Elizabeth Yaroslavna is the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, the wife of Harald III. Biography

The tradition to establish diplomatic relations with foreign states through the conclusion of dynastic marriages in Russia appeared many centuries ago. Especially strongly succeeded in this practice the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav Vladimirovich Wise. He not only gave his children for heirs and heirs of the throne in "foreign" countries, but he himself was married to the daughter of the King of Sweden - Ingigerd. Anyway, Scandinavian women at that time enjoyed broader freedoms and rights than women in Europe. Having married a Russian ruler, Ingigerd received as a gift from Yaroslav the Wise a whole city - Ladoga. In the marriage of the prince of Kiev and the Swedish princess, nine children were born, and thanks to their offspring the Russian ruler was able to become related to the royal houses of Europe. In this sense, the fate of the average daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, who married the heir to the Norwegian throne, is interesting. Who would have thought that Elizabeth Yaroslavna (Ellisiv) would become the queen of a small Viking state. But it happened that way.

Harald Sigurdarson

The elect of the Russian princess was born in 1015. His parents were the Norwegian king Sigurd Pig and Asta Gudbrandsdottir. Harald had a brother Olav, who was later nicknamed Tolstoy, and then Saints.

The ruler of the Norwegian state was Olav, but Harald did not give up hope that he would manage to rule the country someday, especially since his name symbolized certain ambitions for the throne. And his expectations in the future, indeed, were justified.

Already a sixteen-year-old teenager, Harald iii became a "rogue prince". His brother Olav, who became the head of the whole kingdom, once wanted to marry the daughter of the King of Sweden Ingigerde, but she married Yaroslav the Wise. Defeated by the Danes, he, hiding first in Sweden, and then in Novgorod, loses power in Norway. He will be killed in the Battle of Stiklastadir, where he will fight with the troops of the Norwegian nobility.

Harald, like his brother, was forced to seek refuge first with the Swedish king, and then with the Kiev prince.

In Novgorod

Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise met the guest quite affably. The prince identified him as a squad, but not as an ordinary warrior, but in the status of one of the vigilante-managers, since the provision obligated. And in such a young age, Harald wanted at any price to glorify himself in battle. He was attracted by the adventures and glory of the commander. The prince imagined how he, using his shield and sword, obtained gold and jewels, becoming an influential nobleman.

What is Harald III Surovy doing while in the service of the Russian prince? He is absorbed in the intricacies of military affairs: a young man spends almost all his time with the squad, who are often given orders to collect tribute from the territories conquered by Yaroslav the Wise. The unfortunate heir to the Norwegian throne repeatedly suppresses insurrections, riots and even went on a military campaign against Poland along with the Kiev prince.

Meeting with the sweetheart

Legend has it that Elizaveta Yaroslavna and Harald were simply made for each other. Romantics who lived at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries said that when the young Viking saw the young princess, he was immediately struck by her beauty. He was struck by a thin mill, swan gait, sable eyebrows and clear eyes of the daughter of a Russian prince. It could be assumed that from Harald Surovoy it was love at first sight. But such a hypothesis still does not stand up to criticism.

Elizaveta Yaroslavna (1025-1066) was the fourth son of the ruler's family. And when the Norwegian prince first visited Novgorod, Ellisiv was from 6 to 9 years old. So we can not speak of a swan gait at this age.

Some historians also doubt that after spending some time in Novgorod (from 1031 to 1034), Harald wooed a young girl. Why? Everything is very simple. Firstly, at that time the prince was preoccupied with the fate of his eldest daughter Anna, who was already "walking in brides." Well, and secondly, the "Norwegian guest" was not considered a priori a priori as a groom, because, despite the high title, in fact he was "a goal as a falcon". Of course, he had plans to ask for the "young man's hands and hearts" in the future, he could. But he clearly realized that without wealth and glory Elizabeth Yaroslavna would be inaccessible to him. And Harald decides to get them by any means.

Viking war exploits

The war for the Norwegian prince was a favorite thing. He represented the brave warrior-viking. Harald was not only a brave soldier, but also an intelligent military strategist. After winning the award, he received gold and silver, which symbolized success, prosperity and happiness. First, the Norwegian heir to the throne served as the Byzantine prince Michael IV.

He helped him fight the sea pirates in the Aegean Sea and became a member of the military expedition to Sicily. Then Harald went to suppress the rebellion of Delian in Bulgaria. In addition, he fought in Sicily and the African continent. Thus, he turned into an experienced military leader. And he received regular wealth from the battles sent to Novgorod. When his patron Michael IV died, the prince fell into disgrace. He suddenly became a robber, which was slander, and landed in prison. After some time the Varangian fled and again found himself in Novgorod.

Poems in honor of the beloved

Once again, in the possession of Yaroslav the Wise, he remembered his daughter Ellisive. Now she has become a real beauty, in Slavic feminine and in Byzantine refined. Now Elizabeth Yaroslavna was an enviable bride, and Harald could not help falling in love with the princess. In his honor, he wrote "Vises of Joy". These are the verses in which the Viking warrior admires the charm and beauty with which Ellisiv is endowed.

In terms of genre, "Vises of Joy" were laudatory songs. But in his creation the young Norwegian does not forget to mention his person, positioning himself as the best contender for the hand and heart of Yaroslav the Wise's daughter. And in the end he achieves his.

The Prince gives the go-ahead for the wedding

As the images that have survived to this day show, Princess Elizabeth Yaroslavna was really beautiful.

