Harald Hen

Coin of Harald III

Harald was born around 1040.[2] Son of King Sweyn II, Harald took part in Sweyn's 1069 raid of England alongside his uncle Jarl Asbjørn and his brother Canute.[3]

After the death of his father in 1076, Harald was elected king in competition with his younger brother, Canute, at an assembly at Isøre near Odsherred.[4] In order to get elected, he took the vows called Harald's laws, declaring his will to uphold the existing rule of law.[1] During his rule, Harald met opposition from a number of his brothers,[1] likely including Canute,[2] who enlisted the support of Olaf III of Norway. Pope Gregory VII mediated, advising Olaf not to take sides, and for Harald to share power with his brothers.[4]

Harald was dependent on the great nobles of Denmark for his election, and did little to oppose them. As a result, he fought no major wars and spent his energy improving the few things that lay in his purview. He is best known for improving and standardizing Danish coinage,[3] and established mints at Ribe, Viborg, Lund, and Schleswig. He instituted public use of the Royal forests.[2] Harald also sought to change Danish legal customs. Harald deplored the ancient customs of trial by combat and the jernbyrd trial by ordeal of holding red-hot iron bars, and introduced a system used by the English of calling upon honorable men to swear oaths on behalf of the parties in a trial.[5] He allegedly continued Sweyn's policy of requesting the Pope to grant a Danish Archbishopric, but was not successful.[4]

Harald died on 17 April 1080, and was interred at Dalby Church in Scania.[3] He was succeeded as king by his brother, Canute IV.

Saxo Grammaticus scorned Harald as a weak and ineffective king yielding to the will of the common people, while Ælnoth called him a "by the people beloved lawmaker".[2] He is also described as a man who let others control his actions, possessing a mild temper.[3] Perhaps this gives the explanation for his nickname Harald the Whetstone (Danish: Harald Hen or Hein), in other words, Harald the Soft.[3]

The legal reforms of Harald were not fully accepted until the reign of Valdemar II the Victorious in the 13th century.[5] The historicity of his coinage reform has also been called into question.[4]