Denmark: 1072, King Sweyn II of Denmark wanted to secure the independence of the Danish church from the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen, which, up until he died in 1072, was occupied by Archbishop Adalbert, a supporter of Henry IV and fierce anti-Hildebrandian. After Archbishop Adalbert's death, Sweyn II was able to communicate freely with his "personal friend" Pope Gregory VII. But, it wasn't until 1104 when King Sweyn's son Eric I travelled to Rome and obtained an archbishopric for Denmark (now Lund in Scania), instead of being under the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, that Sweyn's dream was realized. Bishop Asser then became the first Archbishop of Lund. (Note: Archbishop Adalbert's successor, Archbishop Liemar of Hamburg-Bremen, was an even fiercer opponent of the Gregorian reforms and even participated in the Synod of Brixen in 1080, which anathematized Hildebrand)
Norway: King Harald Hardrada of Norway was kind of bad-a. Before becoming king, Harald spent 15 years in exile as a mercenary and military commander in Kievan Rus' and chief of the Varangian Guard in the Byzantine Empire. In his chronicle, Adam of Bremen called him the "Thunderbolt of the North". Saint Olaf Haraldsson was his half-brother, and he served as a captain in the army of Saint Yaroslav the Wise. His son, King Olaf III fully submitted to the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen whose occupants during his reign were Archbishop Adalbert and Archbishop Liemar, making Olaf III an Orthodox monarch. The Church of Norway seems to have capitulated to the Hildebrandians in 1104, when their bishops submitted to the newly founded Archdiocese of Lund. Magnus Barefoot (r. 1103) was the last Orthodox monarch of Norway, and his sons, who succeeded him as co-rulers, participated in the Crusades.
Sweden: Emund the Old was King of Sweden from c. 1050 to c. 1060. His short reign was characterised by disputes with the Archbishopric of Bremen over church policies, and a historically debated delimitation of the Swedish-Danish border. Our only near-contemporary source for Emund's reign is Adam of Bremen, who paints a very negative picture of the new ruler. This is mainly due to the self-willed attitude of Emund vis-à-vis the Archdiocese of Bremen. Adam relates that Emund was baptised but cared very little for the Christian faith. He also gives Emund the cognomen pessimus (worst), which is later reflected by the short chronicle of the Westrogothic law (c. 1240) which likewise knows the king as Slemme, the bad.[7] The Westrogothic law states that Emund was a disagreeable man when wanting to pursue a goal.[8]
The dispute with Bremen was triggered by Emund's insistence on maintaining a bishop called Osmundus. Originally a protégé of the Norwegian-based missionary Sigfrid, Osmundus had been raised at a school in Bremen but failed to be ordained bishop by the Pope. Eventually, he was ordained by the Polish archbishop of Gniezno and proceeded to Sweden, where he won the confidence of King Emund. In the mid-1050s, the Archbishop of Bremen sent envoys to Sweden, headed by Adalvard the Elder, who was intended as the new bishop. The delegation was highly offended when encountering Osmundus, who sported the habits of an archbishop and "seduced the still recently converted wild peoples through incorrect education in our faith". On Osmundus' insistence, Emund turned the envoys away from an assembly. However, the Swedish magnate Stenkil, a relation of the king, escorted the delegation on its way back.
Anund from Russia was King of Sweden around 1070, according to Adam of Bremen's Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum. According to this source, Anund came from Kievan Rus', presumably from Aldeigjuborg. Gårdske means that he came from Gardariki, which was one of the Scandinavian names for Kievan Rus'.
As a Christian, he refused to carry out the public sacrifice to the Norse gods, presumably at the Temple at Uppsala, and was consequently deposed. He "left the Thing in joy, for having been found worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus". This happened shortly before the completion of Adam of Bremen's chronicle in the mid-1070s.
Inge the Elder was a king of Sweden. While scant sources do not allow a full picture of his term of kingship, he is known to have led a turbulent but at length successful reign of more than two decades. He stands out as a devout Christian who founded the first abbey in Sweden and acted harshly against pagan practices. Vreta Abbey was founded by him on the orders of Pope Paschal II. He also recognized the Archdiocese of Lund when it was founded in 1104.