Why did Louis I send St. Ansgar to evangelize Scandinavia?

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Illuminated manuscript portrait of Louis the Pious as a Christian Roman emperor, holding a staff and shield, with Latin text arranged around and over the figure. — Louis I Louis the Pious as a Christian Roman Emperor, portrait from *De laudibus sanctae crucis* by Rabanus Maurus.

Emperor Louis I (the Pious) dispatched St. Ansgar to evangelize Scandinavia primarily in response to a direct appeal for support from Harald, an exiled Danish king.1

By sending Ansgar to accompany and assist the king, Louis I sought to facilitate the spread of Christianity in Denmark. This mission was part of a broader Carolingian effort to extend religious influence into northern territories. Following this initial involvement, Louis I continued to support these efforts by recalling Ansgar in 831 to serve as the bishop of the newly established diocese of Hamburg, tasking him with a mission to all Scandinavian peoples and providing him with the resources of Turholt Abbey to serve as a center for his activities.1