Olaf I of Denmark

Olaf I (; – 18 August 1095), nicknamed Olaf Hunger, was king of Denmark from 1086 to 1095, following the death of his brother Canute IV the Holy. He was a son of king Sweyn II Estridsson, and the third of Sweyn's sons to rule. He married Ingegard, the daughter of Harald Hardråde, but did not have any sons. He was succeeded by his brother Eric the Good.

Biography Olaf was born around 1050, to king Sweyn II Estridsson and an unknown concubine. During the reign of his elder brother Canute IV, Olaf supposedly served as Duke of Schleswig. In 1085, Olaf was called to a leding campaign against England. Canute was held up and could not join the leding, and as the navy grew weary in waiting for him, Olaf became the spokesperson for its concerns. Canute feared Olaf's support among the magnates, while Olaf had misgivings about Canute's dynastic ambition, and saw Canute's son Charles the Good as a potential rival for power. Canute blamed Olaf for stirring up trouble, and Olaf was put in chains by their brother Eric, the later king Eric I Evergood. It has been postulated that his body was divided among the regions of Denmark as a kind of scapegoat which was to take away the blood guilt of Denmark and restore it to its previous fortunes. He was succeeded by his brother Eric I Evergood.