Jarl Haakon True Story: Was There Really A Black Viking Ruler? (2024)

Vikings: Valhalla brought viewers back to the world of Michale Hirst's Vikings with a new group of characters, among them the ruler of Kattegat, Jarl Haakon, a Black Viking portrayed by Caroline Henderson — and the introduction of her character led many viewers to wonder if Black Vikings were real. Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings ran from 2013 to 2020, with sequel spin-off Vikings: Valhalla arriving in 2022. As a Black Viking ruler, Jarl Haakon instantly created conversation. Vikings was never 100% historically accurate but aimed for authenticity, and many questioned if Jarl Haakon was a real person.

Set over a century after Vikings, Jarl Haakon was the ruler of Kattegat during Vikings: Valhalla season 1, and there were instant questions over the historical accuracy of Black Vikings from audiences. In the many artistic depictions of Vikings over the centuries, they are almost universally Caucasian. Some of Vikings: Valhalla's more cynical viewers immediately jumped to the conclusion that Jarl Haakon was a step away from historical accuracy, but the truth behind Black Vikings simply shows just how whitewashed depictions of the era have been.

Did Vikings Really Have Female Rulers Like Jarl Haakon?

Viking Society Was Notably Progressive When It Came To Gender Equality

Jarl Haakon explained in Vikings: Valhalla that she took over the leadership of Kattegat after her husband was killed by Christians, as he refused to abandon his pagan beliefs. Haakon took Freydís under her wing, leading her to Uppsala to discover her destiny. She trained as a shield maiden. Unfortunately, Haakon was killed during the attack by Jarl Kåre (Asbjørn Krogh Nissen) and Olaf Haraldsson (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), leaving her spot as ruler of Viking's settlement of Kattegat open.

As far as ancient societies go, the Vikings were forward-thinking about gender roles. Many legendary Viking heroes were women. Vikings own Lagertha was a real person. While the show dramatized her story, she was as ferocious and as respected a warrior in real life as on-screen. Freydís Eiríksdóttir is another true-to-life example from Vikings: Valhalla. However, the fact that a woman such as Jarl Haakon is a ruler might be more fictional than fact and goes hand in hand with the question about the Black Vikings.

When it comes to the role of women during the Vikings Age like Jarl Haakon, in most cases they were subordinate to their husbands and fathers and had little political power, but many sources portray women as having a lot more freedom than in other cultures. Women had the right to inherit part of their husband’s property upon his death, like Jarl Estrid Haakon and Kattegat, and even the paternal aunt, paternal niece, and paternal granddaughter had the right to inherit from a deceased man.

A woman with no husband, sons, or male relatives could inherit property and the position of head of the family when her father or brother died. Women had religious authority, and were poets, rune masters, medicine women, and entrepreneurs. However, there isn’t evidence of a female Viking ruler, although there might have been some. It’s unknown whether Vikings: Valhalla's Freydís or someone else will take Jarl Haakon’s place as Kattegat’s ruler, but it’s a shame that she was only around for one season.

Were There Black Vikings?

The Perception That All Vikings Were White Is False

Certain corners of the Internet were unhappy with Jarl Haakon for a repugnant reason — her skin color. There was some genuine good-faith confusion about a Black Viking in a reportedly more-or-less historically accurate show. However, Black Vikings are historically accurate. The fact that Vikings were all white is a common misconception, one that came to be when works like Wagner's 1800s opera Flight of the Valkyries rewrote much of Germanic history to fit the emerging proto-Nazi sentiment that inspired Adolf Hitler.

In reality, the answer to whether there were Black Vikings like Jarl Haakon, the answer is yes. There were many Black and dark-skinned Vikings. In both the show and real history, Vikings traveled all over the world, including North Africa, and brought back slaves with them, a lot of whom bore children of mixed descent who were still considered Vikings. Many dark-skinned indigenous European populations still exist today, such as some groups of Sami peoples of Norway, Finland, and Siberia, or the Tatar peoples spread throughout Belarus and Crimea.

Was Jarl Haakon A Real Person?

Jarl Haakon Was An Amalgamation Of Multiple Real People

Jarl Haakon is a Vikings: Valhalla character not based on a real person. However, she was influenced by several real-life historical figures who shared her name and title. Haakon Sigurdsson ruled Norway in the late 10th century. The fictional Jarl in Vikings: Valhalla is a new story; an opportunity to explore Black Vikings in a way that hasn't been shown before while amalgamating different stories from Viking travels into a powerful, effective leader. A Black female Viking hero like Jarl Haakon could have emerged if history had played out differently.

How Caroline Henderson Drew From History For Jarl Estrid Haakon

A Lot Of Thought And Lived Experience Went Into Crafting Jarl Haakon

While Black Vikings were real, there were many other historical inspirations used to form the character of Jarl Haakon, and the ruler of Kattegat in Vikings: Valhalla is notably for more than just her race. Speaking with Netflix TUDUM, Jarl Estrid Haakon actress Caroline Henderson spoke about how the Vikings were essentially world travelers, accentuating the fact that Vikings of all ethnicities displayed in Valhalla's true history was a very real possibility.

Jarl Haakon actress Caroline Henderson is of Scandinavian descent, adding evidence there were Black Vikings. Henderson was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and an African American father. The family eventually settled in Paris. Henderson later lived in Sweden before moving to Denmark. Of her cultural background and how it relates to Jarl Haakon, the Vikings: Valhalla actress said, "As a child, I was a little bit confused, I must admit, but I think the character, I can really relate to her. I am Jarl Haakon, just, like, a thousand years on."

Vikings: Valhalla

Adventure

Drama

Action

Set over a thousand years ago in the early 11th century, Vikings: Valhalla chronicles the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings ever chronicled. As tensions between the Vikings and the English royals reach a bloody breaking point and as the Vikings themselves clash over their conflicting Christian and pagan beliefs, these three Vikings begin an epic journey that will take them across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England and beyond, as they fight for survival and glory.

Release Date

February 25, 2022

Cast

Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson , Bradley Freegard , David Oakes , Leo Suter , Laura Berlin , Frida Gustavsson , Caroline Henderson , Sam Corlett

Seasons

1

Writers

Jeb Stuart , Michael Hirst

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix