Guttorm of Norway
Encyclopedia
Guttorm Sigurdsson (1199 – 11 August 1204) was King of Norway during 1204.
and grandson of King Sverre
. Sigurd Lavard died in 1200 or 1201 during the reign of King Sverre. Following his death during 1202, King Sverre was succeeded by his younger son who reigned as King Haakon III of Norway
until his death on 2 January 1204.
pretender, Erling Steinvegg
arrived in Viken
with a large force, supported by King Valdemar II of Denmark
. This was the start of the second Bagler war (1204–1208).
The day after Guttorm became king, Haakon the Crazy (Old Norse
: Hákon galinn, Modern Norwegian: Håkon galen), a nephew of King Sverre
, was made earl
and leader of the Birkebeiner
army. Haakon thus became the real leader of the Birkebeiner
, as Guttorm was only 4 years old. Guttorm and the Birkebeiner army sailed to Nidaros
where Guttorm was proclaimed king at the thing
. In August the same year, he fell ill and died. Guttorm is buried in Nidaros Cathedral
in Trondheim
. The Birkebeiner knew of no other direct descendant of King Sverre, as Håkon Håkonsson
was still unknown to them. They therefore chose another nephew of Sverre
, Inge Bårdsson who reigned as King Inge II of Norway
.
of Norwegian history
lasted from 1130 to 1240. During this period there were several interlocked conflicts of varying scale and intensity. The background for these conflicts were the unclear Norwegian succession laws, social conditions and the struggle between different aristocratic parties and between Church and King. There were then two main parties, firstly known by varying names or no names at all, but finally condensed into parties of Bagler
and Birkebeiner
. The rallying point regularly was a royal son, who was set up as the head figure of the party in question, to oppose the rule of king from the contesting party.
and The Saga of Haakon Haakonsson
, both written in the 13th century.
Background
Guttorm Sigurdsson was the son of Sigurd LavardSigurd Lavard
Sigurd Lavard was the oldest son of King Sverre of Norway. The name "Lavard" is an epithet which probably derives from the Old Norse word for lord.-Background:...
and grandson 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....
. Sigurd Lavard died in 1200 or 1201 during the reign of King Sverre. Following his death during 1202, King Sverre was succeeded by his younger son who reigned as King Haakon III of Norway
Haakon III of Norway
Håkon III was king of Norway from 1202 to 1204.-Biography:...
until his death on 2 January 1204.
Biography
Guttorm succeeded his uncle Haakon as king of Norway. At the time of his death, King Haakon appears to have been in control of the whole country. However following his death, at some point in the first half of 1204, the BaglerBagler
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....
pretender, 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...
arrived in Viken
Viken
Viken was the historical name for the district in southeastern Norway, including the area surrounding the Oslofjord and Skagerrak, the strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark.-History:...
with a large force, supported by King Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
. This was the start of the second Bagler war (1204–1208).
The day after Guttorm became king, Haakon the Crazy (Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: Hákon galinn, Modern Norwegian: Håkon galen), a nephew 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....
, was made earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
and leader 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...
army. Haakon thus became the real leader 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...
, as Guttorm was only 4 years old. Guttorm and the Birkebeiner army sailed to Nidaros
Nidaros
Nidaros or Niðarós was during the Middle Ages, the old name of Trondheim, Norway . Until the Reformation, Nidaros remained the centre of the spiritual life of the country...
where Guttorm was proclaimed king at the thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
. In August the same year, he fell ill and died. Guttorm is buried in Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation, it has been the cathedral of the...
in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. The Birkebeiner knew of no other direct descendant of King Sverre, as 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....
was still unknown to them. They therefore chose another nephew of 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....
, Inge Bårdsson who reigned as King Inge II of Norway
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...
.
Historic Context
The civil wars periodCivil war era in Norway
The Civil war era of Norwegian history is a term used for the period in the history of Norway between 1130 and 1240. During this time, a series of civil wars were fought between rival kings and pretenders to the throne of Norway. The reasons for the wars is one of the most debated topics in...
of Norwegian history
History of Norway
The history of human settlement in what is present day Norway goes back at least 11,000 years, to the late Paleolithic. Archaeological finds in the county of Møre og Romsdal have been dated to 9,200 BC and are probably the remains of settlers from Doggerland, an area now submerged in the North Sea,...
lasted from 1130 to 1240. During this period there were several interlocked conflicts of varying scale and intensity. The background for these conflicts were the unclear Norwegian succession laws, social conditions and the struggle between different aristocratic parties and between Church and King. There were then two main parties, firstly known by varying names or no names at all, but finally condensed into parties of 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....
and 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...
. The rallying point regularly was a royal son, who was set up as the head figure of the party in question, to oppose the rule of king from the contesting party.
Sources
Our main sources to the life of Guttorm are the Bagler sagasBagler sagas
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...
and The Saga of Haakon Haakonsson
Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar
Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar is an Old Norse kings' saga, telling the story of the life and reign of King Haakon Haakonarson of Norway. The saga was written by the Icelandic historian and chieftain Sturla Þórðarson, in the 1260s...
, both written in the 13th century.
Other sources
- Koht, HalvdanHalvdan KohtHalvdan Koht was a Norwegian historian and politician representing the Labour Party.As a politician he served as the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1935 to 1941. He was never elected as a member of the Parliament of Norway, but was a member of Bærum municipal council in 1917–1919 and...
Noregs Kongesoger bind 3: Kong Sverre (Oslo, 1952) - Pedersen, Gunnar Soga om Baglarar og Birkebeinar (Oslo, 1979)
- Tordsson, Sturla Noregs Bongesoger bind 4: Soga om Håkon Håkonsson (Oslo, 1979)