Olav IV of Norway

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Olav Håkonsson Oluf Haakonssøn
King of Denmark, Norway, the Vends and the Goths
Reign	3 May 1376-23 August 1387 (Denmark) 29 July 1380-23 August 1387 (Norway)
Coronation	None
Born	1370
Birthplace	Akershus Castle, Oslo
Died	3 August 1387
Place of death	Falsterbo castle
Buried	Sorø
Predecessor	Valdemar IV of Denmark (Denmark) Haakon VI of Norway (Norway)
Successor	Margaret
Consort	None
Issue	None
Royal House	Folkung
Father	Haakon VI of Norway
Mother	Margaret I of Denmark

Oluf IV Haakonsson (1370 - August 23, 1387) was king of Denmark as Oluf II (1376–1387) and king of Norway as Olav IV (1380–1387). Oluf was son of King Haakon VI of Norway and the grandson of Magnus II of Sweden. His mother was Queen Margaret of Denmark which made him the grandson of Valdemar IV of Denmark. In addition to his claim on the thrones of Norway and Denmark, he was in the direct succession line to the throne of Sweden (but for the interposition of Albert of Mecklenburg).

Oluf was proclaimed King of Denmark at age five by the National Council (Danish:rigsråd) in 1375 with Queen Margaret as regent. His proclamation included the title "true heir of Sweden" added at his mother's insistence since his grandfather had been king of Sweden until forced to abdicate. Oluf 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 (Danish: handfæstingen) on behalf of Olaf who was too young to rule until he came of age at fifteen. In the charter Oluf agreed to meet with the Danehof at least once a year and return properties his grandfather Valdemar IV had confiscated during his reign.^[1]

Oluf became King of Norway on his father's death in 1380. Even when Oluf reached his majority in 1385, his mother ruled through him. Norway and Denmark were thus united in a personal union under Oluf. Denmark and Norway would have the same king, with the exception of short interregnums, until Norway's independence in 1814.

Despite all the hope Margaret and the peoples of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had for Olaf's future, they were never realized. Olaf died unexpectedly in 1387 at age 17. He was buried in Sorø Abbey on Zealand. Rumors immediately arose that Oluf had been poisoned which gave rise many years later to the story of "false Oluf" (see below).

Following his death, Oluf's mother Queen Margaret of Norway was proclaimed " all powerful lady and mistress and the Kingsdom of Denmark's Regent". Denmark had at the time no provision that enabled a woman to rule in her own right. The next year Norway proclaimed her Norway's "reigning queen". After the defeat and overthrow of King Albrecht in 1389 she was proclaimed "all powerful lady of Sweden". She was able to unite the three Scandinavian kingdoms in a personal union under one crown for her successor King Erik of Pommerania by the Kalmar Union 13 June 1397.^[2]

After Oluf, no Norwegian king was to be born on Norwegian soil for more than 550 years, until prince Harald was born in 1937. Oluf's death was also the end of the male line of the Folkung dynasty in Sweden.

[edit] The false king Oluf

Prussian historian Johan von Posilge reported that in 1402 a "poor sick man came to the country and stayed near the village of Grudentz. A group of merchants from Denmark asked him if he was not well-known in Denmark since he looked very much like the late King Olaf. The merchants left to find another who had seen the king and returned with him. When the newcomer saw the one they took for Olaf, he cried out, "My lord king!" Many people especially in Norway didn't believe that Olaf had died. They thought Queen Margaret had poisoned young Olaf to get him out of the way, so she could rule. According to the rumors, young Olaf hid himself and escaped. The news reached a merchant, Tyme von der Nelow, who took the man to Gdansk. The high born of the town welcomed Olaf as the rightful King of Denmark and Norway and gave him fine clothes and presents. A seal was made for him, and he wrote to Queen Margaret informing her that he was her son and demanded the restoration of his lands and titles. Queen Margaret wrote back saying that if he could prove himself her son, she would gladly accept him. The Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights escorted the pretender to Kalmar to be interviewed by the Queen. As soon as the man arrived he was discovered to be an impostor. He could speak not a single word of Danish and on questioning admitted he was a Prussian, the son of a peasants, Adolph and Margaret from Eger. The false Olaf was taken to Lund in Scania. There he admitted to his breach against the monarchy and was condemned to be burned at the stake. The letters he wrote to Queen Margaret were hung around his neck and a mock crown placed on his head before he was lowered into the flames. His possessions were given to a monastery, and the queen had the false Olaf's seal destroyed. The Danish National Council released a detailed explanation of the real Olaf's death in 1387 to contradict the story that had spread around the Baltic.^[3]^[4]

[edit] References

^ Danmarks Historie IIwww.perbenny.dk
^ Hvitfeldt, Arild.Danmarks riges Krønike
^ Rosborn+ När hände vad i nordens historia 1996. p.69.ISBN 91-7643-350-1
^ Williams, Gareth.Sagas,Saints,and Settlements.

