Olaf I of Denmark Totally Explained

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Olaf I of Denmark (Danish: Oluf I Hunger) (c. 1050 - 1095), was king of Denmark following his brother Canute IV starting from 1086. He was a natural son of king Sweyn Estridson and married Ingegard, princess of Norway, the daughter of Harald Hårdråde. Olaf was the third son of King Sweyn Estridsen to become king of Denmark. The road to the throne wasn't easy. Olaf was the Count of southern Jutland and was blamed by his brother, Canute IV for stirring up trouble against him. In 1086 Olaf was banished to Flanders in chains to keep him out of Canute's way. When Canute was murdered at St Albani church in Odense in July 1086, Olaf was proclaimed king at the Viborg Assembly (Danish:landsting), though he was still in Flanders. An arrangement was made to swap Olaf for his younger brother, Niels, to permit Olaf to return to Denmark.
   Olaf's reign was plagued by several consecutive years of crop failure which earned him the nickname "Hunger" (same meaning in Danish). According to Arild Hvitfeldt's "Danmarks Riges Krønike" the spring of the years were so dry that the fields looked as if they'd been burned and in the fall the skies opened up and rain fell so often that people floated about on pieces of wood to cut the heads off the grain that rose above the water. The hunger of the people grew so great that they dug the earth looking for roots. The wealthy grew thin, and the poor died of starvation. Sickness and starvation soon visited great and small. Supporters of his murdered predecessor Canute IV claimed that the famine was sent by God as a punishment on him and especially upon the Jutlanders who were most responsible for Canute's death. Olaf and his brothers Ubbe, Harald and Niels supported the uprising against King Canute, and some used this against him, blaming the king for the famine.
   Olaf died 18 August 1095 under mysterious circumstances. Some speculate that he may have killed himself or that he was "offered" on behalf of his luckless people. Saxo Grammaticus writes the he "lay down his dignity, when he willingly gave himself to loose the land of its back luck and begged that all of it (guilt) would fall upon his head alone. So offered he his life for his countrymen."
   His is the only Danish monarch whose burial site isn't known. It has been postulated that his body was divided among the regions of Denmark as a kind of scapegoat which was to take away the blood guilt of Denmark and restore it to its previous fortunes.

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