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Viking King Olaf II Haraldsson was killed on 29th July, 1030, kicking off a campaign, led by an English clergyman, to declare him a Saint.\nThe cult of Olaf continues in Norway still, with festivals, pilgrimages and prayers given in his honour - even though Olaf used extreme violence and suppression to force parts of the country to convert to Christianity.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly reveal the inner-workings of the medieval church\u2019s PR machine; explain why \u2018extreme violence\u2019 and \u2018missionary work\u2019 are ever muttered in the same breath; and consider whether \u2018Saint\u2019 Olaf would in fact be best remembered by his contemporary suffices: Olaf \u2018the Fat\u2019 or Olaf \u2018the law-breaker\u2019...\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018St. Olaf\u2019 (V&A Museum of Childhood, 2014): https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/sanctus-ignotum/st-olaf\n\u2022 \u2018Today is Norway's Day of St. Olaf, celebrated for over 900 years\u2019 (Norway Today, 2021): https://norwaytoday.info/culture/today-is-norways-day-of-st-olaf-celebrated-for-over-900-years/\n\u2022 \u2018Olaf Haraldsson: King of Norway 1015-1028\u2019 (History Time, 2018):\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XvE1EKxUHc\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back on Monday! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\xa0\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices