Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae

Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae (Latin), i.e. Norway's Eternal King) is a term for Olaf the Holy, appearing in the 12th century.

Background

In written sources, the term Perpetuus rex Norvegiæ appears only in Historia Norvegiæ from the second part of the 12th century.

The 1163 Succession Law stated that all kings after King Magnus I, the son of Olaf II, should not be considered as independent monarchs, but rather 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. Almost 200 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.
• 
  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.

Literature and sources

• Store norske leksikon: Olav 2 Haraldsson, den hellige