St. Olaf

St. Olaf (Olaf Haraldsson) was born around 995 in Norway, and died on 29 July 1030 at the Battle of Stiklestad. A Viking warrior in his youth who was baptized abroad, he returned home and made himself king of Norway, determined to unite the fractured land and to establish the Christian faith throughout it. He brought in bishops and priests, promoted the building of churches, and gave Norway Christian laws.

His firm, sometimes forceful efforts to root out paganism and consolidate royal power provoked opposition from powerful chieftains, who, allied with foreign rivals, drove him from the country; he fell in battle at Stiklestad attempting to regain his throne. After his death he was quickly venerated as a martyr for the faith, miracles were reported at his tomb in Nidaros (Trondheim), and he became the enduring national saint and patron of Norway, honored as its 'eternal king.'