The King, the Coin, and the Kenning: Coinage and Skaldic Poetry as tools of Royal Legitimization in the Reign of Magnus the Good.
Welcome to our Medieval Committee's seminar!
Abstract:
Magnus the Good (d. 1047) ruled Norway from 1035 and Denmark from 1042 until his death. During that time, he minted coins in Denmark, and may have done so in Norway, although they haven’t survived. A large volume of skaldic poetry was also produced in Magnus’s short reign, continuing the trend from his father St Olaf’s reign.
This talk explores the insights that can be gained into processes of royal legitimization and the construction of affiliation to the king from a comparison of skaldic verse and coinage, using examples from Magnus’s reign. In particular, I focus on a coin Magnus minted in Hedeby that may be the oldest depiction of St Olaf and the verse Bersǫglisvísur, composed by Sighvatr skald, which appears to challenge Magnus’s haughty rule.
About Benjamin Allport
Benjamin Allport is researcher in medieval Norwegian history currently based at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2019 and has most recently been involved with the ELITES project at the University of Oslo and the Mapping Saints project at Linnæus University. Allport’s research focuses on the construction of identity, community, and affiliation and intellectual history in medieval Scandinavia and England.
