Norwegian Crusade
Encyclopedia
The Norwegian Crusade was a crusade that lasted from 1107 to 1110, in the aftermath of the First Crusade
, by the lead of the Norwegian king Sigurd I
. Sigurd was the first European king to ever go on crusade to the Holy Land
, and not one battle during the crusade was lost. The Norwegian crusade seems to have acted out very similar to earlier Viking
raids, though the Norwegians' ultimate aims were different this time.
, where Henry I
was king. Sigurd and his men stayed there the entire winter, until spring of 1108 when they again set sail westwards.
(Jakobsland) in Galicia
(Galizuland) where they were allowed by a local lord to stay for the winter. However when the winter came there was a shortcoming of food, which made the lord refuse to sell food and goods to the Norwegians. Sigurd then gathered his army, attacked the lord's castle and looted what they could there.
During the travel the Norwegians encountered a great pirate ("viking") fleet of galleys which were seeking peaceful trading-ships to rob. However, Sigurd set his course straight for the pirates and stormed their ships. After a short time all the pirates had been either slain or escaped, and Sigurd acquired eight ships from them.
After this they came to a castle in Muslim Al-Andalus
called Sintra (Sintre - present day Sintra
, Portugal
, probably referring to Colares
which is closer to the sea). They took the castle, and killed every man there as they had refused to be christened
. Further they sailed to Lisbon
, a "half Christian and half heathen" city, said to be the division between Christian and Muslim Iberia. There they won their third battle, and acquired great treasures.
Their fourth battle was won in the town of Alkasse (possibly a reference to Al Qaşr
) where they killed such a large number of people the town was said to have been left empty. Also here they looted many treasures
After another victorious battle against pirates when sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar
(Norfasund) they sailed further along the saracen
land (Serkland) into the Mediterranean (Griklands hafi), and arrived at the Balearic Islands
. The Baleares were at the time perceived by Christians to be nothing more than a pirate haven and slaving center. The Norwegian raids are also the first recorded Christian attacks on the Muslim Balearic islands (though smaller attacks certainly had occurred).
The first place they arrived at was Formentera
, where they encountered a great number of Blåmenn (Blue or black men) and Serkir (Saracens) who had taken up their dwelling in a cave. The course of the fight is the most detailed of the entire crusade through written sources, and might possibly be the most notable historic event in the small island's history. After this battle, the Norwegians supposedly acquired the greatest treasures they had ever got. They then went on to attack Ibiza
, and then Minorca
, in both places victoriously. The Norwegians seem to have avoided attacking the largest of the Balearic islands, Mallorca
, most likely as it was at the time the prosperous and well fortified center of an independent taifa kingdom. Tales of their success may have inspired the Catalan–Pisan conquest of the Baleares in 1113–1115
.
(Sikileyjar) where they were welcomed by the ruling Count Roger II
who was only 12–13 years old at the time.
(Akrsborg) (or perhaps in Jaffa
), and went to Jerusalem (Jorsala) where they met the ruling crusader king Baldwin I
. They were warmly welcomed, and Baldwin rode together with Sigurd to the river Jordan, and back again to Jerusalem.
The Norwegians were given much treasures and relics, including a splinter off the True Cross
that allegedly Jesus himself had been crucified on. This was given on the condition that they would continue to promote Christianity and bring the relic to the burial site of St. Olaf
.
, and when king Baldwin were going to the "heathen" (i.e. Muslim) town of Sidon
(Sætt) in Syria
(Sýrland) Sigurd and his men accompanied him in the siege
. The town was then taken and subsequently the Lordship of Sidon
established.
where they stayed for a short while, before again traveling to Greece
and arriving at a Greek port identified as Engilsnes. They stayed here for a while as Sigurd wanted to wait for a sidewind, as the sails of his ships would blow up and look more impressing to the Byzantines
.
When they finally sailed into Constantinople
(Miklagard) they saw that "over all the land there are burghs, castles, country towns, the one upon the other without interval". The sails of Sigurd's ships were so close that they seemed to form only one enormous sail. All the people of Constantinople came out to see Sigurd sailing into the city, and Emperor Alexios I
opened the city port.
for the Byzantines.
