Olaf II of Norway

Born around 995, son of a minor king in Vestfold, Olaf Haraldsson seized the Norwegian throne in 1015 and ruled for thirteen years before being driven out. He died in combat at Stiklestad on 29 July 1030, trying to reclaim his kingdom. A year later, Bishop Grimketel canonized him at Nidaros, and his cult spread fast - the Viking world bent toward baptism in his wake. Pope Alexander III confirmed the canonization in 1164, formalizing his title as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, the perpetual king. His remains went into Nidaros Cathedral, his axe onto Norway's coat of arms. Reformation-era Lutherans kept his memory; romantic nationalists made him the spine of Norwegian identity. Olsok, his feast day, still falls on the date he died.