The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada
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- Create Date：2021-09-24 17:21:11
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Don Hollway
- ISBN：B08HWGHYLX
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Summary
King Harald III （called Hardrada， or "Hard Ruler"） of Norway was a real-life fantasy hero who burst into history as a teenaged youth in a Viking battle， from which he escaped with little more than his life and a thirst for vengeance。
Journey with him across the medieval world， from the frozen barrens of the North to the glittering towers of Byzantium and the passions of the Holy Land。 He'll fight for and against Christian， Muslim and pagan rulers。 He'll bed handmaids， a princess and an empress alike， writing poetry and amassing a fortune along the way， before returning home to claim his love， his crown and his destiny， ultimately dying like a Viking: in battle， laughing， with sword in hand。
The Last Viking is a fast-moving narrative that reads like a novel， combining Norse sagas， Byzantine accounts， Anglo Saxon chronicles， and even King Harald's own verse and prose， into a single， compelling story。 While pointing out errors and contradictions in the ancient stories for the sake of accuracy Don Hollway brings the true tale of this hero to life。
Journey with him across the medieval world， from the frozen barrens of the North to the glittering towers of Byzantium and the passions of the Holy Land。 He'll fight for and against Christian， Muslim and pagan rulers。 He'll bed handmaids， a princess and an empress alike， writing poetry and amassing a fortune along the way， before returning home to claim his love， his crown and his destiny， ultimately dying like a Viking: in battle， laughing， with sword in hand。
The Last Viking is a fast-moving narrative that reads like a novel， combining Norse sagas， Byzantine accounts， Anglo Saxon chronicles， and even King Harald's own verse and prose， into a single， compelling story。 While pointing out errors and contradictions in the ancient stories for the sake of accuracy Don Hollway brings the true tale of this hero to life。
Reviews
Ned Lud
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Mad respect for Harald。 Osprey not so much。 2。5 ⭐️
Dawn
，
"The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada and the End of the Norsemen" tells us of the life of King Harald III of Norway。 Called Hardrada， or "Hard Ruler"， you can see how he earned this name。 This book was absolutely fascinating and reads as fast and easily as a novel。 The clear and enjoyable writing style really brought the events to life， and gave me a real sense to satisfaction when I reached the final page。 My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was wr "The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada and the End of the Norsemen" tells us of the life of King Harald III of Norway。 Called Hardrada， or "Hard Ruler"， you can see how he earned this name。 This book was absolutely fascinating and reads as fast and easily as a novel。 The clear and enjoyable writing style really brought the events to life， and gave me a real sense to satisfaction when I reached the final page。 My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Sarah
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I was just a kid when I first wrote about King Harald in a story about 1066 and he inspired my lifelong fascination with Vikings and Norse mythology。 A compelling page turner of a biography， The Last Viking paints a vivid picture not only of the man but the world he lived in as well。
The Word Whisperer
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In September 1066， before the Norman invasion， England is fighting to determine it’s future history， for it to be known as Anglo-Saxon or Viking。 Leading the Vikings into this war is King Harald III Sigurdsson， also called Hardrada。 The Last Viking is the biography of this mighty and renowned warrior of the 10th century。 REVIEW: In the resurgence of interest in Vikings， courtesy of the Netflix programme， The Last Kingdom and Amazon Primes’ Vikings， interest in these unique people has risen。 But In September 1066， before the Norman invasion， England is fighting to determine it’s future history， for it to be known as Anglo-Saxon or Viking。 Leading the Vikings into this war is King Harald III Sigurdsson， also called Hardrada。 The Last Viking is the biography of this mighty and renowned warrior of the 10th century。 REVIEW: In the resurgence of interest in Vikings， courtesy of the Netflix programme， The Last Kingdom and Amazon Primes’ Vikings， interest in these unique people has risen。 But for the most part， what we know， is based on the oral legends of skalds。 The written history of Vikings occurred some 200 years after the events。 One such historian is Snorri Sturlson， who， it’s believed drew on the records found in the ‘Moldy Parchment’ （Morkinskinna） and the ‘Fair Parchment’ （Fargskinna） to write his own historical literature。 Using the works of Snorri and many other reference works， the list of reference works is over several pages long， Hollway has been able to write a detailed biography of the Last Viking， Harald。 From his first battle as a young warrior all the way through to his last， you are enthralled by this giant of Norse history。 You follow Harald all the way to Novgorod and his entry into the service of the Kievan Rus’ king， Yaroslav。 Here he learned a new type of warfare， the blockade。 Slowly starving the defenders， Harald learned the lesson of patience in warfare， while making a name for himself amongst the Rus。 