Helge (Danish king)
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| Helge | |
|---|---|
| King of the Danes | |
| Reign | 890s |
| Predecessor | Sigfred and Halfdan |
| Successor | Olof the Brash |
| Born | 9th century Denmark |
| Died | c. 900 Denmark? |
| Spouse | allegedly Aslaug the Younger(legendary) |
| Issue | allegedly Sigurd Hart (legendary) |
| Dynasty | Dagling (legendary) |
| Father | allegedly Olaf Ingjaldsson (legendary) |
| Religion | Norse paganism |
Helge was a Danish king who ruled at the end of the 9th century. There is no contemporary evidence for his existence, since he is only mentioned in a source from the 11th century.
Danish Viking armies in the Frankish kingdoms suffered a series of defeats in the late 9th century, culminating with the Battle of Leuven (891).[1] In the last-mentioned confrontation the Vikings, according to the Annales Fuldenses were killed or drowned in the hundreds or thousands, and the Danish kings Sigfred and Gudfred were among the slain. It has been guessed that Sigfred is identical with a king in the Danish homeland mentioned in 873.[2] According to the ecclesiastic chronicle of Adam of Bremen (c. 1075), a certain king Helge ruled in Denmark after the defeat of the Norsemen. He was beloved by his people on account of his sense of justice and sanctity. Helge's reign ended abruptly when a conqueror called Olof came down from the land of the Swedes. Olof subdued the Danish kingdom with the arms, after which his dynasty ruled for three generations. What happened to Helge we are not told. Adam claims the Danish King Sven Estridsen as his informant; on the request of Adam, the king enumerated his forefathers.[3]
