In Loki’s Deceit, we meet King Horik, who reigned as king of Denmark from AD813 to AD854.
Horik was of the five sons of Gudfred, who was king of Denmark between AD804 and AD810 when he was assassinated by one of his housecarls. For unknown reasons, Hemming, a cousin of Horik, was declared king after Gudfred’s death, but his reign was short-lived and by AD812, he was also dead. During the ensuing civil war, Horik and his brothers fled to Sweden, where they sought refuge. But in AD813, they returned to Denmark when the new kings travelled north to put down an uprising. Having gained support from most of Denmark, the five brothers defeated the two kings and became the new co-rulers of Denmark.
This marked the beginning of a troublesome reign for Horik. Harald Klak, one of the disposed kings, requested the aid of Emperor Louis the Pious of Francia and, in AD819, to avoid war further conflict with the Franks to the south, Horik agreed to make Harald the new co-ruler of Denmark. Two of his brothers disagreed with this, though, and after a brief struggle which Horik won, he banished those brothers to make space for Harald Klak. This new arrangement, however, was short-lived and by AD824 Harald Klak was forced to flee Denmark for a second time and thus Horik became the sole king of Denmark.
During his forty-one-year reign, Horik fought off two invasions by Harald Klak, one of which was supported by Louis the Pious of Francia, and allowed for the first Christian church to be built in Denmark, even though there was no evidence that he loved the Christians. He did, however, seem to have a good relationship with Ansgar, who was credited with introducing Christianity to Denmark. All Horik wanted was peace with the Franks and he even went as far as punishing those who raided the Franks to the south. In AD831, Horik finally got his wish and signed a peace treaty with Emperor Louis the Pious. This, though, did not make him popular with those who benefitted from raiding their wealthy neighbours, and in AD854, one of his nephews, Guttrom, led a revolt against him.
King Horik’s reign came to a brutal end when he died during a three-day battle against Guttrom and his allies, where Guttrom, most of Denmark’s royalty and jarls, died as well.