Harald Klak - Harald's Alliance With Louis The Pious

Harald's Alliance With Louis The Pious

Simon Coupland, a modern historian, has noted that Harald was a pagan exile, seeking refuge and military assistance in the court of a Christian ruler. Coupland notes that Louis granting refuge and preparing said military assistance did not mean this was an "innovative step". Charlemagne, Louis' father, had signed such unorthodox alliances before. The historian lists a number of examples. Charlemagne had supported Abdellah, an exiled Mauritanian ruler in 797. Theodor, ruler of the Huns, fled an invasion by Slavic peoples and was granted refuge by Charlemagne in 805. Eardwulf of Northumbria when deposed c. 808, was also granted refuge and promised help in recovering his throne.

The 815 entries of the Royal Annals focus on the campaign for restoring Harald to his throne. "The emperor commanded that Saxons and Obodrites should prepare for this campaign, and twice in that winter the attempt was made to cross the Elbe. But since the weather suddenly turned and made the ice on the river melt, the campaign was held up. Finally, when the winter was over, about the middle of May, the proper time to begin the march arrived. Then all Saxon counts and all troops of the Obodrites, under orders to bring help to Heriold, marched with the imperial emissary Baldrich across the River Eider into the land of the Norsemen called Silendi. From Silendi they went on and, finally, on the seventh day, pitched camp on the coast at . There they halted for three days. But the sons of Godofrid, who had raised against them a large army and a fleet of two hundred ships, remained on an island three miles of the shore and did not dare engage them. Therefore, after everywhere laying waste the neighboring districts and receiving hostages from the people, they returned to the emperor in Saxony, who at that time was holding the general assembly of his people at Paderborn."

While the campaign resulted in the looting of some areas held by the Danes, the main objective was not achieved. Harald was among the returning troops, the Danish throne eluding him. The Royal Annals report the conclusion of the assembly. "He settled the affairs of the Slavs and of Heriold, and, leaving Heriold behind in Saxony, returned to his palace in Frankfurt." Harald apparently continued operations against his rivals. An 817 entry of the Royal Annals reports "Because of the persistent aggression of Heriold, the sons of Godofrid, king of the Danes, also sent an embassy to the emperor, asked for peace, and promised to preserve it. This sounded more like hypocrisy than truth, so it was dismissed as empty talk and aid was given to Heriold against them."

A next attempt in 819, again with help from the Obotrites, met with more success and some kind of settlement seems to have been reached with the sons of Gudfred, since Harald was joint king with two of them in 821. One of them probably was Horik the Elder. The Royal Annals report "On the emperor's order Heriold was taken to his ships by the Obodrites and sailed back to his homeland to take over the kingdom. Two of the sons of Godofrid are said to have made an alliance with him to share the throne; two others were driven out of the country. But this is believed to have been done by trickery." An 821 entry mentions "Everything was quiet on the Danish front in this year, and Heriold was received as partner in the rule by the sons of Godofrid. This is believed to have caused the peaceful relations among them at this time." In 822, the general assembly was held in Frankfurt. The relevant entry mentions "Embassies from Nordmannia were also at this assembly, from Heriold as well as from the sons of Godofrid".

In 823, tensions had appeared in Harald's relations with his co-rulers. Louis was asked to mediate. The Royal Annals report "Also Heriold came from Nordmannia, asking for help against the sons of Godofrid, who threatened to drive him out of his country. To explore this matter more thoroughly Counts Theothari and Hruodmund were sent to the sons of Godofrid. Traveling ahead of Heriold they carefully studied the dispute with the sons of Godofrid as well as the condition of the whole kingdom of the Norsemen and informed the emperor of all they could find out in these lands. They returned with archbishop Ebo of Rheims, who had gone to preach in the land of the Danes on the counsel of the emperor and with the approval of the Roman pontiff and had baptized many converts to the faith during the previous summer." Coupland notes that the entry reveals two things. First that "the political situation in Denmark remained extremely tense" and second that Louis continued to interfere in Danish affairs. The motivation behind his interest in the country is not stated in primary sources. The book "An Introduction to the Viking History of Western Europe, Viking Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland" (1940) by Haakon Shetelig, presented the theory that Louis was laying the groundwork for a "military invasion and occupation of Denmark". While the theory has its merits, Coupland notes that it ignores its context. The "neighbouring Slav lands" of Francia were in the process of becoming dependent territories, their rulers subordinating themselves to Louis. The emperor may have envisioned Denmark as another protectorate of Francia.

An 826 entry, reads "At the same time Heriold came with his wife and a great number of Danes and was baptized with his companions at St. Alban's in Mainz. The emperor presented him with many gifts before he returned home through Frisia, the route by which he had come. In this province one county was given to him, the county of Riustringen, so that he would be able to find refuge there with his possessions if he were ever in danger." The Vita Hludovici mentions "Heriold (Latin:Herioldus) with his wife and many Danes appeared from the regions of the Norsemen, he was baptized at Saint-Albans in Mainz with all his companions and he was flooded by the emperor with many gifts. For the pious emperor was afraid that he would be refused to live in his homeland, he gave him a county in Frisia, called Rüstringen, where he and his company could recover if necessary." The Annales Xantenses also note "The emperor Louis held an episcopal synod at Ingelheim, and here a great number of Norsemen came to him, and a leader of them named Haraldr (Latin: Heriodus) and his wife were baptized, and with them more than 400 people of both sexes."

According to the Vita Ansgari by Rimbert, "After this it happened that a king named Heriold (Latin:Herioldus), who ruled over some of the Danes, was assailed by hatred and malignity, and was driven from his kingdom by the other kings of the same province. He came to his serene majesty the emperor Ludovic and asked that he might be thought worthy to receive his help so that he might be able to regain his kingdom. While the emperor kept him at his court he urged him, by personal persuasion and through the instrumentality of others, to accept the Christian faith, because there would then be a more intimate friendship between them, and a Christian people would more readily come to his aid and to the aid of his friends if both peoples were worshippers of the same God. At length, by the assistance of divine grace, he brought about his conversion, and when he had been sprinkled with the holy water of baptism he himself received him from the sacred font and adopted him as his son. When, then, he desired to send him back to his own land in order that he might, by his assistance, seek to recover his dominions, he began to make diligent enquiry in order that he might find a holy and devoted man who could go and continue with him, and who might strengthen him and his people, and by teaching the doctrine of salvation might induce them to receive the faith of the Lord."

During the reign of Louis the Pious, the Frankish Empire had no effective fleet, and this made the coast of Frisia a weak point in the defense of his realm. The motivation for granting Harald a fief in Frisia possibly had to do with Harald committing himself to defending the Frisian coastline against future Viking raids. The center of his fief was located in northwestern Germany, west of Oldenburg. This may have been the first piece of Frankish territory given to a Dane.

Adam of Bremen placed the baptism following another deposition of Harald. "The king of the Danes, Haraldr (Latin:Haraldus), despoiled of his kingdom by the sons of Godofrid, came to Louis a suppliant. And on being instructed thereupon in the doctrine of the Christian faith, he was baptized at Mainz with his wife and brother and a great multitude of Danes. The emperor lifted him from the sacred font and, resolved to restore him to the kingdom, gave him a fief across the Elbe, and, to withstand the pirates, granted his brother Harekr This Harekr is not mentioned elsewhere.