Rise To Power
As the pressure grew more intense on him during Sveinn Knutsson's viceroy reign, Einar made his greatest political masterstroke. He traveled to Garðaríki (later Russia), where he found Olaf's eleven-year-old illegitimate son Magnus (later dubbed 'the Good'). Forming a political alliance with former Stiklestad peasant army leader Kalv Arnesson, he then proceeded to broker an agreement between the puppet king Magnus and the newly installed Danish ruler, Harthacnut, son of Cnut the Great.
Thus, Einar became the de facto ruler of Norway, a position he at this point never could have held if he himself had fought Magnus's father at Stiklestad. Kalv Arnesson and Thorir Hund, two nobles who did, both faded out into insignificance; the latter even forced to go to Jerusalem in search of forgiveness for killing the holy king. While Magnus did assume some power as he grew older, Einar remained a very influential figure throughout his reign.
Read more about this topic: Einar Thambarskelfir
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