The legendary kings of Denmark were, according to legend, the monarchs of Denmark, the Danes, or specific lands of Denmark (Zealand, Jutland or Scania) who preceded Gorm the Old, a king who reigned to and is the earliest reliably attested Danish ruler. Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth, oversaw the widespread Christianization of Denmark, meaning that the legendary kings listed here are those from before Christianization and are predominantly (but not entirely) pagan. Kings preceding Gorm may be partly historical (especially those near to Gorm's time), but are either semi-legendary or entirely mythological. Some are based on earlier euhemerised stories (that is, figures from mythological folktales were depicted as historical kings by medieval writers such as Saxo Grammaticus).
There are many medieval accounts of the Danish kings of the Dark Ages, and these accounts can be confusing and contradictory (although there is overlap and different sources can include the same kings). This article presents the legendary kings from each source separately.
Runestones are raised stones, marked with a runic inscription. In the Viking Age, and especially later in the Viking Age, runestones were often raised in memorial of dead people, including kings. Many were raised by contemporaries of the deceased, making runestones important archeological and historical evidence. Although they contain very little detail about the people they mention, they are vital corroborating evidence for individuals (especially kings) that are known of through other sources (see below).
Surviving runestones that were found in lands that were part of Denmark during the Viking Age and refer to early and legendary kings of Denmark include:
In summary, the legendary Danish kings preceding Gorm the Old who are recorded on Viking Age runestones are:
Adam of Bremen was an 11th century German chronicler. Although not Danish himself, he spent time in the court of the Danish king Svend Estridson. Adam claims to derive much of the information on Danish history from his Latin chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum ("Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg") from conversations with Svend (whom he quotes verbatim in several places) and from information provided by Danish bishops. He also references the historians of the Franks (see, for example, the section on the Royal Frankish Annals, below) and hagiographies such as Vita Ansgarii.
Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum names several 10th century kings preceding Gorm the Old. Kings whose histories are derived from information provided by Svend Estridson include:
Mentioned kings preceding Gorm the Old, whose histories are derived from other sources, include:
The earliest known history of Denmark to be written in Denmark was Chronicon Roskildense ("The Chronicle of Roskilde"), which was composed in Latin by an unknown author (likely connected with Roskilde Cathedral) in the mid-12th century. Many early sections rely on the work of Adam of Bremen (see above).
It begins in the year 826, with the introduction of Christianity to Denmark and conversion of Harald Klak. The original chronicle ends with the appointment of Eskil of Lund as Archbishop of Lund in 1137 or 1138 (and was likely written about this time), and this is followed by a continuation by a different author up to the ascension of Valdemar I of Denmark in 1157. As such, most of the chronicle takes place after the Christianisation of Denmark, but the early sections do list several semi-legendary kings preceding Gorm the Old. These are:
The Chronicon Roskildense refers to two separate kings named Gorm (historically only one, Gorm the Old, is known of), both of whom had sons named Harald (based on Harald Bluetooth). Furthermore there are two individuals named Sven (based on Sveyn Forkbeard), one the father of the second Gorm and the other his grandson. Both Svens invaded Anglia and overthrew a king (Aldradus or Adeldrad, both based on ÃÂthelred the Unready). The second Gorm is succeeded by his son Harald, who is succeeded by the second Sven, who is temporarily replaced by Olaf Cracaben. After the second Sven dies, he is succeeded by Cnut the Great ("Kanutus"), and thereafter the chronicle begins to align more with accepted history. (Later, Saxo Grammaticus would not only retain these two kings named Gorm, but add a third; see below.)
Ivar the Boneless ("Ywar"), son of Ragnar Lodbrok ("Lothpardus"), isn't called a king of the Danes in Chronicon Roskildense, but he is a king of the Norsemen ("rex Normannorum") during the reign of Horik II and leads several kings of the Danes (the chronicle explains that, at the time, there were as many as five kings in Denmark: two in Jutland, a third in Fyn, a fourth in Sjælland, and a fifth in Scania) to destroy the kingdom of the Franks. He then leads a fleet to invade Britain (the Great Heathen Army). The Chronicon mentions several of his brothers (Ingvar, Ubbi, Byorn, and Ulf) as rulers of northern nations; Ingvar may be so named in reference to Adam of Bremen, who used the name Ingvar as a son of Lodbrok who ruled as King of the Danes.
