according to non-Scandinavian sources, he also led the Norwegian fleet’s campaign in the Irish Sea . Passing through the Shetland , Orkney and Hebrides , Magnus received confirmation from the Scandinavian colonists living in their allegiance to the king of Norway. Then the Norwegians participated in all the conflicts in this region - the civil war in Scotland between Lulach , Macbeth's stepson, and Malcolm III Kanmore ; in the war of King Wales Griffith ap Llewelyn with England ; as well as raids on the coast of Ireland . According to modern scholars, Magnus’s campaign to the coast of England was a kind of “ reconnaissance in battle, ” since Harald III the Cruel never forgot his claim to the English throne.

In 1062, Magnus participated in a major naval battle near the Nissan River, as a result of which the Danish fleet was defeated, and Danish king Sven II Estridsen miraculously escaped death.

In 1066, setting off on a campaign in England, Harald III the Cruel leaves Magnus' eldest son in Norway and proclaims him king . The youngest son Olaf, wife Elizabeth Yaroslavna and two daughters accompany Harald on his last trip . After the defeat of the Norwegian army, Olaf hibernates in the Orkney Islands and returns to Norway in 1067 . Magnus voluntarily shared the kingdom with his brother: Olaf became king of Eastern Norway, and Magnus became king of Northern Norway.

In 1069, Magnus fell ill as a result of poisoning with bread from grains affected by ergot , (according to other sources - due to a ringworm disease) and died. He was buried in the city of Trondheim .

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• Ryzhov K.V. All monarchs of the world. Western Europe. - M .: Veche, 2001. - 560 p.

• Snorri Sturluson . "Circle of the Earth" "The Saga of Harald the Cruel"
• The Cumbrian Annals (Annales Cambriae)