Olaf II of Denmark

King of Denmark, Norway (1370–1387)

For the anti-king of Denmark who called himself Olaf II, see Olaf Haraldsen.

Olaf II and IV

Olaf as depicted on his royal seal, with the shield of Norway (left) and Denmark (right)

King of Denmark, the Wends and the Goths[1]
Reign| 3 May 1376 – 3 August 1387
Predecessor| Valdemar IV
Successor| Margaret I
King of Norway
Reign| 29 July 1380 – 3 August 1387
Predecessor| Haakon VI
Successor| Margaret I

Born| (1370-12-00)December 1370
Akershus Castle, Oslo
Died| 3 August 1387(1387-08-03) (aged 16)
Falsterbo Castle, Falsterbo
Burial|

Sorø Abbey, Sorø, Denmark

| Names

Danish: Oluf Håkonsen
Norwegian: Olav Håkonsson
House| Bjälbo
Father| Haakon VI of Norway
Mother| Margaret I of Denmark
Memorial plate commemorating King Olaf at the site of his death.

Olaf II of Denmark (December 1370 – 3 August 1387)[2][3] was King of Denmark as Olaf II (though occasionally referred to as Olaf III[4][5]) from 1376 and King of Norway as Olav IV from 1380 until his death. Olaf was the son of Queen Margaret I of Denmark and King Haakon VI of Norway, and grandson of kings Magnus IV of Sweden and Valdemar IV of Denmark.

## Reign

[edit]

When his grandfather Valdemar IV of Denmark died, Olaf was just five years old. He was proclaimed king of Denmark by a Danehof in Slagelse the following year. His mother, Queen Margaret, was to serve as regent due to his young age. His proclamation included the title "true heir of Sweden" added at his mother's insistence since both his father and his paternal grandfather, Magnus IV, had been kings of Sweden until they were forced to abdicate. Olaf was hailed as king in Scania, including the towns controlled by the Hanseatic league since the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370. Queen Margaret signed a coronation charter on behalf of Olaf, who was too young to rule until he came of age at fifteen. In the charter Olaf agreed to meet with the Danehof at least once a year and return properties his grandfather Valdemar IV had confiscated during his reign.[6]

Olaf became king of Norway on his father's death in 1380. Even when Olaf reached his majority in 1385, his mother ruled through him. With his ascent to the Norwegian throne, Denmark and Norway were thus united in a personal union ruled from Denmark. Denmark and Norway would have the same king, with the exception of short interregna, until Norway's independence from Denmark in 1814, as a result of the Treaty of Kiel.

## Death and aftermath

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Olaf died unexpectedly at Falsterbohus in August 1387 at age 16. He was buried at Sorø Abbey on the Danish island of Zealand where his grandfather and, later, his mother, were also buried. Rumors immediately arose that Olaf had been poisoned. Following her son's death, Margaret united all three Scandinavian kingdoms in a personal union.[7] After Olaf, no Norwegian king was to be born on Norwegian soil for more than 550 years, until Harald V, born in 1937, became king in 1991. Olaf's death was also the end of the male line of the House of Bjälbo. In 2015 Jørgen Lange Thomsen, a forensic scientist, proposed a theory Olaf II died from Brugada syndrome.[8]

In 1402, he was impersonated by the False Olaf.

## Ancestery

[edit]

Ancestors of Olaf II of Denmark

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\.  Erik Magnusson, Duke of Södermanland

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. Magnus Eriksson of Sweden|

|  |  |
| 9\. Ingeborg of Norway

| 2\. Haakon VI of Norway|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. John I, Marquis of Namur

| 5\. Blanche of Namur|

|  |  |
| 11\. Marie of Artois

| 1\. Olaf II of Denmark|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
| 12\. Christopher II of Denmark

| 6\. Valdemar IV of Denmark|

|  |  |
| 13\. Euphemia of Pomerania

| 3\. Margaret I of Denmark|

|  |  |  |  |
| 14\. Eric II, Duke of Schleswig

| 7\. Helvig of Schleswig|

|  |  |
| 15\. Adelaide of Holstein-Rendsburg

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "de goters konge | lex.dk". Den Store Danske (in Danish). 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
2. ^ Etting, Vivian, Queen Margrete I, 1353–1412, and the Founding of the Nordic Union, Leiden: Brill Publishers, 2004, p. 54.
3. ^ Brenner, S. Otto, Nachkommen Gorms des Alten (König von Dänemark -936-) I.-VVI. Generation, Stuttgart: Silberburg-Verlag, 1965, p. 122.
4. ^ Nielsen, Kay: Danmarks konger og dronninger, Copenhagen, 1980. (pp. 36-37)
5. ^ Overskov, Carsten: Fra Gorm til Margrethe. De første tusind år på topposten, Kolding, 2005. (pp. 8 & 58)
6. ^ Danmarks Historie IIwww.perbenny.dk
7. ^ Huitfeldt, Arild. Danmarks riges Krønike
8. ^ Wenande, Christian (6 October 2015). "Did a genetic heart condition cut short the lives of 14 Danish royals?". The Copenhagen Post. Retrieved 27 May 2023.

