The House of Sverre was a royal house or dynasty which ruled, at various times in history, the Kingdom of Norway, and hereunder the kingdom's realms, and the Kingdom of Scotland

Kingdom of Scotland

The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...

. The house was founded with King Sverre Sigurdsson

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....

. It sat on Norway's throne from 1184 and to 1319.

History

The house was founded with King Sverre Sigurdsson

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....

, who claimed to be an illegitimate son of King Sigurd Munn, when he was made King of Norway. After Sverre's death, his descendants would expand the influence, wealth, and power of the dynasty. Under his grandson Haakon IV

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 rule, medieval Norway reached its peak.

Also Margaret, Maid of Norway

Margaret, Maid of Norway

Margaret , usually known as the Maid of Norway , sometimes known as Margaret of Scotland , was a Norwegian princess who was Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death...

 was a member of this family.

The rulers of this house claimed descendance from the House of Fairhair

Fairhair dynasty

The Fairhair dynasty was a family of kings founded by Harald I of Norway which ruled Norway with few interruptions from 800 to 1387 , or through only three generations of kings , in the 10th century CE....

 and its old rulers. However, modern historians reject the claim as unlikely and a fabrication in order to gain Norway's throne.

The house replaced the House of Hardrada

House of Hardrada

The House of Hardrada was a powerful royal "house" or "dynasty" which ruled, at various times in history, Kingdom of Norway, Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, Earldom of Orkney and Kingdom of Denmark...

, and was again replaced by the House of Bjelbo

House of Bjelbo

The House of Bjelbo , also known as the House of Folkung , was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided for several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings.- Name and origin :...

, which inherited Norway's throne. They were the last reigning family that claimed patrilineal descent from Harald Fairhair.

Name

It is unlikely that the rulers officially referred to their dynasty as the House of Sverre; this is a term made by modern historians. The Norwegian term is Sverreætten, meaning the Sverre Dynasty or the Sverre Gens, and also this is likely a construction of newer times.

Coat of arms

See also: Coat of arms of Norway

Coat of arms of Norway

The coat of arms of Norway is a crowned, golden lion rampant holding an axe with an argent blade, on a crowned, triangular and red escutcheon. Its elements originate from personal insignias for the royal house in the High Middle Ages, thus being among the oldest in Europe...

The main arms of the kings belonging to the House of Sverre, was a golden crowned lion on a red field. The lion was later supplied with a silver axe symbolising Olaf the Holy.

List of kings

The rulers within the royal house or dynasty would often have a "junior king" along with a "senior king" (three dates show the reign as junior king to the start of reign as senior to the end of their reign). Here is a list of the rulers when the house held the power in Norway:

Name	Reign
Sverre Sigurdsson 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....	1184–1202
Haakon III Sverresson Haakon III of Norway Håkon III was king of Norway from 1202 to 1204.-Biography:...	1202–1204
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...	1204
Rule of Inge Baardson 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...  of the Gille branch	1204–1217
Haakon the Old 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....	1217–1263
Haakon Haakonsson the Young	1240–1257
Magnus VI Lagabøte Magnus VI of Norway Magnus VI Lagabøte or Magnus Håkonsson , was king of Norway from 1263 until 1280.-Early life:...	1257–1263–1280
Eric Magnusson	1273–1280–1299
Haakon Magnusson 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...	1299–1319