Sigurd travelled, in a trip that supposedly would take around three years, from Bulgaria
(Bolgaraland) and through Hungary
(Ungararíki), Pannonia
, Schwabia (Sváva), and Bavaria
(Beiaraland) where he met with the Emperor Lothar
of the Holy Roman Empire
(Rómaborg). He later arrived in Denmark
where he was greeted by king Niels
who eventually gave him a ship so that he could sail home to Norway.
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
, by the lead of the Norwegian king Sigurd I
Sigurd I of Norway
Sigurd I Magnusson , also known as Sigurd the Crusader , was King of Norway from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his brother Eystein I of Norway , has been regarded by historians as a golden age for the medieval Kingdom of Norway...
. Sigurd was the first European king to ever go on crusade to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, and not one battle during the crusade was lost. The Norwegian crusade seems to have acted out very similar to earlier Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raids, though the Norwegians' ultimate aims were different this time.
From Norway to England (1107-08)
Sigurd and his men sailed from Norway in the autumn of 1107 with sixty ships and perhaps around 5,000 men. In the autumn he arrived in EnglandKingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, where Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
was king. Sigurd and his men stayed there the entire winter, until spring of 1108 when they again set sail westwards.
In mainland Iberia (1108-09)
After several months they came to the town of St. JamesSantiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
(Jakobsland) in Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Suebic king Hermeric in the year 409, the Galician capital was established in Braga, being the first kingdom which...
(Galizuland) where they were allowed by a local lord to stay for the winter. However when the winter came there was a shortcoming of food, which made the lord refuse to sell food and goods to the Norwegians. Sigurd then gathered his army, attacked the lord's castle and looted what they could there.
During the travel the Norwegians encountered a great pirate ("viking") fleet of galleys which were seeking peaceful trading-ships to rob. However, Sigurd set his course straight for the pirates and stormed their ships. After a short time all the pirates had been either slain or escaped, and Sigurd acquired eight ships from them.
After this they came to a castle in Muslim Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
called Sintra (Sintre - present day Sintra
Sintra
Sintra is a town within the municipality of Sintra in the Grande Lisboa subregion of Portugal. Owing to its 19th century Romantic architecture and landscapes, becoming a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the urbanized suburbs and capital of Lisbon.In addition to...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, probably referring to Colares
Colares (Sintra)
Colares is a civil parish along the coast of the municipality of Sintra. In 2001, it had a resident population of 7472 inhabitants dispersed in an area of 33.37 km².-History:...
which is closer to the sea). They took the castle, and killed every man there as they had refused to be christened
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
. Further they sailed to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, a "half Christian and half heathen" city, said to be the division between Christian and Muslim Iberia. There they won their third battle, and acquired great treasures.
Their fourth battle was won in the town of Alkasse (possibly a reference to Al Qaşr
Alcácer do Sal
Alcácer do Sal is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. It has a total area of and a total population of 13,624 inhabitants.-History :-Earliest settlement:...
) where they killed such a large number of people the town was said to have been left empty. Also here they looted many treasures
In the Baleares (1109)
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
(Norfasund) they sailed further along the saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
land (Serkland) into the Mediterranean (Griklands hafi), and arrived at the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
. The Baleares were at the time perceived by Christians to be nothing more than a pirate haven and slaving center. The Norwegian raids are also the first recorded Christian attacks on the Muslim Balearic islands (though smaller attacks certainly had occurred).
The first place they arrived at was Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...
, where they encountered a great number of Blåmenn (Blue or black men) and Serkir (Saracens) who had taken up their dwelling in a cave. The course of the fight is the most detailed of the entire crusade through written sources, and might possibly be the most notable historic event in the small island's history. After this battle, the Norwegians supposedly acquired the greatest treasures they had ever got. They then went on to attack Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, and then Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
, in both places victoriously. The Norwegians seem to have avoided attacking the largest of the Balearic islands, Mallorca
Mallorca
Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...
, most likely as it was at the time the prosperous and well fortified center of an independent taifa kingdom. Tales of their success may have inspired the Catalan–Pisan conquest of the Baleares in 1113–1115
1113–1115 Balearic Islands expedition
In 1114, an expedition to the Balearic Islands, then a Muslim taifa, was launched in the form of a Crusade. Founded on a treaty of 1113 between the Republic of Pisa and Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, the expedition had the support of Pope Paschal II and the participation of many lords of...
