Thorfinn II

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King Thorfinn II
henry7-new.jpg
Born
1634
Died
1649
Reign
1653
Notable
Son of Thorfinn I, ascended to the throne after the death of his cousin, Haroldson, the Usurper.

When his grandfather, Hardecanute, known as the Long Nose, died in 1648, Hardecanute's strong and powerful nephew, Haroldson, expected to take the throne ahead of either King Thorfinn II's father, the older and weaker Thorfinn, known as the Unfortunate, or his younger and untested uncle Sweyn.

However, Thorfinn's father had cultivated the support of the barons, who had persuaded Hardecanute, on his deathbed, to name him heir apparent. Haroldson refused to accept his uncle's will and vowed that he would be king.

When Thorfinn's father died of a sudden, unexplained illness in 1649, many suspected foul play. At the time of his death, his brother, Sweyn, was in the field waging war against the lowlanders along the eastern coast in what is now the Confederation of Sovereign States. Thorfinn, who was one 15 at the time, had been born lame and suffered from chronic illnesses. Haroldson proclaimed that the young Thorfinn was unfit to and that, due to the threat of war with lowlanders in southwest, there was no time to wait for Sweyn’s return before naming a new king. Haroldson, then, proclaimed himself king in the Citadel.

The barons, fearing that Haroldson would seek revenge for their support of the first Thorfinn, almost immediately decried the new king as an usurper and waged war against him.

After only a few months on the throne, with Sweyn still in the East, Haroldson died in battle at Kuldiga and Thorfinn, known as the Lame, was proclaimed king by the barons.

Thorfinn II's reign was short and remarkable only for his uncle Sweyn's willingness to submit to the teenager's rule. After only four years as king, Thorfinn finally succumbed to his illness and died without an heir, setting the stage for his uncle to claim the throne.