Eric Bloodaxe, The Violent And Murderous Viking King Of Norway
PRISMA ARCHIVO/Alamy Stock PhotoEric was known as a cruel and unpopular ruler.
Eric Haraldsson, better known as Eric Bloodaxe, left behind a bloody and violent legacy. He ruled as King of Norway from 932 to 934, and twice as King of Northumbria: from 947 to 948, and again from 952 to 954.
He is believed to have been one of the many sons of Harald Fairhair, the King of Norway. According to the sagas, Eric was Harald’s most beloved son.
The origin of his infamous nickname remains debated. Fagrskinna, A Catalogue of the Kings of Norway, claims the name was a result of Eric’s violent reputation as a Viking raider. He also earned the nickname Brother Slayer because, as the name suggests, he slayed four of his brothers.
His time as King of Norway was short-lived. His rule had been so brutal and unpopular, in fact, that the Norwegian nobles decided to replace him with his youngest brother Haakon the Good, who had been raised in England at the court of King Athelstan.
Eric then fled to England, where he became the king of Northumbria. This caused the Anglo-Saxon King Edred to respond by invading and ravaging Northumbria. But when Edred’s army returned south, Eric’s army caught up with its rearguard and slaughtered many. Enraged, Edred then threatened to destroy Northumbria — and the fearful Northumbrians abandoned Eric.
Eric furiously took over Northumbria for a second time, but in 954 was expelled for the final time when King Edred gained control.
The details of his death are a bit murky and vary from source to source, but there are a few common elements to each telling. Eric had seemingly been on his way to meet allies in either Dublin or the Isles, whereupon he was ambushed by Earl Maccus, son of Olaf. Oswulf I of Bamburgh had betrayed Eric and sent Maccus to kill him, with an army that greatly outnumbered Eric’s.
During the resulting Battle of Stainmore, Eric was slain, putting an end to the independence of Scandinavian York, which then became part of England. Erdred then chose Oswulf to be the earl of Northumbria, and from then on Northumbria was ruled by earls acting on behalf of the English kings.
