Dansk Biografisk Lexicon
Carl Fr. Bricka
Project Runeberg
Thorkel the Tall, --o.1024, Jarl, was the son of Strut-Harald,
Jarl in Skåne.
At the magnificent wake for his father, which T.'s brother, Sigvald,
the Jomsborg-chief, let celebrate, Sigvald swore on his Brage-cup to go on an
expedition to Norway to overthrow Hakon Jarl, and T. swore that he would accompany
his brother. The expedition took place shortly after, but in the unlucky battle
at Hjørungavaag the two brothers were both the first to take flight; in the
famous battle at Svold (1000) T. is said to have given Erik Jarl, Hakon
Jarl's son, the useful advice to put logs from his ship up to Olaf Tryggvasson's
ship «Ormen hin Lange», so the ship began to lean and they could
enter it.
In the Danish expeditions to England during the next years took T. part together
with the Jomsborg-vikings (1009). After having conquered Canterbury (1012),
when the Vikings assailed the captured archbishop Aelfheah to force him to pay
ransom, T. tried in vain to save the archbishop's life by offering a big
reward to the warriors. Shortly after had T. an agreement with king Aethelred;
with a crew of 45 ships he went to serve him and undertook to defend the country,
if he was paid living and clothes for himself and his warriors.
T. met his duty in the following years; he defended London with endurance and
courage , when king Svend attacked the town, (1013), and Aehtelred seeked refuge
with T. on his fleet; T. and his warriors were paid 21.000 pounds.
Shortly after came a change. After king Svend's death ( February 1014) the Anglo
Saxons made an attempt to surprise the Danes in their castles; T.'s brother
Hemming was killed with all his crew. And T. left Aethelred and his case, he
sailed with 9 ships to Denmark and urged king Knud to attack England. With a large
fleet Knud went to England (1015) and subjected large parts of the country
during several struggles, in which T. took part, like at Ashington. At king
Edmund's death the same year Knud was elected king by all the people, and T. was
given the rule of one of the 4 large parts of the country, East Angel.
AFter king Knud had Eadric Streona killed, T. was for some years Knud's first
advisor and right hand. Upon the battle-field of Ashington Knud and T. built
together a church, and the church Bury St. Edmunds had a warm protector in T.;
he appointed monks to do service instead of priests.
T. had married Eadric Streona's widow Eadgytha,a daughter of king Aethelred,
and this made Knud suspicious. Since the king had planned to let England rule by
the English only, he banished T.to Denmark(1021). A few years later he reconciled
with his old war comrade and turned over the management of Denmark to T. as a
guardian for Harald, Knud's and Aelfgifu's son, (1023), but T. died shortly after,
according an unreliable English chronicle he was let down by the Danish chiefs
and killed by the peasants. His son Harald was then by Knud appointed
regent in Denmark.
Munch, Det norske Folks Historie III.
Freeman, The Norman conquest I.
Steenstrup, Normannerne III.
Stephen, Dictionary of national biography LVI.
Johannes C. H. R. Steenstrup.
Harald (Thorkilsson), --1042, Jarl, son of Thorkil the Tall,
was married to Cnut the Great's sister's daughter Gunhild. Knud appointed in 1028
H. as regent in Denmark and the Wendic possessions. When Magnus the Good after
Hardicanute's death (June 1042) won Denmark's throne, was H. regarded as a
dangerous rival, and the Saxon duke's son Ordulf - who was married to Magnus'
sister, let H. kill 13. November 1042, when he after a pilgrimage to Rome went
through Holstein.
Johannes C. H. R. Steenstrup.
Dansk Biografisk Lexicon
Carl Fr. Bricka
Project Runeberg
(1887-1905)
(1887-1905)
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