The earliest known treatment of Danish legendary history to be written in Denmark was Chronicon Lethrense ("The Chronicle of Lejre"), which was composed in Latin by an unknown author, likely from Roskilde and transmitted as part of the Annales Lundenses (although it was likely originally a separate work). Chronicon Lethrense was written in the mid- to late-12th century, possibly alongside or as a sort of prequel to Chronicon Roskildense (see above), which depicts historical kings after the introduction of Christianity to Denmark.
Chronicon Lethrense was hugely influential, and many subsequent chronicles were at least partly based on it. Almost all monarchs mentioned appear in subsequent chronicles, with the notable exception of two queens regnant, Asa and Hethae. It states that the first king of the Danes was a certain Dan (after whom the tribe was named), who was the son of a Swedish king named Ypper. This is said to be both when Augustus invaded Denmark and during the time of the Biblical King David, referring to two rulers who lived about a thousand years apart.
Chronicon Lethrense also explicitly conflates the kingdoms of Denmark with Dacia, a conceit that appears in the earlier works of Dudo of Saint-Quentin, and in subsequent works such as Historia Regum Britanniae (see below).
Monarchs in the Chronicon Lethrense are:
Sven Aggesen was a 12th century Danish chronicler who wrote Brevis historia regum Dacie ("A Short History of the Kings of Denmark"). He was a contemporary of Saxo Grammaticus and noted in his writings that he was aware of Saxo's then-in progress work on the Gesta Danorum (see below), but also described himself (incorrectly) as the first writer to document the kings of Denmark.
Sven says that the first king of Denmark was Skiold, whose descendants are the Skioldungar. The line of kings continues from Skiold to Gorm the Old with only one break, between Ingiald and Olaf. It says, "After his [Ingeld's] time no son succeeded his father to the throne for a space of many centuries. It passed to grandsons, or nephews, who, to be sure, were sprung from the royal stock on the one side." It is unclear if this represents a gap in the lineage (i.e. that other unmentioned kings ruled between Ingeld and Olaf) or if Olaf succeeded Ingeld directly but began a period in which there was no direct father-to-son succession. The latter is possible given, for example, that Olaf took the throne by conquest, and that after Olaf the landowner Ennignup (possibly a reference to Gnupa) became guardian of the kingdom before Knut came to power. When first written, the chronicle was apparently accompanied by an extensive genealogy as an appendix, but this appendix has not survived.
Kings of Denmark mentioned in Aggesen's Brevis historia regum Dacie are:
Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes") by Saxo Grammaticus is the most extensive, and most widely known Danish chronicle of Danish kings. It was written in Latin in the 12th century, and comprises 16 books, of which the first 9 relate to legendary kings leading up to Gorm the Old, and the remaining 7 are more recent and historical. The work is explicitly euhemeristic, repeatedly referring to certain individuals (including Odin, Baldr, and Thor) as mortal humans that people believed to be, and worshipped as, gods.
Saxo draws on many sources for this work. In several places where the sources appear contradictory, he will adapt more than one version at different places in the timeline, often creating multiple individuals where earlier stories had only one. For example, instead of a single king named Gorm the Old, Saxo says there were three different kings named Gorm. Sigurd Hring appears as two different kings, Ringo and Siwardus Ring.
Gesta Danorum does not distinguish between kings of the same name, except through context or the occasional epithet. However, the popularity of the work meant that the kings list that first appeared in it was used extensively in later works, some of which appended regnal numbers so that the kings could be easily identified individually. For example, in the 17th century, the priest and mathematician Erico Olai Tormio (or Eric Olufsen Torm) produced an engraving of all Danish kings up to that date in honour of king Christian IV of Denmark, called Veræ effigies regum omnium, qvi a primo Dan usqve Christianum IV modo regnantem imperii Danici gloria eminuerunt (or "True images of all the kings, from Dan the first all the way to Christian IV the present king of the Danish empire, stood out in glory"). The legendary kings featured in the work are identical to those from the Gesta Danorum, with the addition of regnal numbers. This work also adds lengths of reigns, not always included in the original. In 1685, another work gave the stories and images of the kings up to then-King Christian V of Denmark, this time a book in German by called Der Königen in Dän[n]emark Leben, Regierung und Absterben, von dem Ersten König Dan an, Biàauf den izt-regierenden König Christian den Fünfften ("The Lives, Reigns and Deaths of the Kings of Denmark, from Dan the first to the present Christian V"). This book also used Gesta Danorum as its base for the list of legendary kings.
