Harald baptisé par l'évêque Poppo le missionnaire, relief, vers1200
Saint Harald
Roi du Danemark (+ 986)
ou Harold.
Roi de Danemark, il se convertit en 948 et se consacre à l'évangélisation de
son royaume. Des rebelles païens le font périr d'une manière fort cruelle.
St. Harold VI., King of Denmark, Martyr
THE ARCHBISHOPS of Bremen from St. Willehad the apostle of Saxony, and
St. Anscharius, the first archbishop of Bremen, laboured successfully in
planting the faith in the northern parts of Europe. Eric the Younger, king of
Denmark, was converted to the faith by St. Anscharius. But his successors
persecuted the Christians till Fronto VI. king of Denmark, brother and
successor of Swein I. embraced the faith of Christ in his wars in England, and
sent an ambassador to Pope Agapetus II. about the year 950; but died before the
return of the embassy, so that his conversion produced little fruit in that
nation. Gormo III. the third king from him, was a cruel persecutor of the
Christians, and demolished a church which they had built at Sleswic. But
marrying Thyra, an English princess, he promised to become a Christian. His son
and successor, Harold VI. surnamed Blodrand, embraced the faith with great
ardour, and filled his dominions with churches and preachers; in which, he was
chiefly assisted by Adalbag, the most zealous archbishop of Bremen, the seventh
from St. Anscharius, contemporary with Otho the Great, who, about the same
time, founded the city and church of Magdeburgh. Adalbag instituted three
bishoprics in Jutland, which this king endowed. When he had reigned many years,
his son Swein, surnamed Tweskegk, who remained at that time an idolater, 1 stirred up the people to demand the restoration of their idols, and
their ancient liberty to plunder their neighbours. The king was wounded in
battle by one Toko, a leader of the malecontents, and died some days after of
his wounds, on the 1st of November, 980. He was buried in the church of the
Holy Trinity, which he had founded at Roschilde, and which continues to this
day the burial-place of the Danish kings. On a pillar in the choir, over the
grave of this king, is his effigies, with this inscription: “Harold, King of
Dacia, (or Denmark,) England, and Norway, founder of this church.” Though many
historians style him martyr, he is not named in the Roman Martyrology. See
Vetus Historia Regum Daniæ, prefixed to Lindenbruch’s edition of Adam
Bremensis.
Note 1. Swein Tweskegk for his crimes was expelled Denmark by has own subjects;
but, after having lived fourteen years in Sweden, recovered the crown, and was
converted to the faith by Poppo, a preacher sent from Bremen. Afterwards he
invaded and conquered great part of England, where he died. He was succeeded in
Denmark by his eldest son Harold; after whom his second son Knut the Great,
called by the Danes Gamle Knut, became king of Denmark, Norway, and England,
and by sending over many learned preachers from England, completed the
conversion of Denmark. The Danish kings took the title of kings of England
during the space of one hundred and twenty years, till Harold VII. The churches
of Denmark continued subject to the archbishops of Bremen till the reign of
Eric III., surnamed the Good, when an archbishopric was erected at Lunden about
the year 1100. [back]
Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73). Volume
XI: November. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
Saint Harold the King
MemorialProfile
First Christian king of Denmark. When he tried to bring his pagan people to the faith they revolted and killed him. Martyr.
Died
Canonized
