Events of the civil war era Civil war era in Norway

1 events of civil war era

1.1 background
1.2 succession sigurd crusader
1.3 harald gille s sons
1.4 magnus erlingsson , church
1.5 king sverre , rise of birkebeiner
1.6 rising of bagler
1.7 second bagler war , settlement of kvitsøy
1.8 reconciliation between bagler , birkebeiner

events of civil war era
background

the unification of norway 1 kingdom traditionally held have been achieved king harald fairhair @ battle of hafrsfjord in 872, process of unification took long time complete , consolidate. mid-11th century process seems have been completed. however, still not uncommon several rulers share kingship. seems have been common way of solving disputes in cases 2 or more worthy candidates throne existed. relationship between such co-rulers tense, open conflict averted. clear succession laws did not exist. main criterion being considered worthy candidate throne descendant of harald fairhair through male line—legitimate or illegitimate birth not issue.

king sigurd crusader had shared kingdom brothers, king Øystein , king olav, when both died without issue, sigurd became sole ruler , son, magnus, heir-apparent. however, in late 1120s man called harald gillekrist arrived in norway ireland, claiming son of king sigurd s father, king magnus barefoot. king magnus had spent time campaigning in ireland, , harald king sigurd s half-brother. harald proved case through ordeal of fire, common way of settling such claims @ time, , king sigurd recognized him brother. however, harald had swear oath not claim title of king long sigurd or son alive.

succession sigurd crusader

king magnus mutilated. illustration eilif peterssen magnus blinds saga, heimskringla (1899 edition).

when sigurd died in 1130, harald broke oath. sigurd s son magnus proclaimed king, harald claimed royal title, , received support. settlement reached whereby magnus , harald both kings , co-rulers. peace between them lasted until 1134, when open war broke out. in 1135 harald succeeded in defeating , capturing magnus in bergen. magnus blinded, castrated, mutilated , imprisoned in monastery. thereafter known magnus blind. @ same time sigurd slembe, man iceland, arrived claiming son of magnus barefoot. claimed have gone through ordeal fire in denmark prove claim. harald did not recognize him half-brother. in 1136 sigurd murdered harald in sleep in bergen, , had himself proclaimed king. harald s supporters not accept him , had harald s 2 infant sons, sigurd munn , inge crouchback, named king. sigurd slembe liberated magnus blind enforced monastic life , allied himself him. war between sigurd slembe , magnus blind on 1 side, , harald gille s old supporters young sons on other, dragged on until 1139, when magnus , sigurd defeated in battle of holmengrå (slaget ved holmengrå)fought near hvaler. magnus killed in battle, sigurd captured , tortured death.

harald gille s sons

the power-sharing between sigurd munn , inge crouchback functioned long both minors. in 1142, once again, king s son arrived in norway west of north sea. time Øystein haraldsson, son of harald gille. Øystein claimed part of father s inheritance , given title of king, third of kingdom. 3 brothers ruled together, apparently in peace, until 1155. according sagas, Øystein , sigurd munn laid plans depose brother inge , divide share of kingdom between them. @ urging of mother ingrid ragnvaldsdotter , influential lendmann gregorius dagsson, inge decided strike first, @ meeting among 3 kings in bergen. sigurd munn attacked , killed inge s men before Øystein had had time arrive in city. inge , Øystein reached tenuous settlement, conditions between them deteriorated open warfare, ending Øystein s capture , murder in bohuslän in 1157. whether or not inge himself ordered killing of brother seems have been disputed @ time. followers of inge s dead brothers, Øystein , sigurd munn, not inclined submit inge , instead chose new pretender (kongsemne), sigurd munn s son, håkon broadshouldered. development has been seen first sign of new stage in civil wars: warring parties no longer sprung around king or pretender stayed after fall of leader , elected new figurehead, heralding formation of more firmly organized warring factions. figurehead håkon have been in 1157, ten years old. however, followers had him named king , continued fight against inge. in 1161 succeeded in killing inge in battle in oslo.

