Ambassadør Olav Berstad. Photo: Henning Hj. Johansen
Ukrainians are well aware of the old ties between Ukraine and Norway, dating from the tenth century, when both countries were approaching a high point of their power in the European family of nations.
We know for certain that four Norwegian kings spent important periods of their lives in Kyievan Rus. The hero-king Olav Tryggvasson spent nine years at the court of Volodomyr the Great, from age nine to eighteen. In 1029 our Saint-King Olav Haraldsson stayed in Kyiv with his relative Yaroslav the Wise, ruler of Kyievan Rus, before returning to Norway where Olav was slain, later to become a martyr who achieved sainthood. His half-brother Harald Sigurdsson fled from the same battle, and stayed some years at the court of Yaroslav the Wise in Kyiv before he went on to Constantinople and in the Mediterranean and returned to Kyiv in 1044 to woo the daughter of Yaroslav, Elizaveta, who later became the queen of Norway, Ellisiv. Olav Haraldsson’s young son Magnus stayed on for several years in Kyiv before returning to Norway to claim the throne.
A common feature for these Norwegian kings is that they sought temporary refuge from political opponents at one of the mightiest courts in Europe of the day, testifying to the political importance of the Kyievan-Rus. Strong influences, both political and religious, were impressed upon the early kings of Norway by their Slavic protectors and partners.
Yet another Norwegian king, Sigurd the Crusader, married a princess from Kyiv.
The old ties are now being renewed. Relations between Ukraine and Norway have developed steadily since Ukraine’s independence, in terms of growing mutual trade, business investments and dialogue at the political level, as well as through the growing frequency of human contacts. The Norwegian Embassy in Kyiv is here to promote this positive development. We welcome you to use the services of the Embassy.
Olav Berstad