From the Kievan Rus to the Nova Roma， the new Rome， to Constantinople。 Here we find Harald as part of the Varangian Guard。 Here we get to see what a Northmen thought of this magnificent city and all it had to offer。 And while Harald is here， we learn of the fate of this magnificent city of the past。 After nearly a decade Harald returns to the court of the Keivan Rus and here takes a bride。 Not long after he returns to Norway and climbs to the throne。 But the tale of this warrior poet isn’t over。 He soon turns his attention to England and the spoils it has to offer， and his claim to the throne。 Harald’s saga ends with his death at Stamford Bridge， but his deeds live on through Hollway’s biography of King Harald Hardrada， The Last Viking VERDICT: 4****/5 A rich telling of the saga， of the Last Viking， King Harald。 All the research and legends woven into a history book that reads like a novel。 An outstanding reference work for all Viking buffs and historians alike。 The review will be posted to my blog， The Word Whisperer， from the 24/08/21。 It will also be posted to my Instragram: the_wordwhisperer; Facebook: @WordWhisper and Twitter: @TheWordWhisperer1， accounts https://www。thewordwhisperer。online/p。。。 。。。more
Kevin Mittge
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Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book。 A good introduction to the extraordinary life of Viking king Harold Hardrada。 Half-brother of the sainted King Olaf， having to flee into exile after the latter's death， serving the emperors and empresses of Byzantium around the Mediterranean - including Sicily and the Holy Lands， marrying the daughter of Yaroslav of Rus， returning to Norway to rule as king， and then his unsuccessful attempts to claim the thrones of Denmark and England。 The first of th Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book。 A good introduction to the extraordinary life of Viking king Harold Hardrada。 Half-brother of the sainted King Olaf， having to flee into exile after the latter's death， serving the emperors and empresses of Byzantium around the Mediterranean - including Sicily and the Holy Lands， marrying the daughter of Yaroslav of Rus， returning to Norway to rule as king， and then his unsuccessful attempts to claim the thrones of Denmark and England。 The first of the two King Haralds to die in 1066， the year of the Battle of Hastings。 His army's last fight at Stamford Bridge brought a closure to the Viking Age。 While I have read a lot about William the Conqueror and his opponent Harold of Wessex， this was the first biography I've read of Harald Hardrada。 。。。more
Hallie
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I came to this book having only watched some shows on the Vikings， and the partially fictional series the Last Kingdom on Netflix （in other words， without much knowledge of the time period）。 This is a real historical figure worthy of an adaptation， because it is hard to fathom all that happened to Harald Hardrada， and all that he accomplished， happening in just 51 years of life。 From Norway， to Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire， to England， Harald traveled and battled for much of his life。 I came to this book having only watched some shows on the Vikings， and the partially fictional series the Last Kingdom on Netflix （in other words， without much knowledge of the time period）。 This is a real historical figure worthy of an adaptation， because it is hard to fathom all that happened to Harald Hardrada， and all that he accomplished， happening in just 51 years of life。 From Norway， to Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire， to England， Harald traveled and battled for much of his life。 This book highlights the action， adventure， and political intrigue that Harald experienced as if you， as the reader， are standing there with him。 The author is careful to point out where historical sources differ in their re-telling of events， and to point out what is only an educated guess rather than confirmed historical fact which I really appreciated。 Overall， I thought this was a great book especially for readers like myself who are not already familiar with the time period。 Because it reads like an adventure， I think this book would be a good foray into history/biography for readers who typically don't pick up books like that。Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alexandra
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Very good story telling of his life and told in a way that seems like a story。 Good information and sourcing of what he went through
Angela McCollister
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Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley:I really learned a lot from this book。 I knew how Harald Hadrada's story ended at the battle of Stamford Bridge but not much about the rest of his life。 I especially liked learning more about the Byzantine Empire and Kievan Rus and how Harald's life intersected with them。 I did have to read this one slowly over the entire month as it was dense but it was definitely worth it。 Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley:I really learned a lot from this book。 I knew how Harald Hadrada's story ended at the battle of Stamford Bridge but not much about the rest of his life。 I especially liked learning more about the Byzantine Empire and Kievan Rus and how Harald's life intersected with them。 I did have to read this one slowly over the entire month as it was dense but it was definitely worth it。 。。。more
Katherine Hartley