The legendary Danish kings from the Gesta Danourm (with regnal numbers from the Veræ effigies of Erico Olai Tormio) are:
In Book VI of Gesta Danorum, Saxo also refers to a certain Hakon as the tyrant of Denmark when describing the early years of the champion Starkad. However, Hakon does not appear to fit into the timeline or family tree of Danish rulers as described in the rest of Gesta Danorum.
Gesta Danorum pÃÂ¥ danskæ, a work separate from Saxo's Gesta Danorum, is the earliest surviving chronicle of Danish kings that was written in the Danish language (then Old Norse). It was written around the year 1300. It covers much of the same legendary and historical material as Chronicon Lethrense and Saxo's Gesta Danorum, but it is not a direct translation or abbreviation of either work, and includes material from both along with alterations that appear in neither. For example, the tale of the dog king of Denmark who precedes the reign of Rolf Kraki, and how Snyo won the throne after the dog's death, appears in Gesta Danorum pÃÂ¥ danskæ (in which it was put on the throne by Hakon) and the Chronicon Lethrense (in which it was put on the throne by Athisl), but not in Saxo's Gesta Danorum. However, the story of the mortal king Hother slaying divine Balder is included in Gesta Danorum pÃÂ¥ danskæ and Saxo's Gesta Danorum, but not in Chronicon Lethrense. In some cases, Gesta Danorum pÃÂ¥ danskæ incorporates information from both prior versions, even when these are incompatible. For example, when discussing the death of Hartwar after he overthrew Rolf Krage, Gesta Danorum pÃÂ¥ danskæ describes how he was killed by Rolf's retainer Wigge (echoing the version recounted in Gesta Danorum), but then says "Some say" it was Ake, brother of Hauborth, who killed Hartwar and became king (echoing the version recounted in Chronicon Lethrense). In another example, Chronicon Lethrense gives the brothers of Dan (eponymous progenitor of the Danes) as Nori (founder of Norway) and ÃÂsten (progenitor of the Swedes), and Gesta Danorum says his brother is Angul (progenitor of the Angles); Gesta Danorum pÃÂ¥ danskæ says that his brothers are Snøre, Høsten and Angul, effectively combining both previous accounts.
The Codex Runicus is a codex written in Old Danish runes (specifically the Danish futhark with dotted runes). Most of the codex is a code of Scanian Law, but two sections near the end list Danish kings. These are known in modern Danish as Kongetal (King's List) and Runekrønike (Runic Chronicle). They were written by a different scribe than the one who wrote the law code (Hand 2 instead of Hand 1), likely to add legitimacy to the then-reigning royal family, and likely not before the year 1319 (judging by the reference to Eric VI Menved in the past tense at the end of Runekrønike).
Kongetal is a fragment of text, missing both its beginning and its ending. It begins partway through a line with the son of Uiþlef (likely Værmund, judging by the following line) and ends with Hiþing the Proper, the only king on this list who doesn't appear in any other list of Danish kings (not even the attached Runekrønike). This list is interrupted halfway through with a rubric that states God (i.e. Jesus) was born in the reign of Froþe hin friþgoþe. Each entry is brief, giving only the king's name, his father's name, and sometimes giving his epithet and queen.
The kings and queens listed in Kongetal are:
Runekrønike is longer than Kongetal, both in terms of the number of kings listed (its fragment starts earlier with Froþe son of Hading, and ends contemporary with the manuscript at the reign of Eric VI Menved) and in the detail given about their reigns. However, unlike the Kongetal, it names very few queens.
