The first king of Norway, Haraldr Harfagri, went down in history as the king, who managed to unite disparate territories under his rule, as well as the ruler, who established a universal filing and collection of taxes for the maintenance of regular troops on his lands. In addition, it was during his reign that the toponym "Norway" ("Northern Way") was first introduced; he preferred to call himself “the king of the Norwegians”. In addition to his successes as a talented monarch, Harald the First became famous as the father of numerous offspring, and the number of his children born in union with different women has not yet been precisely established. Historians can glean basic information about the king's life from the sagas of the skald Thorbjørn Hornklovy, a contemporary of Harald, who may have been at his court. Thanks to them, as well as some others,Relatively reliable sources know that of all his sons, Harald the First especially singled out Eirik, nicknamed the Bloody Ax (Eirik Blodoks), and it was he who was going to transfer control of the country after his death. The rest of the sons were allocated separate areas under the authority of the supreme king; taxes collected on these lands were also transferred to the royal treasury.
According to the Icelandic sagas, Eirik was a tall and handsome man, distinguished by his belligerence and a gloomy, unsociable character. He received his nickname "Bloody Ax" for his hot temper and cruelty towards not only enemies, but also towards his subjects. At the same time, Eirik became famous as an indomitable and fearless warrior who personally took part in numerous battles; according to the skalds of that time, these qualities partially atoned for other, less pleasant character traits.
Eirik set out on his first campaign in 927; the purpose of his raid was the land called Bjarmaland in the sagas - presumably the present territory of the Murmansk or Arkhangelsk regions. After returning from this expedition, Eirik quarreled with his brother, Bjorn the Sailor, who came under the control of one of the areas in the east of Norway. The conflict between the brothers led to the death of Bjorn, who was killed by Eirik the Bloody Ax with his own hands. It should be noted here that the strife between the numerous offspring of King Harald began even before his death in 933, after which the power over Norway was concentrated in the hands of his beloved son.
However, Eirik didn't have to enjoy his newfound power for long. The very next winter after the death of Harald the First, two of his other sons, Olaf and Sigred, refused to pay taxes to the treasury of the supreme king. Eirik, having gathered considerable forces under his banners, defeated the united troops of the brothers; both died in the battle. After this event, another nickname was added to the king's name - "fratricide". It must be said that this battle was, apparently, the only major military victory for Eirik.
The Bloody Ax was overthrown by his brother Hakon, who sided with a large army, consisting of people who, in one way or another, suffered from the cruelty and irascibility of Eirik. Forced to flee Norway, the former king went to the Orkney Islands, once conquered by his father, and from there to northern Britain. The then king of England, who at one time maintained friendly relations with Harald, invited Eirik to become the ruler of the Kingdom of Northumbria, a small state in the north of the country. Accepting this generous offer, the Bloody Ax again gathered a large enough army, at the head of which he set off to conquer Ireland. However, here, too, luck did not accompany the formidable Viking. Due to the numerical superiority, the local king Olaf managed to defeat the troops of Eirik, the Bloody Ax fell in battle,and his squads were scattered.
Gunnhild, the wife of Eirik, who remained during the Irish campaign in Northumbria, after the death of her husband, went with a small army again to the Orkney Islands, where she remained to live with her children. She earned the nickname "mother of the kings", because in alliance with the Bloody Ax, gave birth to eight sons.