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Don Hollway's book is an interesting introduction to one of Norway's most famous historical figures， and arguably one of the greatest warriors ever to have lived。 Possibly most recognisable in Britain as one of the claimants to the British throne in 1066 （notably the Battle of Stanford Bridge where King Harald died）， the book delves deep into his military exploits and sheds light on a political outlook that often gets ignored when looking into the history of Norway。 A fast-paced narrative padded Don Hollway's book is an interesting introduction to one of Norway's most famous historical figures， and arguably one of the greatest warriors ever to have lived。 Possibly most recognisable in Britain as one of the claimants to the British throne in 1066 （notably the Battle of Stanford Bridge where King Harald died）， the book delves deep into his military exploits and sheds light on a political outlook that often gets ignored when looking into the history of Norway。 A fast-paced narrative padded out with original source material including the Norse sagas， Anglo-Saxon chronicles and even Harald's own words， The Last Viking is an accessible and enlightening read for anyone interested in Norse history。 。。。more
Melisende
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The story of the larger than life Harald III Hardrada - the last "great" Viking - " 。。。 a man who outlived his aged 。。。。 once feared and hated but now admired 。。。"If you have never read about Harald， then this is the book for you - accessible， well researched， covering all the exploits that most men of his own lifetime had trouble keeping up with。 It does focus a lot on the military aspect of his life， but those looking for some of the personal may find some diamonds among the rough。A worthy tom The story of the larger than life Harald III Hardrada - the last "great" Viking - " 。。。 a man who outlived his aged 。。。。 once feared and hated but now admired 。。。"If you have never read about Harald， then this is the book for you - accessible， well researched， covering all the exploits that most men of his own lifetime had trouble keeping up with。 It does focus a lot on the military aspect of his life， but those looking for some of the personal may find some diamonds among the rough。A worthy tome for the library shelves。 。。。more
Felicia Steele
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My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of Don Holloway's book， The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada and the End of the Norsemen。 I think that I come to this book from a perspective that Holloway's book doesn't anticipate: I study the history of the English language， so the military events of 1066 in England hold significant importance for the course of the history of the English language。 Holloway doesn't indulge in pointless "what-ifs" regarding My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of Don Holloway's book， The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada and the End of the Norsemen。 I think that I come to this book from a perspective that Holloway's book doesn't anticipate: I study the history of the English language， so the military events of 1066 in England hold significant importance for the course of the history of the English language。 Holloway doesn't indulge in pointless "what-ifs" regarding the Battle of Stamford Bridge， and I respect and appreciate that。 The one question that I wish he would have addressed more explicitly was the issue of communication--what languages， exactly， was Harald Hadrada using as he served in the Varangian guard in Constantiople？ Were all the Vikings speaking Old Norse of sufficient mutual intelligibility that they never encountered moments of misunderstanding？ But these are my questions， which are far outside of Holloway's intended purposes。 Holloway presents himself as Harald's last biographer， but in the course of narrating Harald's extraordinary biography， which begins in Norway， and extends across the battlefields and royal courts of Scandinavia， what is now the Ukraine， Eastern Europe， Byzantium， the Levant， and finally ends upon a battlefield of northern England， he also tells the story of Harald's principal biographer--Snorri Sturluson， the Icelandic chieftain and political leader who composed a history of the Kings of Norway as well as the best surviving guide to the poetry and mythology of medieval Scandinavia。 Holloway treats his sources as respectfully as his subjects and provides a road-map for his readers to engage with sources from Iceland， Norway， England， Sicily， and Byzantium。 While this is not an academic history， it is a conscientiously researched and well-written history for popular audiences。 Since King Harald was， before all else， a warrior， Holloway focuses a great deal more time on military engagements than he does on palace intrigue， although he does hint at Harald's desirability to powerful Byzantine women。 Social history is comparatively absent， but Holloway does not pretend that he is going to offer it。 As long as a reader is looking for political and military history， they will not be disappointed。Holloway's book also demonstrates how faulty many popular ideas about the Middle Ages are。 Holloway offers King Harald as a embodiment of the vast distances many medieval people， especially from Scandinavia， traveled and how engaged people from multiple cultural backgrounds were with one another。 In the end， Holloway also explains clearly how， while King Harald failed to establish a transnational Empire， other Norsemen -- the Normans of France -- succeeded in building an empire with an enduring cultural impact。 。。。more
