ABSTRACT
In his chronicle, Adam claims that he was provided with a certain amount of knowledge about political and religious developments in Scandinavia by the Danish King Sveinn Ulfsson. Although Adam’s opinion on the King is somewhat ambivalent, the canon praises Sveinn for his veracity and knowledge. Consequently, Sveinn’s status as Adam’s informant has been rather undisputed. However, some doubts concerning the King’s role have recently been raised. Referring to them, this chapter claims, that Sveinn’s account is in fact Adam’s version of the politics in the North. Sveinn’s role as the chronicler’s informant served to supplement an image of the Danish King as the perfect example of the effectiveness of the missionary and political efforts of the Archdiocese that made it possible to change a cruel pagan ruler to a good and acknowledged Christian ruler.
