Audun Hugleiksson (born c. 1240 - 2 December 1302) was a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 nobleman at the end of the 13th century. He was the king's right hand, both under King Magnus Lagabøte

Magnus VI of Norway

Magnus VI Lagabøte or Magnus Håkonsson , was king of Norway from 1263 until 1280.-Early life:...

 and King Eirik Magnusson, and was seen as an important politician and lawman in his time. He played a central role in reforming the Norwegian law system. From 1280 and onwards he was given increasingly important roles in the government of Norway. He had his own seat on the king's council, was a lawyer (stallare), tax minister (fehirde) and a baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

. He also erected a castle or fortress in stone called Audunborg

Audunborg

Audunborg or Hegrenes-borga was a castle and fortification built by Audun Hugleiksson on his inherited estate at Ålhus on the shore of the Jølstravatn in the municipality of Jølster in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is about northeast of the village of Vassenden.-History:The castle was built...

 on Ålhus

Ålhus

Ålhus is a small village in the municipality of Jølster in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located on highway on the northern side of the lake Jølstravatnet, in a largely agricultural area. Ålhus is located west of the village of Skei and northeast of the villages of Vassenden and...

 in Jølster

Jølster

Jølster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Skei...

 in Sunnfjord

Sunnfjord

Sunnfjord is a traditional district in Western Norway located in Sogn og Fjordane county. It includes the municipalities of Askvoll, Fjaler, Flora, Førde, Gaular, Jølster, Naustdal, and the southernmost parts of Bremanger...

.

Audun Hugleiksson was executed during the reign of King Haakon V of Norway

Haakon V of Norway

Haakon V Magnusson was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319.-Biography:Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, King of Norway, and his wife Ingeborg of Denmark. Haakon was descended from king Saint Olav and is considered to have been the last Norwegian king in the Fairhair...

. After 1295 Audun seems to have played a less important role in the Norwegian Council. But he remained in his position as a treasurer. In July 1299, King Eirik Magnusson died and immediately succeeded by his younger brother, King Haakon V. During August 1299, Audun Hugleiksson was arrested. He was imprisoned for three years until he was sentenced to death. All his properties were seized and placed under the king. He was hanged at Nordnes

Nordnes

Nordnes is a peninsula and neighbourhood in the city centre of Bergen, Norway. Bergen Aquarium is located at the tip of the peninsula. The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and Fredriksberg Fortress are also located on Nordnes....

 in Bergen

Bergen

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

 on Sunday the 2 December 1302.

Background

Audun Hugleiksson grew up on the farm Hegranes on Ålhus in Jølster

Jølster

Jølster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Skei...

 which lies in what was the area of Firdafylke, (east of Førde

Førde

Førde is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center is the town of Førde which in 2010 had 12,035 inhabitants. The historic village of Bruland is located just east of the town of Førde...

 and north of the Sognefjord

Sognefjord

The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...

). His father Hugleik seems to have been a lower nobleman and a member of King Håkon Håkonsson

Haakon IV of Norway

Haakon Haakonarson , also called Haakon the Old, was king of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Under his rule, medieval Norway reached its peak....

's hird (1204–1263). His father had the byname Hestakorn because ha fed his horses with grain, something the local people saw as extravagant and a waste of a good food source. Hugleik himself probably did not himself have a very prominent position, but was still married to a woman of high standing from the east of Norway. Audun's mother was most likely the daughter of Audun i Borg (Sarpsborg

Sarpsborg

is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg.Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neighbouring Fredrikstad...

). Audun could thus trace a common lineage to Inga fra Varteig (1185-1234), mother of King Håkon Håkonsson

Haakon IV of Norway

Haakon Haakonarson , also called Haakon the Old, was king of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Under his rule, medieval Norway reached its peak....

.

Literature

• Nedrebø, Yngve (2002) Audun Hugleiksson – frå kongens råd til galgen (Førde: Selja forlag) ISBN 82-91722-25-0
• Knut Helle. «Audun Hugleiksson». I: Norsk biografisk leksikon, bd 1. 2. utg. 1999 (Med fyldig litteraturliste)

External links

• Baron Audun Hugleiksson frå Jølster – eit 700-års minne, by Kristian Fossheim
  Kristian Fossheim
  Kristian Johan Fossheim is a Norwegian physicist.He was born in Jølster. He took the dr.philos. degree in 1972, was an associate professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1970 to 1980, and professor from 1980...
  
  
• Digitalarkivet: Audun Hugleiksson
• Audun Hugleiksson Hestakorn