Eric I of Norway
Eric Bloodaxe (
Old NorseEiríkr blóðöx,
IcelandicEiríkur blóðöx,
NorwegianEirik Blodøks) (circa
885 –
954), was the second king of
Norway (
930-
934) and the eldest son of his father
Harald Fairhair. Once the power was in his hands, he began to quarrel with his other brothers and had four of them killed, including
Bjørn Farmann and later
Olaf and
Sigrød at the
Battle of Tonsberg. A
Latin text describes him as
fratris interfector (brother-slayer), and it is entirely conceivable that the "blood" component of his cognomen refers to his propensity for
fratricide.
In
920, he undertook a Viking expedition to
Bjarmaland, in northern Russia.In
930, be began his conquest by sailing down the
Dvina River into Russia. There he sacked the small trading port of
Permina. In Denmark he was invited to a feast by
King Gorm the Old, it was at this feast where he met
Gunnhild and married her the next night. In the next Spring he slaughtered the combined forces of his brothers and regained his throne of
Norway.
His youngest brother,
Haakon, returned from
England and won support from the Norwegian nobles to oust Eric in
934; Eric's rule was hard and despotic, and this would account for the alacrity with which the nobles joined forces to oust him. After waging unsuccessful campaigns to regain the throne, Eric moved to the
Orkney Islands and later to the
Kingdom of Jorvik. He was initially met warmly by
Athelstan, who made Eric ruler in
Northumbria, with a brief to provide a defence against the ravages of the Scots, and the Irish. His rule in Northumbria soon degenerated however, and he was expelled by the populace and betrayed by the
Earl of Bernicia,
Osulf, to one Earl Maccus and killed in
battle at Stainmore,
Westmorland, in
954 along with his son,
Haeric.
*
Eric Bloodaxe, King of Jorvik (York) and Northumbria (947-954)