Since childhood she has grown accustomed to the splendor and grandeur of her father's palace, while the luxury and wealth for her was as a matter of course. In other words, any royal house in Europe would consider it an honor to receive the middle daughter of Yaroslav the Wise in his family. But Elizaveta Yaroslavna became the wife of Harald III.

Upon his arrival in Novgorod, the Viking received at his disposal all the treasures that he had won as a result of his feats of arms. The heir to the throne of Norway became the most wealthy man in Russia. And under such circumstances Yaroslav the Wise, naturally, agreed to the marriage of his daughter with the Vikings. And he gave the go-ahead for the wedding not so much because he saw in Harold a worthy spouse, how much he wanted this alliance to strengthen friendly relations with the countries of northern Europe. The wedding ceremony took place in the winter of 1043-1044.

Back to Norway

Over the next six months, the newlyweds lived in the Gardas. Soon after, they went to Norway. Subsequently, the Icelandic skald Stov Blind writes: "He fell a lot of gold and the daughter of a king."

Noteworthy is the fact that in the poetry of the skalds a woman was associated with gold jewelry or with some kind of female occupation. When the skalds assured that the Varangians had indeed taken away the wealth and the most beautiful cargo from Gardariki, they had in mind gold ornaments and the Russian princess.

In any case, the wedding of the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise and the son of King Sigurd Pig has further cemented the good-neighborly ties between Rus and Norway. Harald, as a result of marrying the Russian princess, briefly became close to the authoritative Jarl Svein Ulvsson, who later occupied the Danish throne.

Years of government in their home country

Arriving home, Harald shared power in the country with his nephew Magnus.

He received as a reward half of the wealth won by the Vikings in long voyages, and Harald got the right to manage 50% of the territories of Norway. But soon between relatives, internecine wars for spheres of influence began to erupt more and more often. As a result, the son of Sigurd Pigs became a full-fledged ruler in his country. But the nephew after some time avenged his uncle. Before his death Magnus bequeathed the Danish kingdom to Svein Ulvsson, and the lion's share of the Norwegian army was forced to retire. As a result, Harald's troops retreated back to Norway. Elizaveta's husband Yaroslavna was beside herself with indignation.

He bears the idea of becoming the ruler of Denmark. Every year in the spring, he mobilizes his army and leads her to the war with the Danes, plundering and destroying their homes. For such cruelty, he was nicknamed Harald the Harsh Ruler. Yes, he was of a steep disposition and never forgot his grievances. As a result, ordinary people suffered. However, he was an experienced commander and a man well versed in the subtleties of military tactics. In Byzantium, he perfectly mastered the wisdom of combat techniques and successfully practiced the knowledge gained in northern Europe.

Alien in a northern country

But how did Elizaveta Yaroslavna (Queen of Norway) feel about the thirst for her husband's conquests? How could she possibly endure the stern temper of Harald the Harsh? The history does not give unambiguous answers to these questions. It is likely that the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise attempted to calm his foreign policy ambitions. But we can not exclude the fact that the newly-made Queen of Norway compared her husband to her father, who also was not averse to expanding the borders of his state. She could only appeal to Christian virtues and hoped that Harald would end the brutal wars. Anyway, but she felt like a stranger in this cold, eternally warring country. The situation of the princess was aggravated by the fact that she had no relatives in Norway, and her father no longer helped Ellisiv and supplied Harald with troops.

Second wife

Having lost support of the influential father-in-law, the Norwegian ruler decided to marry again. At that time, representatives of the nobility were granted the right to have several wives. And only one was considered official. Only three years have passed since the wedding of Harold and Elizabeth Yaroslavna, as the son of Sigurd Pig, wanted to marry with Tora Torbergsdottir - the daughter of a wealthy Norwegian tycoon.

By that time Princess Ellisiv had given birth to two daughters - Ingigerd and Maria. According to sources - "The Strand of Halley Chelnok" and "The Saga of Harald the Harsh Ruler" - the relationship between the Norwegian king and Tora Torbergsdottir quickly developed into a passionate love. In Norway, this became the topic number 1 for discussion. Subsequently, the Torah gave birth to Olav's son.

Rumors of divorce from Ellisiv

Gradually, Harald began to distance himself from Elizabeth Yaroslavna, and Torah took her place. She even went with him on military campaigns.

Some sources refer to the severance of the relationship between Harald and the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise. But whether he really was, you can not say. In any case, in his last campaign, the Norwegian Viking was not alone: he was accompanied by Elizabeth Yaroslavna (daughter of Yaroslav the Wise).

The Last Campaign

Some time after Norway stopped trying to capture Denmark, Sigurd Pig's offspring again began to feel nostalgic for military exploits. Once in his country a man from England appeared who told Harold that he has every chance of taking the British throne. Infecting himself with this insane idea, the Varangian began to assemble the army. But soon he began to dream bad dreams, which could be interpreted as a warning against ill-considered actions. But the Norwegian still decided to go on a campaign. He left the throne on his nephew, and he dreamed that he would become king of Great Britain. He wanted to settle there forever.

Initially, he was accompanied by success. He was even recognized as an English monarch. But King Harold quickly rallied the army around him and opposed the impostor. At the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the Norwegian army was defeated, and Ellisiv's husband died on the battlefield.

The fate of the princess after the death of her husband

After Princess Elizabeth, Yaroslavna returned with Olav and Ingigerd. Daughter Maria died at the same time as her father. Sources say nothing about the future fate of Yaroslav's Wise daughter. It is known that Ingigerd became the wife of a king from Denmark Olav Sveinsson and then rules this Scandinavian country.