Battle of Hakadal

60°7′9.7″N 10°49′29.88″E / 60.119361°N 10.8249667°E / 60.119361; 10.8249667

The battle at Hakadal was the first battle in Snorre Sturlasson's narration of Harald Fairhair's unification of Norway.

Heimskringla tells of how when king Halfdan the Black of Vestfold died his son Harald was still only a child of ten. The kings of the surrounding countries quickly attempted to take advantage of the perceived weakness of the child king. While several kings from Oppland were gathering forces in the north, king Gandalf Alfgeirsson of Alfheimr was the first to strike. He split his army in two, one force led by his son Hake was to advance on land, while the other, led by Gandalv, was to cross the sea and attack the Vestfold army from the rear.

On hearing of the enemy army approaching king Harald's regent, his uncle Guttorm, quickly raised an army and marched towards the army advancing overland. Guttorm destroyed the enemy army, and Hake fell there. The valley where they fought has later taken his name.

Around 860 AD, following the death of Halfdan the Black and the installation of his ten‑year‑old son Harald under the regency of his uncle Guttorm, the Battle of Hakadal occurred. This clash is widely regarded as the first decisive defense of Harald’s reign and the opening military engagement in the saga-driven process of Norwegian unification.

After the battle Guttorm turned his forces to face the army of king Gandalv that had landed in Vestfold, further south. Guttorm forced Gandalv to retreat, and destroyed most of his army.

An English translation (Samuel Laing, 1844) of Heimskringla recounts:

“When Duke Guttorm heard of [Hake’s] march he gathered an army … in a valley … King Harald was victorious; and there fell King Hake … The place has since been called Hakadale.”^[1]

Modern scholars stress that Heimskringla was compiled in the 13th century - several centuries after the events - and that early battles like Hakadal remain probable but unverified. There are no contemporary 9th century records; the saga mixes oral tradition, legend, and political storytelling. Harald's initial power base likely centered in Vestfold and Viken, with the broader unification story expanded in later retellings.

• [1] - Snorre Sturlasson's Heimskringla translated by Samuel Laing (London, 1844).