The Runekrønike is not wholly consistent with the Kongetal. Some names are spelled differently, for example Værmund (á¡á á±áÂÂá¢á¿áÂÂ) in the Kongetal is written Uærmund (á¢á á±áÂÂá¢á¿áÂÂ) in Runekrønike. It also excludes Olaf son of Inggiæld, skipping directly to Froþe son of Olaf, possibly because of a scribal error. Also, as mentioned above, the list of kings are different after Haldan son of Froþe: Kongetal says that Haldan is followed by his brother, the otherwise unknown Hiþing, whereas Runekrønike says that the kingship passed to Siwald.
The Runekrønike is heavily based on Saxo's Gesta Danorum (see above), although shorter, but it also deviates in some places. For example, while Saxo has Ro and Helge as the sons of Halfdan, the Runekrønike says instead that they are the sons of Halfdan's own father Froþe. While Saxo mentions the battle between Hother and the (believed) semi-divine Balder, the Runekrønike goes even further with euhemerisation by making Balder a rival king from Zealand, and calls him the son of ÃÂouhma ("ÃÂouhma" is the genitive spelling; the nominative could be different) instead of a son of Odin as in Saxo.
The Runekrønike also includes material from (and deviates from material in) other sources, including the Chronicon Lethrense. Although it mentions both the dog king (installed as the Danish king by the king of Sweden) and King Snio (Snow) from Chronicon Lethrense, Snio doesn't become king immediately after the dog king in the Runekrønike; instead, at least six other kings come between them.
The Old English epic poem Beowulf mentions several Danish kings who are members of the Scylding clan (that is, they are descended from Scyld). The most notable Danish king in the poem is Hroðgar, whose hall Heorot is the main setting of the tale. Characters identified as kings of the Danes in the text include:
Several other characters, members of the same family, are not referred to explicitly as Kings in Beowulf but have been identified with kings in other traditions. These include:
Beowulf also refers to a rival family of rulers called the Heaðobards, who are not kings of Denmark in this work but are depicted as kings of Denmark when they appear in later surviving works from the continent. These are:
Lastly, Hygelac, who is King of the Geats in the poem and liege lord of the protagonist Beowulf, has been connected with the Danish king Chlochilaicus or Chochilaicus, who appears in History of the Franks by Gregory of Tours (see below) and the Liber Historiae Francorum, based partly on shared stories of leading a raid into the Frankish Kingdoms. Hygelac has also been connected to Huglecus or Hugleik, a Danish king from the Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus (see above).
The Vita Willibrordi archiepiscopi Traiectensis, or The Life of Willibrord, Archbishop of Utrecht, is a late 8th century hagiography of Willibrord, written by the Northumbrian scholar Alcuin. This work relates how Willibrord became a missionary to the Danes and met their ruler, Ongendus, described as "a man more savage than any wild beast and harder than stone".
Widsith is an Old English poem that survives in the 10th century Exeter Book, but may significantly predate it. The first of three thulas in the poem presents a list of kings, the most notable example of a king from each of several tribes. The thula says that Alewih was known as king of the Danes, and describes him as the bravest of all men listed but that he was defeated by Offa, ruler of the Angles. The thula also lists Sigehere as ruler of the "Sea-Danes".
Widsith also mentions Hroðulf ("Hroþwulf") and Hroðgar as an uncle and nephew who held the longest peace together, and Ingeld as a Heaðobard Viking ("wicinga cynn") whom they defeated at Heorot. None of these three are explicitly mentioned as Danish in Widsith, but appear as Danish in other works (see the section on Beowulf, above).
Danish royal history were significant influences on Icelandic writing and poetry in the 12th century, perhaps because of the influence of Lund (then part of Denmark) on the education of Icelanders at the time. (Lund was the archiepiscopal seat for Iceland until 1153.) Many surviving Icelandic works are influenced by, or wholly based on, a lost work called Skjöldunga saga, a kings' saga about the Skjöldung family of Danish kings, which was written in the late 12th century ( 1180âÂÂ1200).
Gróttasöngr ("Grótti's song") is an Eddic poem that survives only in certain manuscripts of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, and as such is not always included in the Poetic Edda. It most likely dates from the early 12th century, perhaps shortly before 1140.
