Bagler sagas
Encyclopedia
The Bagler Sagas are kings' sagas
relating to events in Norway
from 1202 to 1217. They are our main source to events in Norway in this period. There are two versions, one shorter and one longer, which are in modern editions usually printed as one saga.
The sagas deal with the reigns of the birkebeiner
kings Haakon Sverresson
, Guttorm Sigurdsson
and Inge Baardsson
, and the bagler
kings Erling Steinvegg
and Philippus Simonsson.
The sagas pick up the story where Sverris saga
leaves off, at the death of king Sverre
in 1202. The older, and shorter, version ends with the wedding of Philippus in 1209. The later and longer version, also continues the story until the death of king Inge in 1217. The older version is neutral in its depiction of events, without a clear bias for either birkebeiner or bagler. It was probably written not long after the point where it leaves off, in 1209. The newer version was probably written by someone who wanted to expand the older version with more material about the birkebeiner, and continue the story to cover all of Inge's reign. It was probably written no later than the early 1220s. The author of this later version is clearly on the side of the birkebeiner, and shows personal sympathies for king Inge, also in his disputes with his brother, earl Haakon the Crazy
.
The authors of both versions are unknown. There are indications that both of them were Iceland
ers, although this cannot be said for certain.
Kings' sagas
The kings' sagas are Norse sagas which tell of the lives of Scandinavian kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries in Iceland and Norway....
relating to events in Norway
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...
from 1202 to 1217. They are our main source to events in Norway in this period. There are two versions, one shorter and one longer, which are in modern editions usually printed as one saga.
The sagas deal with the reigns of the birkebeiner
Birkebeiner
The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla...
kings Haakon Sverresson
Haakon III of Norway
Håkon III was king of Norway from 1202 to 1204.-Biography:...
, Guttorm Sigurdsson
Guttorm of Norway
Guttorm Sigurdsson was King of Norway during 1204.-Background:Guttorm Sigurdsson was the son of Sigurd Lavard and grandson of King Sverre. Sigurd Lavard died in 1200 or 1201 during the reign of King Sverre...
and Inge Baardsson
Inge II of Norway
align=right|Inge Baardson was king of Norway from 1204 to 1217. His reign was within the later stages of the period known in Norwegian history as the age of civil wars. Inge was the king of the birkebeiner faction...
, and the bagler
Bagler
The Bagli Party or Bagler was a faction or party during the Norwegian Civil Wars. The Bagler faction was made up principally of the Norwegian aristocracy, clergy and merchants....
kings Erling Steinvegg
Erling Steinvegg
Erling Magnusson Steinvegg or Erlingr Magnússon Steinveggr was the candidate of the Bagler to the Norwegian throne from 1204 to 1207. His candidacy resulted in the second Bagler War which lasted until 1208, when the question of the Norwegian succession was temporarily settled.-Biography:Erling...
and Philippus Simonsson.
The sagas pick up the story where Sverris saga
Sverris saga
Sverris saga is one of the kings' sagas. Its subject is King Sverre Sigurdsson of Norway and it is the main source for this period of Norwegian history. As the foreword tells us, the saga in its final form consists of more than one part. Work first began in 1185 under the king’s direct supervision...
leaves off, at the death of king Sverre
Sverre of Norway
Sverre Sigurdsson was king of Norway from 1177 to 1202. He married Margareta Eriksdotter, the daughter of the Swedish king Eric the Saint, by whom he had the daughter Kristina Sverresdotter....
in 1202. The older, and shorter, version ends with the wedding of Philippus in 1209. The later and longer version, also continues the story until the death of king Inge in 1217. The older version is neutral in its depiction of events, without a clear bias for either birkebeiner or bagler. It was probably written not long after the point where it leaves off, in 1209. The newer version was probably written by someone who wanted to expand the older version with more material about the birkebeiner, and continue the story to cover all of Inge's reign. It was probably written no later than the early 1220s. The author of this later version is clearly on the side of the birkebeiner, and shows personal sympathies for king Inge, also in his disputes with his brother, earl Haakon the Crazy
Haakon the Crazy
Håkon the Crazy was a Norwegian earl and Birkebeiner chieftain during the civil war era in Norway. He was born no later than the 1170s and died in 1214...
.
The authors of both versions are unknown. There are indications that both of them were Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ers, although this cannot be said for certain.
Sources
- Soga om baglarar og birkebeinar translated by Gunnar Pederse (Oslo: Samlaget, 1979)