.
In Sicily (1109-10)
In the spring of 1109, they arrived at SicilyCounty of Sicily
The County of Sicily was a Norman state comprising the islands of Sicily and Malta from 1071 until 1130. The county began to form during the Christian reconquest of Sicily from the Muslim Emirate, established by conquest in 965. The county is thus a transitionary period in the history of Sicily...
(Sikileyjar) where they were welcomed by the ruling Count Roger II
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
who was only 12–13 years old at the time.
In Palestine (1110)
In the summer of 1110 they finally arrived at the port of AcreAcre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
(Akrsborg) (or perhaps in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
), and went to Jerusalem (Jorsala) where they met the ruling crusader king Baldwin I
Baldwin I of Jerusalem
Baldwin I of Jerusalem, formerly Baldwin I of Edessa, born Baldwin of Boulogne , 1058? – 2 April 1118, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, who became the first Count of Edessa and then the second ruler and first titled King of Jerusalem...
. They were warmly welcomed, and Baldwin rode together with Sigurd to the river Jordan, and back again to Jerusalem.
The Norwegians were given much treasures and relics, including a splinter off the True Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...
that allegedly Jesus himself had been crucified on. This was given on the condition that they would continue to promote Christianity and bring the relic to the burial site of St. Olaf
St. Olaf
-People:* Saint Olaf, King Olaf II of Norway* Saint Olaf of Sweden, King Olof Skötkonung-Institutions:*St. Olaf College, a private, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota*St. Olaf Choir, the a cappella choir of St. Olaf College-Places:...
.
Siege of Sidon (1110)
Later Sigurd returned to his ships at AcreAcre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
, and when king Baldwin were going to the "heathen" (i.e. Muslim) town of Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
(Sætt) in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
(Sýrland) Sigurd and his men accompanied him in the siege
Siege of Sidon (1110)
The Siege of Sidon was an event in the aftermath of the First Crusade. The coastal city of Sidon was captured by the forces of Baldwin I of Jerusalem and Sigurd I of Norway, with assistance from the Ordelafo Faliero, Doge of Venice.- Background :...
. The town was then taken and subsequently the Lordship of Sidon
Lordship of Sidon
The Lordship of Sidon was one of the four major fiefdoms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, one of the Crusader States. However, in reality, it appears to have been much smaller than the others and had the same level of significance as several neighbors, such as Toron and Beirut, which were...
established.
To Constantinople (1110)
After this Sigurd and his men sailed to CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
where they stayed for a short while, before again traveling to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and arriving at a Greek port identified as Engilsnes. They stayed here for a while as Sigurd wanted to wait for a sidewind, as the sails of his ships would blow up and look more impressing to the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
When they finally sailed into Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(Miklagard) they saw that "over all the land there are burghs, castles, country towns, the one upon the other without interval". The sails of Sigurd's ships were so close that they seemed to form only one enormous sail. All the people of Constantinople came out to see Sigurd sailing into the city, and Emperor Alexios I
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
opened the city port.
To Norway (1110-13)
When Sigurd was preparing to go back to Norway, he gave all his ships and valuable figureheads to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I. In turn Sigurd received many horses which he would use to travel home over land. Many of his men stayed behind to take up serviceVarangians
The Varangians or Varyags , sometimes referred to as Variagians, were people from the Baltic region, most often associated with Vikings, who from the 9th to 11th centuries ventured eastwards and southwards along the rivers of Eastern Europe, through what is now Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.According...
for the Byzantines.
Sigurd travelled, in a trip that supposedly would take around three years, from Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(Bolgaraland) and through Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(Ungararíki), Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
, Schwabia (Sváva), and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
(Beiaraland) where he met with the Emperor Lothar
Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor
Lothair III of Supplinburg , was Duke of Saxony , King of Germany , and Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 to 1137. The son of Count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia...
of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
(Rómaborg). He later arrived in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
where he was greeted by king Niels
Niels of Denmark
Niels of Denmark was King of Denmark from 1104 to 1134, following his brother Eric Evergood, and is presumed to have been the youngest son of king Sweyn II Estridson. Niels actively supported the canonization of Canute IV the Holy, and his secular rule was supported by the clergy...
who eventually gave him a ship so that he could sail home to Norway.