The Greatest Viking

The Life of Olav Haraldsson

Desmond Seward

$49.99

Hardback

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English

Birlinn Ltd
01 March 2023

Biography: historical, political & military; History; European history; Social & cultural history; Archaeology

A national hero in his native land, Olav Haraldsson has as much resonance for the Norwegians as King Arthur does for the British. Unlike Arthur, however, Olav was a real historical figure: a ruthless Viking warrior who named his axe after the Norse goddess of death and took part in Svein Forkbeard’s invasion of England, during which he pulled down London Bridge and sacked Canterbury (and watched its archbishop stoned to death). Later, the loot amassed from years of plunder helped him win the throne of Norway.

Yet in a personal vendetta against the old Norse gods, Olav made Norway Christian, though cutting out the tongues and gouging out the eyes of anybody who remained pagan. Canonised after his death, his tomb became a national shrine, and churches were dedicated to him throughout Scandinavia and beyond.

With reference to Norse sagas and early chronicles, veteran historian Desmond Seward has written a vivid, colourful and insightful account of a remarkable man and the times in which he lived.

'Seward's best work...a rollickingly, splendidly chronological history' — Herald on The King Over the Water

By: Desmond Seward
Imprint: Birlinn Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 484g
ISBN: 9781780277950
ISBN 10: 1780277954
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 01 March 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Desmond Seward was educated at Ampleforth and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Among the most highly regarded popular historians of his generation, he was the author of some thirty books, including biographies of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry V, Richard III, Marie Antoinette and Metternich. He died in 2022.