Person

Olaf Tryggvason

c. 963–1000 · 10th century · Also known as Olaf I of Norway

Olaf Tryggvason was king of Norway from 995 to 1000. A great-grandson of Harald Fairhair according to saga tradition, he gained wealth as a Viking leader in England and was baptised before seizing power in Norway. He forced Christianity on Norway and sent missionaries to the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland, and traditionally founded Nidaros, now Trondheim. He was killed at the naval Battle of Svolder in 1000.

Olaf Tryggvason
Image: Ole Andreas Øverland (1855-1911) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Kingdom of NorwayFoundation, Summary

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Faroese CommonwealthKingdom of Norway

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Olaf Tryggvason. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/olaf-tryggvason
MLA
“Olaf Tryggvason.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/olaf-tryggvason. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Olaf Tryggvason.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/olaf-tryggvason.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Olaf Tryggvason’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/olaf-tryggvason (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