magnus erlingsson , church

erling skakke burns house of supporter of sigurd markusfostre

as imagined artist wilhelm wetlesen in 1899 edition of heimskringla

in 1161 inge s followers took same course of action Øystein s followers had 4 years earlier , elected new figurehead rather submit håkon. choice fell upon five-year-old magnus erlingsson, son of 1 of prominent leaders, lendmann erling skakke, wife kristin, daughter of king sigurd crusader. erling, title jarl, became real leader of faction. next year succeeded in defeating , killing håkon in battle @ sekken in romsdalsfjord. year after son of sigurd munn, sigurd markusfostre, had been set new pretender against magnus erlingsson, captured erling skakke , killed in bergen.

the action of erling , rest of party in electing magnus erlingsson leader radical one, broke 1 of traditional principles of might become king: magnus not king s son. descended ancient royal line through mother. compensate shortcoming, erling , magnus party allied church , introduced new criterion: king should henceforth of legitimate birth. old leader, inge crouchback, had been 1 of sons of harald gille legitimate, , king magnus erlingsson erling , kristin s legitimate son. alliance church, had become better organized in norway after establishment of separate norwegian archdiocese in nidaros in 1152, became important asset erling , magnus. in 1163 in bergen, magnus erlingsson became first norwegian king crowned, aged 7. written law of succession introduced allowed oldest legitimate son inherit. next decade or so, magnus erlingsson s position king, erling skakke real leader of country, seemed secure. erling ruthlessly eliminated potential rivals son. allied @ times king valdemar of denmark, , according 1 source @ 1 time took oslofjord-area fief him. however, extent of subordination denmark questionable.

king sverre , rise of birkebeiner

king sverre crossing mountains of voss

as imagined peter nicolai arbo

in 1174 new faction arose in rebellion against magnus erlingsson. leader young Øystein møyla, son of Øystein haraldsson. new faction called birkebeiner, meaning birch-legs because of them poor wound birch-bark around legs instead of proper footwear. Øystein møyla killed magnus , erling s men @ battle of re in 1177. after birkebeiner made sverre sigurdsson leader. sverre had come norway faroe islands , claimed have discovered in fact son of king sigurd munn. claim disbelieved @ time (as modern historians). however, after taking on leadership of birkebeiner, became rallying point disgruntled rule of erling skakke , king magnus.

some materialists among modern historians have tried read form of class struggle sverre , birkebeiner s fight against erling , magnus. however, extent sverre s men represented impoverished strata of population remains disputed. clear of lendmenn—the nobility of time—sided king magnus, sverre won several of them on side. in event, birkebeiner did not try change social order of society; merely wanted place @ top.

in 1179 sverre won important victory in battle @ kalvskinnet (slaget ved kalvskinnet) on outskirts of nidaros, erling skakke killed. point, trøndelag region nidaros @ center became stronghold of sverre. king magnus continued fight after death of father , refused several offers sverre divide kingdom between them. sverris saga, written sverre s supporters, makes of how popular magnus among common people , how made sverre s fight against him more difficult. war between sverre , magnus raged on several years, , magnus @ 1 point had seek refuge in denmark. battle of fimreite, final naval battle during 1184 in sognefjord, resulted in death of king magnus , victory king sverre.

sverre rule norway until 1202, unable achieve long periods of peace. church, allied king magnus , erling skakke, remained virulent in opposition sverre throughout reign. in 1190 archbishop, eirik ivarsson, fled country , in 1194 received papal support excommunicate sverre , order country s remaining bishops join him in exile in denmark, did. sverre had been able coerce 1 of strongest opponents, bishop nikolas arnesson of oslo, crown him in bergen in 1194. in 1198 pope innocent iii placed norway under interdict. although sverre forged letters show excommunication had been lifted, in fact remained excommunicated until death.

