Kálfr Árnason

Magnus is an illegitimate son of King Olaf Haraldsson (later St. Olaf), by his English concubine Alfhild, originally a slave (thrall) of Olaf's queen Astrid Olofsdotter.

Born prematurely, the child was weak and unable to breathe for the first few minutes, and he was probably not expected to survive.

Olaf was not present at the child's birth, and his Icelandic skald Sigvatr Tordarson became his godfather.

In a hasty baptism, Sigvatr named Magnus after the greatest king he knew of, also Olaf's greatest role model, Karla Magnus, or Charlemagne.

Against the odds, Magnus had gone on to grow strong and healthy, and he had become of vital importance to Olaf as his only son.

When Olaf was dethroned by the Danish king Cnut the Great in 1028, he had gone into exile with his family and court, including the young Magnus.

They had traveled over the mountains and through Eidskog during the winter, entered Värmland, and had been given shelter by a chieftain called Sigtrygg in Närke.

After a few months, they departed Närke, and by March went eastwards towards Sigtuna, where the Swedish king Anund Jacob had left them a ship.

The party thereafter sailed through the Baltic Sea and into the Gulf of Finland, eventually landing in Kievan Rus' (Gardaríki).

They had made their first stop at Staraya Ladoga (Aldeigjuborg) to organize the further journey.

From there, they had traveled southwards to Novgorod (Holmgard), where Olaf had sought assistance from Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise.

Yaroslav, however, had not wanted to become directly involved in the Scandinavian power-struggles, and declined to help.

After some time, in early 1030, Olaf had learned that the Earl of Lade Håkon Eiriksson, Cnut's regent in Norway, had disappeared at sea, and gathered his men to make a swift return to Norway.

Magnus was left to be fostered by Yaroslav and his wife Ingegerd.

A party including Magnus's uncle Harald Sigurdsson (later also to be king and then known as Harald Hardrada) had arrived in early 1031 to report the news of his father's death at the Battle of Stiklestad.

Magnus had for the past few year been educated in Old Russian and some Greek and has been trained as a warrior.

After Cnut's death in 1035, the Norwegian noblemen do not want to be under the oppressive rule of his son Svein and his mother Ælfgifu (known as Álfífa in Norway) any longer.

Einar Thambarskelfir and Kalf Arnesson, who had both sought to be appointed regents under Cnut after Olaf's death in 1030 (Cnut had instead appointed Svein and Ælfgifu), go together to Kievan Rus' to bring the boy back to rule as the King of Norway.

Einar Thambarskelfir and Kalf Arnesson, after receiving the approval of Ingegerd, return from Novgorod with Magnus to Sigtuna in early 1035, and receive backing from the Swedish king, brother of Magnus's stepmother Astrid.

Astrid immediately becomes an important supporter of Magnus, and an army is gathered in Sweden, headed by Einar and Kalf, to place Magnus on the Norwegian throne.

Ælfgifu and Svein have made themselves unpopular by heavy taxation and favoring Danish advisers over the Norwegian nobles, and when Magnus of Norway, the son of the former King of Norway, Olaf, invades in 1035, they are forced to flee to Harthacnut's court.

Magnus is proclaimed king in 1035, at eleven years of age; Svein dies shortly after.

Magnus at first seeks revenge against his father's enemies, but on Sigvatr's advice he stops doing so, which is why he becomes known as "good" or "noble”.

Thorfinn and Rognvald had fallen out in time.

The vivid account of the war between Thorfinn and Rognvald in the Orkneyinga Saga which survives may well be only a part of a much longer saga now lost.

Their enmity arose with the arrival of Kalf Arnesson and his followers in Orkney.

Kalf is the uncle of Thorfinn's wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, and had left Norway to escape King Magnus Olafsson.

Rognvald, with Kalf's brothers, had shared Magnus's exile in Kievan Rus under the protection of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, and the saga says that when Kalf came to Ladoga to invite Magnus back to Norway, Rognvald almost attacked him.

Thorfinn, it is said, found hosting Kalf and his men a burden, and in time asked Rognvald to return the third of the earldom "which had once belonged to Einar Wry-Mouth".

Rognvald refused, saying that it was for King Magnus to settle matters.

Thorfinn began raising an army, and Rognvald's islanders were unwilling to fight Thorfinn, so Rognvald sailed to Norway where King Magnus supplied him with ships and men.

He returned to the islands, facing Thorfinn and Kalf Arnesson in a sea battle which Arnor the skald commemorated in verse.

The battle went Rognvald's way to begin with, but in the end he was defeated and forced again to seek refuge with King Magnus.

King Magnus offers to fit out another expedition for Rognvald, but he decides to take just one ship and a picked crew.

He sails to Shetland in winter, and learning that Thorfinn is staying on a farm on the Orkney Mainland with only a few men, he sets out at once to attack him.

Rognvald's men surprise Thorfinn, and set the farm ablaze.

The saga says that Thorfinn had to break down a wall and escape, carrying his wife in his arms, flying south to Caithness for safety.

Rognvald rules in Kirkwall over the winter, believing Thorfinn dead, but in the spring, while staying on Papa Stronsay, Thorfinn and his men turn the tables, taking Rognvald by surprise, just as he had surprised Thorfinn.

Rognvald escapes the house, but is tracked down, given away by the barking of his lap dog, and killed by Thorkell the Fosterer.

Even with Rognvald dead, Thorfinn is not entirely secure.

The saga recounts an attempt to make peace with Magnus Olafsson, who had sworn vengeance for the death of his men in Thorfinn's attack on Rognvald.

Magnus is at war with the Danish king Sweyn Estridsson, and dies before he can take any action.

Magnus's uncle and successor, Harald Sigurdsson, better known as Harald Hardrada, is more friendly towards Thorfinn, and makes a peace, accepting Thorfinn's gifts.