## Other sources

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olaf of Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

* Albrectsen, Esben Danmark-Norge 1380–1814. B. 1 Fællesskabet bliver til : 1380–1536 (Danske historiske forening. 1981)

Olav IV/Olaf II

House of Bjälbo

Born: 1370 Died: 23 August 1387

Regnal titles
Preceded by

Valdemar IV

|  King of Denmark
1376–1387  | Succeeded by

Margaret I

Preceded by

Haakon VI

|  King of Norway
1380–1387

* v
* t
* e

Monarchs of Denmark

Knýtlinga|

| c. 916 – 1042|

* Сanute I (Harthacnut)
* Gorm the Old
* Harald I Bluetooth
* Sweyn I1
* Harald II
* Canute II1
* Canute III (Harthacanute)1

|

Fairhair|

| 1042–1047|

* Magnus the Good

|

Estridsen|

| 1047–1375|

* Sweyn II Estridsen
* Harald III Hen
* Canute IV the Saint
* Olaf I Hunger
* Eric I Evergood
* Niels
* Eric II the Memorable
* Eric III Lamb
* Sweyn III Grathe / Canute V / Valdemar I the Great
* Canute VI
* Valdemar II the Victorious / Valdemar the Young
* Eric IV Plough-tax
* Abel
* Christopher I
* Eric V Klipping
* Eric VI Menved
* Christopher II / Eric Christoffersen
* Valdemar III
* Interregnum
* Valdemar IV Atterdag

|

Bjälbo|

| 1376–1387|

* Olaf II

|

Estridsen|

| 1376–1412|

* Margrete I2

|

Pomerania|

| 1397–1439|

* Eric VII of Pomerania2

|

Palatinate-Neumarkt|

| 1440–1448|

* Christopher III of Bavaria2

|

Oldenburg|

| Senior branch
1448–1863|

* Christian I2
* John2
* Christian II2
* Frederick I
* Christian III
* Frederick II
* Christian IV
* Frederick III
* Christian V
* Frederick IV
* Christian VI
* Frederick V
* Christian VII
* Frederick VI
* Christian VIII
* Frederick VII

|

Glücksburg
since 1863|

* Christian IX
* Frederick VIII
* Christian X3
* Frederik IX
* Margrethe II
* Frederik X4

* Italics indicates Danish monarchs who were also monarchs of Norway.

* 1 Also monarch of England.
* 2 Also monarch of Sweden.
* 3 Also monarch of Iceland.
* 4 Also counts of Monpezat.

* v
* t
* e

Monarchs of Norway

I. Independent Norway

Foreign and non-royal
rulers in italics, disputed
monarchs in brackets|

| 872–1387|

* Harald I Fairhair
* Eric I Bloodaxe
* Haakon I the Good
* Harald II Greycloak
* Harald Bluetooth d & Haakon Sigurdsson r
* Olaf I Tryggvason
* Sweyn Forkbeard de & Eiríkr Hákonarson r & Sweyn Haakonsson r
* Olaf II the Saint
* Cnut de & Haakon Ericsson r & Sweyn Knutsson r (Ælfgifu r)
* Magnus I the Good d
* Harald III Hardrada
* Magnus II Haraldsson
* Olaf III Kyrre
* Haakon Toresfostre
* Magnus III Barefoot
* Olav Magnusson
* Eystein I Magnusson
* Sigurd I the Crusader
* Harald IV Gille
* Magnus IV the Blind
* Sigurd II Munn
* Inge I Haraldsson
* Eystein II Haraldsson
* (Magnus Haraldsson)
* Haakon II Broadshoulder
* Magnus V Erlingsson
* Sverre Sigurdsson
* Haakon III Sverresson
* (Guttorm Sigurdsson)
* Inge II Bårdsson
* Haakon IV Haakonsson
* (Haakon the Young)
* Magnus VI the Law-mender
* Eric II Magnusson
* Haakon V Magnusson
* Magnus VII Ericsson s
* Haakon VI Magnusson s
* Olaf IV Haakonsson d

|

Kalmar Union|

| 1387–1523|

* Margaret ds
* Eric III ds
* Christopher ds
* Charles I s
* Christian I ds
* John ds
* Christian II ds

|

Denmark–Norway|

| 1524–1814|

* Frederick I d
* Christian III d
* Frederick II d
* Christian IV d
* Frederick III d
* Christian V d
* Frederick IV d
* Christian VI d
* Frederick V d
* Christian VII d
* Frederick VI d

|

II. Independent Norway|

| 1814|

* Christian Frederick

|

Union with Sweden|

| 1814–1905|

* Charles II s
* Charles III John s
* Oscar I s
* Charles IV s
* Oscar II s

|

III. Independent Norway|

| Since 1905|

* Haakon VII
* Olav V
* Harald V

|

* r Regent
* d Also Danish monarch
* e Also English monarch
* s Also Swedish monarch

* v
* t
* e

Monarchs of Iceland

Possession of Norway (1262–1814)|

* Haakon IV
* Magnus VI
* Eric II
* Haakon V
* Magnus VII
* Haakon VI
* Olaf IV
* Margaret I
* Eric III
* Christopher I
* Charles I
* Christian I
* John I
* Christian II
* Frederick I
* Christian III
* Frederick II
* Christian IV
* Frederick III
* Christian V
* Frederick IV
* Christian VI
* Frederick V
* Christian VII
* Frederick VI

Possession of Denmark (1814–1918)|

* Frederick VI
* Christian VIII
* Frederick VII
* Christian IX
* Frederick VIII
* Christian X

Kingdom of Iceland (1918–1944)|

* Kristján X (Christian X)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* 2
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* Sweden

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[c.]: circa