The song is sung by two slave-girls, Fenja and Menja, who later identify themselves as the kin of bergrisi (jötnar). They are the slaves of King Fróði, son of Friðleifr. The poem itself does not specify that these men were kings of Denmark, but Snorri's prose introduction to the poem (in Skáldskaparmál) says that Friðleifr was the son of Skjöldr (himself a son of Odin), whose lands "were in what is now [i.e. in Snorri's time] called Denmark, but was then known as Gotland". The prose introduction also says that Fróði's reign coincided with the reign of Caesar Augustus and the birth of Christ; in Scandinavia, the resulting peace was ascribed to Fróði and known as Fróði's Peace.
A later stanza of Gróttasöngr prophesies that "Yrsa's son" (identified in other works as Hrólfr Kraki) would take vengeance on Fróði for the killing of Hálfdan (or, as plural, the half-Danes). (Halfdan is the name of several Danish kings in other sources.)
Ynglinga saga is a Kings' saga written around 1225 by Snorri Sturluson (1179âÂÂ1241). Ynglinga saga is the first saga in Heimskringla, an extensive history of Swedish and Norwegian kings, focused on the Yngling family of legendary Swedish kings and their descent from the euhemerised Odin. While the main focus of Ynglinga saga is on the kings of Sweden, several Danish kings are also mentioned, and Ynglinga saga explicitly references Skjöldunga saga as a source for its treatment of these. Because the Danish kings are not the focus of the work, the genealogy of kings is incomplete and some generations are not accounted for.
The kings of Denmark mentioned in Ynglinga saga are:
In addition, some individuals are mentioned that appear as kings of Denmark in other versions. Skjöldr is mentioned as a son of Odin who married Gefjon and lived with her at Lejre, but he isn't called a king and the relationship between him and later kings isn't explicit. The Fróða friðr, often known in English as "Fróði's Peace" and attributed to the reign of the Danish king Friðfróði is instead said to take place a generation earlier during the reign of the euhemerised Freyr in Sweden.
Sögubrot af nokkurum fornkonungum àDana- ok SvÃÂaveldi ("Fragment of a Saga about Certain Early Kings in Denmark and Sweden", often abbreviated to Sögubrot) is a fragment of an Old Icelandic legendary saga, believed to be a part of a younger redaction (written around 1250 by ÃÂláfr ÃÂórðarson) of the Skjöldunga saga. The fragment begins in the middle of a discussion between the Scanian king Ivar Vidfamne and his daughter Auðr, and continues to the reign of Auðr's son Harald Wartooth, where it breaks off because of missing pages. It resumes at the end of Harald's reign, recounting the Battle of Brávellir and the reign of Sigurd Hring.
Kings of Denmark, or of individual Danish regions, who appear in Sögubrot include:
The character of Heid, who became queen after the Battle of Brávellir according to Chronicon Lethrense, is mentioned in Sögubrot but only as a shield-maiden in Harald's army. Ragnarr is named as a son of Sigurd Hring with his wife Alfhild of ÃÂlfheimr; although he does not become king before the fragment cuts off, this is a reference to Ragnar Lodbrok. Halfdan the Valiant, Gudrod and Ingjald are mentioned in passing as having preceded Ivar Vidfamne, but their relationship to him and what lands they may have ruled in Denmark or Sweden are not explicit (it is only mentioned that Halfdan ruled in Northumbria).
There is a collection of regnal lists and genealogies in the manuscript called AM 1 e ò II fol., 85vâÂÂ91r, which is a copy made by ÃÂrni Magnússon of three pages of a vellum manuscript belonging to the Danish scholar P. H. Resen (1625âÂÂ88). The vellum manuscript was written around 1254, but destroyed in the Copenhagen Fire of 1728, and only ÃÂrni Magnússon's copy remains. The compilation as a whole is the oldest one of its kind to survive from medieval Iceland (though only recorded in a late copy). One of the three lists on the second page is a genealogy of the Skjöldungs, which was presumably derived either from Skjöldunga saga or from a written genealogy also used by the author of the saga.
The list (excluding the progenitor Odin), is as follows (note that some individuals appear more than once):
Ragnarssona þáttr ("The Yarn of Ragnar's Sons") is a þáttr (a short story, literally a strand of rope or yarn) about Ragnar Lodbrok and his descendants, who became kings in several lands in Scandinavia. Its sources include the lost Skjöldunga saga and a version of Ragnars saga, either the surviving Ragnars saga loðbrókar or another that has been lost. Ragnarssona þáttr was probably composed by Haukr Erlendsson, and is preserved in his hand in the Hauksbók manuscript, which has been dated to between 1302 and 1310.