several pretenders arose challenge sverre. among serious jon kuvlung, purported son of king inge crouchback. named king in 1185 , killed in battle in bergen 3 years later. sigurd magnusson, illegitimate son of king magnus erlingsson, proclaimed king in 1193 @ haugating near tønsberg. aged 13, sigurd figurehead leader. had support of, among others, harald maddadsson. rising ended after defeat , death @ battle of florvåg near askøy, island north of bergen, in 1194.

rising of bagler

in 1197 serious challenge sverre s kingdom arose. several prominent opponents of sverre, including bishop nikolas arnesson of oslo, half-brother of king inge crouchback , archbishop eirik ivarsson. met @ marketplace of halör in skåne, part of denmark. took boy called inge magnusson, purported son of king magnus erlingsson figurehead-king. party called bagler, old norse word meaning crosier. war between bagler, open support of church, , birkebeiner last rest of sverre s reign. not able depose sverre, neither able win decisive victory against them. when sverre died disease in bergen in 1202, first king of norway die of natural causes since king sigurd crusader in 1130. last act advise son , heir, håkon sverresson, achieve settlement church. håkon taken birkbeiner s new king, , bishops returned norway later same year, releasing country interdict. deprived of of support, bagler king inge killed same year.

the second bagler war , settlement of kvitsøy

håkon sverresson appeared have pacified whole country, died in 1204. successor infant guttorm, himself died later same year. birkebeiner knew of no other direct descendants of king sverre , chose 1 of nephews, inge bårdson, new king. revived bagler party had formed in denmark, taking son of king magnus erlingsson, erling stonewall, king. helped king valdemar ii of denmark, launched invasion of norway in 1204, taking control of oslofjord-area. second bagler war lasted until 1208. when erling stonewall fell ill , died in 1207, succeeded bagler king philippus simonsson, nephew of king inge crouchback , bishop nikolas of oslo, , war continued uninterrupted. bagler strongest in oslofjord-area, while trøndelag stronghold of birkebeiner, battles , ambushes took place throughout country. in end bishops able negotiate settlement between 2 sides, confirmed @ meeting @ kvitsøy in 1208. bagler king philippus remain in control of eastern norway renounce title of king, leaving birkebeiner king inge nominally sole ruler of country. in event, philippus continued style himself king until death, peace between bagler , birkebeiner preserved until 1217.

reconciliation between bagler , birkebeiner

young håkon håkonsson being transported safety enemies

as imagined 19th-century painter knud bergslien (1869)

in 1217 king inge bårdsson died. birkebeiner, nervous @ being left without leader in case of bagler attack, chose 13-year-old håkon håkonsson new king, while jarl skule bårdsson made leader of army. håkon håkonsson posthumously-born son of håkon sverresson, of whom birkebeiner had not been aware when electing inge king in 1204—he had arrived @ king inge s court in 1206. skule brother of king inge , had designs on throne himself; however, contented himself time being leadership of army, made him, de facto, powerful man of kingdom. when bagler king philippus died later same year, skule moved quickly. managed persuade bagler not elect new king of own. instead, officially dissolved party , swore fealty håkon håkonsson, reuniting kingdom. discontented elements remained , revolt in eastern norway, led son of erling stonewall called sigurd ribbung, dragged on until 1227. after sigurd died natural death rest of party gave revolt. year 1227 considered end of civil war era, term extended include revolt of skule bårdsson in 1239-40.

the election of håkon king in 1217 seems have been considered of temporary solution until permanent arrangement reached, , skule undoubtedly hoped take on throne. @ gathering of important men of kingdom in bergen in 1223, skule launched candidacy throne of norway in opposition håkon, along sigurd erlingsson ribbung , 2 other pretenders. however, meeting ended håkon being confirmed king. håkon grew , gradually took reins of power own hands, skule s position steadily declined. in attempt @ preserving peace between two, håkon married skule s daughter margaret in 1225. in 1237 skule given title of duke (hertogi), first time title used in norway. not sufficient placate him, , in 1239 had himself declared king of norway , launched war against king håkon. revolt unsuccessful, , in 1240 killed king håkon s men after seeking refuge in monastery in nidaros. civil war era @ end.