Helliondeadwoman
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Vikings have been incredibly popular the last few years and I am here for it。 All the vikings， all the time。This was a superbly written biography of King Harald III， one of history's greatest warriors， this book not only gives the reader insights to the battles and wars he bravely fought in， but the political intrigue that is often ignored when it comes to Vikings。 While it is a historical biography drawing on many sources （and made so much more accessible and readable to the average person）， th Vikings have been incredibly popular the last few years and I am here for it。 All the vikings， all the time。This was a superbly written biography of King Harald III， one of history's greatest warriors， this book not only gives the reader insights to the battles and wars he bravely fought in， but the political intrigue that is often ignored when it comes to Vikings。 While it is a historical biography drawing on many sources （and made so much more accessible and readable to the average person）， the book itself moves like a fast paced fictional novel。There are a good amount of detail in the beginning ;to get you up to speed which may be a bit of a hurdle for some readers， but push through， I promise， it's worth it。 。。。more
Kaye
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A compelling account of the history of one of the most strongest warriors of Norway: King Harald Hardrada， a very distant ancestor。 Leaving Norway with his army and sailing to England to take back what he considered his land， the battles are fierce and well detailed。 The beginning of the book gets a bit bogged down with background （needed， but slow to read through）， and the politics is not my favorite， so skimmed a bit。 otherwise though， I highly recommend this book and author。 He has presented， A compelling account of the history of one of the most strongest warriors of Norway: King Harald Hardrada， a very distant ancestor。 Leaving Norway with his army and sailing to England to take back what he considered his land， the battles are fierce and well detailed。 The beginning of the book gets a bit bogged down with background （needed， but slow to read through）， and the politics is not my favorite， so skimmed a bit。 otherwise though， I highly recommend this book and author。 He has presented， through sagas and a variety of accounts a intriguing look at the world of Vikings in 1066， including superstitions and meanings of place names。 Well written and reads more like a novel at times instead of history， and worth the time to read。 。。。more
Ron Baumer
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An interesting read on the last of the Viking kings。 The story was intriguing and the background of the politics that went on was also interesting。 A good novel about this time period。
William Harris
，
I just finished reading a delightful biography of King Harald Hardrada of Norway。 The ARC was provided to me by Osprey Publishing， and the text is expected to become generally available in September。 The title of the book is "The Last Viking。" The author， Don Hollway， has done an outstanding job of giving us all a glimpse into late Viking society， using the character and almost unbelievable life of King Harald as a vehicle for his exploration。 King Harald Hardrada might be thought of as the Viki I just finished reading a delightful biography of King Harald Hardrada of Norway。 The ARC was provided to me by Osprey Publishing， and the text is expected to become generally available in September。 The title of the book is "The Last Viking。" The author， Don Hollway， has done an outstanding job of giving us all a glimpse into late Viking society， using the character and almost unbelievable life of King Harald as a vehicle for his exploration。 King Harald Hardrada might be thought of as the Viking warrior writ large。 His military and political career， not to speak of his colorful personal life， is used as a kind of exemplum of all of the flaws and virtues of a Viking warrior and King of his time。 From his teenage years to his death at the hands of the last Danish leader of England （which paved the way for William the Conqueror's defeat of the English at Hastings） King Harald fought his way through Norway and Denmark to Kiev and a protracted stay in the service of the Byzantine Empire before winning back power in Norway and finally to his demise in England。 Along the way he distinguished himself by his self-serving ruthlessness as well as his startling interest and participation in Scandinavian literary culture and a bewildering number of marriages and romantic entanglements， all heavily laden with political implications designed to serve his own purposes。 He fought with distinction in battles all over the Medieval world。 The author captures all of this through a deft examination of primary sources that most of us are only passingly familiar with。 If you want to better understand the Vikings' role in early modern Europe， there are few figures which could more effectively convey the remarkable depth and longevity of Viking contributions to the modern world。 。。。more
Cassandra
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Great information on a Viking that gets very little recognition。 The history of the Vikings has always fascinated me and this book just gave me more reasons to like the time period and group of people。
Claire
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