Ragnarssona þáttr tells how King Ragnar (referred to only once in the tale as "Loðbrók") became king of Sweden and Denmark after the death of his father, King Hring. Ragnar had two sons by his first wife Thora Hart-of-the-Town, who were Eirik and Agnar, and four sons by his second wife Aslaug or Randalin, who were Ivar the Boneless, Bjorn Ironside, Hvitserk, and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye. In Denmark, the genealogy continues through Sigurd to Harald Bluetooth. The tale ends with Harald Fairhair becoming the first ruler of a united Norway.
Kings of Denmark or its constituent kingdoms mentioned in Ragnarssona þáttr are:
ÃÂláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta ("The Greatest Saga of Olaf Tryggvason") is a saga compiled from numerous other sources, likely in the second quarter of the 14th century. It was modelled on the ÃÂláfs saga helga from Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, but focused on an earlier king Olaf, namely Olaf Tryggvason, a King of Norway from the end of the 10th century most famous for converting Norway to Christianity.
The core sources used are Snorri's Heimskringla, particularly Snorri's version of ÃÂláfs saga Tryggvasonar but also Ynglinga saga (see above), Hálfdanar saga svarta, Haralds saga hárfagra and ÃÂláfs saga helga. This is used as a framework into which material has been added from several other sagas and other tales, including Hallfreðar saga, Færeyinga saga, Grænlendinga saga, Laxdæla saga, Landnamabok and Kristni saga.
As well as the life of Olaf Tryggvason, drawn from sources including ÃÂláfs saga Tryggvasonar from Heimskringla, the mesta saga also tells the story of Olaf's ancestors and predecessors, in particular the Danish kings leading up to Harald Bluetooth (aka Harald Gormsson), who was king of Norway before Olaf's accession. Some of these details are from Heimskringla, particularly of kings descended from Ragnar Lodbrok mentioned in the first chapters of the work, but a later section beginning at chapter 60 tells of kings before Ragnar, and is more consistent with the kings identified by Adam of Bremen than with those listed by Snorri. Also mentioned, briefly during the story of Gorm, is king Gnupa, described as the king of Jutland that Gorm defeated as part of his unification of Denmark.
Legendary kings of Denmark, or constituent kingdoms of Denmark (generally Jutland where specified), mentioned in ÃÂláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta, include (in the order first mentioned as king, with chapter references in square brackets):
Hrólfs saga kraka ok kappa hans ("The Saga of Hrolf Kraki and His Champions") is a late legendary saga that tells the story of Hrólfr Kraki, including information about his family, the Skjöldungs (Kings of Denmark). It was composed in its surviving form by the year 1400.
The saga begins with the brothers Halfdan and Fróði, who are called Skjöldungs and the sons of kings, but whose parentage is never given. After Fróði overthrows Halfdan, he is overthrown in turn by the brothers Hróarr and Helgi. They are jointly considered kings, but Helgi rules Denmark while Hróarr travels to Northumbria and later becomes king there, trading his claim over Denmark for a fine ring from Helgi (possession of which leads to strife with their nephew Hrókr, a version of Hrà Ârekr Ringslinger). Hrólfr Kraki is, again, Helgi's son by incest, and comes to rule Denmark after Helgi's death. When Hrólfr himself is defeated by the forces of his half-sister Skuld and her husband King Hjörvarðr, it is Skuld (not Hjörvarðr as in other sources) who takes control of the kingdom; when she is deposed in turn, the land comes under the rule of Hrólfr's daughters Skúr and DrÃÂfa.
Kings and regnant queens of Denmark identified in Hrólfs saga kraka are:
The most complete surviving source for the content of the Skjöldunga saga (which probably dated to the end of the twelfth century) is a Latin rendering by the Icelandic historian ArngrÃÂmur Jónsson (1568âÂÂ1648) in his Rerum Danicarum fragmenta (Fragments of Danish history) from 1596. (The saga manuscript that ArngrÃÂmur Jónsson used as his source was lost in the 17th century.)