Regnal titles
Olav IV/Olaf II House of Bjelbo Born: 1370 Died: August 3, 1387
Preceded by Valdemar Atterdag	King of Denmark 1376-1387	Succeeded by Margaret I
Preceded by Haakon VI Magnusson	King of Norway 1380-1387	Succeeded by Margaret I
Titles in pretence
Preceded by Albrekt of Mecklenburg	— TITULAR — King of Sweden pretender 1385-1387 Reason for succession failure: Died while Albrekt of Mecklenburg was still King of Sweden	Succeeded by Margaret I

v • d • e Monarchs of Denmark

Early Danish monarchs	(Harthacnut) · Gorm the Old · Harald Bluetooth · Sweyn Forkbeard^†* · Harald II · Canute the Great^†* · Harthacanute* · Magnus the Good^† · Sweyn II · Harald III · Canute the Saint · Olaf I · Eric Evergood · Niels · Eric the Memorable · Eric Lamb · Sweyn Grathe & Canute V & Valdemar the Great · Canute VI · Valdemar the Victorious · Eric Plough-tax · Abel · Christopher I · Eric Klipping · Eric Menved · Christopher II · Valdemar III · Christopher II · Valdemar Atterdag · Olaf II^† · Margaret I^†^‡

House of Palatinate-Neumarkt	Eric of Pomerania^†^‡ · Christopher of Bavaria^†^‡

House of Oldenburg	Christian I^†^‡ · Hans^†^‡ · Christian II^†^‡ · 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

House of Schleswig- Holstein-Sonderburg- Glücksburg	Christian IX · Frederick VIII · Christian X^§ · Frederick IX · Margrethe II

^† also Monarch of Norway · ^‡ also Monarch of Sweden · * also Monarch of England · ^§ also Monarch of Iceland

v • d • e Monarchs of Norway

Fairhair dynasty (except *)	Harald Fairhair · Eric Bloodaxe · Haakon the Good · Harald Greycloak · Haakon Sigurdsson* · Olaf Tryggvason · Eiríkr Hákonarson (R)* & Sveinn Hákonarson (R)* & Hákon Eiríksson (R)* · Sweyn Forkbeard^†^§ · Olaf the Saint · Hákon Eiríksson (R) · Canute the Great*^†^§ · Sveinn Álfífuson · Magnus the Good^† · Harald Hardrada · Magnus Haraldsson · Olaf Kyrre · Haakon Magnusson & Magnus Barefoot · Olaf Magnusson · Eystein Magnusson · Sigurd the Crusader · Magnus the Blind · Harald Gille · Sigurd Munn · Eystein Haraldsson · Inge Haraldsson · Haakon Herdebrei · Magnus Erlingsson · Sverre Sigurdsson · Haakon Sverresson · Guttorm Sigurdsson · Inge Bårdsson · Haakon Haakonsson · Magnus the Law-mender · Eric Magnusson · Haakon V Magnusson

House of Bjelbo	Magnus Ericsson^‡ · Haakon VI Magnusson^‡ · Olaf IV Haakonsson^†

The Kalmar union	Margaret^†^‡ · Eric of Pomerania^†^‡ · Christopher of Bavaria^†^‡ · Charles I^‡

House of Oldenburg (Union with Denmark)	Christian I^† · Hans^† · Christian II^† · Frederick I^† · Christian III^† · Frederick II^† · Christian IV^† · Frederick III^† · Christian V^† · Frederick IV^† · Christian VI^† · Frederick V^† · Christian VII^† · Frederick VI^†

Independence of 1814	Christian Frederick^†

House of Bernadotte (Union with Sweden)	Charles II (not Bernadotte)^‡ · Charles III John^‡ · Oscar I^‡ · Charles IV^‡ · Oscar II^‡

House of Schleswig-Holstein- Sonderburg-Glücksburg	Haakon VII · Olav V · Harald V

(R) Regent · ^† also Monarch of Denmark · ^‡ also Monarch of Sweden · ^§ also Monarch of England