Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae

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Background

In written sources, the term Perpetuus rex Norvegiæ appears only in Historia Norvegiæ^[1] from the second half of the 12th century.

The 1163 Succession Law stated that all kings after King Magnus I, the son of Olaf II, should be seen as vassals holding Norway as a fief from Saint Olaf.

King Magnus III of Norway and of Mann and the Isles, Olaf's great-nephew, was the first king known to use the Norwegian lion in his standard. However, Snorri is the only source for this. Over 100 years later, in 1280, a crown and a silver axe were added to the lion. The axe represents Olaf II as 'martyr and saint'.

Gallery

Silver coin of Olav II from ca. 1023–28.
8301 - Roma - S. Carlo al Corso - Pius Wleonski, Sant'Olav di Norvegia (1893) - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 29-March-2008.jpg

Painting of St. Olav Norvegiae Rex in S. Carlo al Corso, Rome.
Romantised painting illustrating the king's death in the Battle of Stiklestad.
Norwegian coat of arms. Standardised variant of 1992.