The 6th century historian Gregory of Tours, in Book 3 of his Historia Francorum ("History of the Franks"), refers to a Danish king named Chlochilaicus, who led a raid into the Frankish Kingdoms during the reign of Theodericus I (511 to 534), and was killed in the counter-attack by Theodericus' son, Theodebertus. The 8th century Liber Historiae Francorum tells the same story, referring to the Danish King as Chochilaicus. (The same story also appears in the 7th or 8th century Liber Monstrorum and in the poem Beowulf, but in these works the raiding Viking king is named Hygelac, and described as King of the Geats rather than King of the Danes.)
The Royal Frankish Annals are a series of Latin annals of the Carolingian dynasty year-by-year between 741 and 829. Several annals refer to kings of the Danes, as follows:
Vita Karoli Magni ("The Life of Charlemagne") is a biography of Charlemagne, King of the Franks, written by Einhard in the first half of the 9th century, with dates of composition suggested between 817 and 833. Sections 14 and 32 refer to the Danes and in particular their king Gudfred ("Godofridus"), against whom Charlemagne waged the last war he ever fought. Gudfred considered Frisia and Saxony his provinces, had made the Abodriti into his tributaries, and boasted that he would attack the Franks in Aix. However, he was killed by one of his own followers before this could happen.
Gesta Hludowici imperatoris is a history of Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious by Thegan of Trier, written in Latin shortly before Louis' death in AD 840. In section 33, it says Harald Klak ("Heriolt") came to Louis from the Danes and was "elevated from the sacred baptismal font" (i.e. baptised as Christian) by the Emperor, while his wife was raised by the Empress Judith. Louis gave Harald a large part of Frisia.
Vita Ansgarii is a 9th-century hagiography of saint Ansgar, written by the East Frankish archbishop Rimbert. Vita Ansgarii mentions three Danish kings:
Harald was driven from Denmark and taken in by Louis the Pious, where he and many of his household were baptised as Christians. Both kings Horic were pagan, but they had good relations with Ansgar and permitted the worship and preaching of Christianity in Denmark (although when the younger Horic first took power, a certain headman had urged him to persecute the Christians).
The Annales Fuldenses, or Annals of Fulda, are 9th century East Frankish chronicles up to the year 901. Up to 830, they are a compilation that draws on earlier materials, especially the Royal Frankish Annals (see above) and the Annals of Lorsch, but after that the annals consist of information not found in any known sources. Several kings of Denmark are mentioned, including:
Although not a king, the Danish viking leader Rorik of Dorestad is prominently mentioned a few times, including in the entry for 850 (along with his brother Harald and the dux of the Northmen, Godafrid), 857, and 873. Rorik ruled land in Frisia that was later granted in 882 to Godafrid, who was referred to as a king of the Northmen alongside Sigifrid, and who was killed in 885, then apparently killed again at the Battle of Leuven in 891.
In The Deeds of the Saxons ("Res gestae Saxonicae") by Widukind of Corvey, a 10th century Saxon chronicler, two different kings of the Danes are mentioned.
In Book 1, chapter 40, Widukind describes how Henry the Fowler defeated the Danes and had their king, Knuba receive baptism. In Book 3, chapters 64 and 65, he recounts that the Danish king Harald became Christian after challenging the faith of the bishop Poppo.
Book III of the 12th century Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth refers to a King of the Dacians named Guichtlac. As mentioned above in the section on Chronicon Lethrense, the Danes and Dacians had been conflated by European historians since at least the works of Dudo of Saint-Quentin over a century earlier. In Geoffrey's tale, Guichtlac had been in love with the daughter of Elsingius the King of Norway, but instead she married Brennius, then King of Northumberland and the brother and rival of Belinus, King of the Britons. After a sea battle, Guichtlac and the lady were washed up in Britain and captured by Belinus. After Brennius defeated Belinus in battle and became King of the Britons, Guichtlac promised to submit Dacia (Denmark) to Brennius and pay yearly tribute if he was given leave to return to Dacia with his mistress, which was granted.
Many kings are mentioned by multiple sources, but are for various reasons still considered more legendary than historical kings of Denmark