Petty kingdoms of Norway
Encyclopedia
The Petty kingdom
s of Norway were the entities from which the later Kingdom of Norway was founded. Before the unification of Norway in 872 and during the period of fragmentation after King Harald Fairhair
's death Norway was divided in several small kingdoms
. Some could have been as small as a cluster of villages and others comprised several of today's counties
.
By the time of the first historical records of Scandinavia, about the 700s AD, a number of small political entities existed in Norway. The exact number is unknown, and would probably also fluctuate with time. It has been estimated that there were 9 petty realms in Western Norway during the early Viking age
. Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg on this basis estimates that there would have been at least 20 in the whole country.
There are no written source from this time to tell us the title used by these rulers, or the exact borders between their realms. The main written sources we have on this period, the kings' sagas
, were not written until the 12th and 13th centuries. While they were in part based on skald
ic poems, and possibly on oral tradition, their reliability as sources for detailed events of the Viking age continues to be debated among historians. The sagas, most notable of which is Heimskringla
, often refer to the petty rulers as konungr, i.e. king, as in Agder, Alvheim, Hedmark, Hordaland, Nordmøre og Romsdal, Rogaland, Romerike, Sogn, Solør, Sunmmøre, Trøndelag, Vestfold (which at various times included several of the aforementioned) and Viken; however in Hålogaland the title was jarl (compare earl
), later Ladejarl (from the rulers power base at Lade, in modern day Trondheim
). The rulers of all the areas might be called petty kings, herser, subkings, kings or jarls depending on the source. A number of small communities were gradually organised into larger regions in the 9th century, and in 872 King Harald Fairhair unified the realm and became its first supreme ruler. Many of the former kingdoms would later become jarldoms under the Norwegian high king and some would try to break free again.
Below follows an incomplete list of petty kingdoms of Norway and their known rulers. Most of the people mentioned in this list are legendary or semi-legendary. Some of the areas might have a contested status as petty kingdoms.
Rulers:
Rulers:
and Akershus
, and included the site of Norway's capital, Oslo
, which had not been founded at this time. Archaeologists have made finds of richly endowed burials in the area around the estuary of the river Glomma
, at Onsøy
, Rolvsøy
and Tune
, where the remains of a ship, the Tune ship
, was found. This indicates that there was a center of power in this area.
There are indications that at least the southern part of this area was under Danish rule in the late 9th century. In the account of Ottar, which was written down at the court of the English king Alfred the Great
, Ottar says that when he sailed south from Skiringssal
, he had Denmark on the port side for three days.
Rulers:
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
s of Norway were the entities from which the later Kingdom of Norway was founded. Before the unification of Norway in 872 and during the period of fragmentation after King Harald Fairhair
Harald I of Norway
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair , , son of Halfdan the Black, was the first king of Norway.-Background:Little is known of the historical Harald...
's death Norway was divided in several small kingdoms
Germanic monarchy
Germanic kingship refers to the customs and practices surrounding kings among the pagan Germanic tribes of the Migration period and the kingdoms of the Early Middle Ages ....
. Some could have been as small as a cluster of villages and others comprised several of today's counties
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
.
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
. Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg on this basis estimates that there would have been at least 20 in the whole country.
There are no written source from this time to tell us the title used by these rulers, or the exact borders between their realms. The main written sources we have on this period, the kings' sagas
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....
, were not written until the 12th and 13th centuries. While they were in part based on skald
Skald
The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
ic poems, and possibly on oral tradition, their reliability as sources for detailed events of the Viking age continues to be debated among historians. The sagas, most notable of which is Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, often refer to the petty rulers as konungr, i.e. king, as in Agder, Alvheim, Hedmark, Hordaland, Nordmøre og Romsdal, Rogaland, Romerike, Sogn, Solør, Sunmmøre, Trøndelag, Vestfold (which at various times included several of the aforementioned) and Viken; however in Hålogaland the title was jarl (compare 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...
), later Ladejarl (from the rulers power base at Lade, in modern day 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 rulers of all the areas might be called petty kings, herser, subkings, kings or jarls depending on the source. A number of small communities were gradually organised into larger regions in the 9th century, and in 872 King Harald Fairhair unified the realm and became its first supreme ruler. Many of the former kingdoms would later become jarldoms under the Norwegian high king and some would try to break free again.
Below follows an incomplete list of petty kingdoms of Norway and their known rulers. Most of the people mentioned in this list are legendary or semi-legendary. Some of the areas might have a contested status as petty kingdoms.
Legendary
- Harald Agder-king (legendary)
- VikarVíkarVíkar was a legendary Norwegian king who found himself and his ships becalmed for a long period. To raise a wind, a human blood sacrifice was needed, and the lots fell on King Víkar himself...
(Harald Agder-king's son) - Harald Vikarson
- King Bjearing possibly only a chief
- Vigbrands fra Agder - ca. 690
- Herbrand Vigbrandsson
- Kissa
Kings from 790-987
- Harald GranraudeHarald GranraudeHaraldr hinn granrauði was a king of the district Agder, Norway, and lived in the 9th century.He was married to Gunnhild Ragnvaldsdottir, daughter of Ragnvald Sigurdsson, Lord of Huseby on Lista...
, 7??–815, father of Åsa - Åsa, between 815 and 834–838, mother of Halfdan the Black
- Halfdan the BlackHalfdan the BlackHalfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
, father of Harald Fairhair, from 838. - Kjotve the RichKjotve the RichKjotve the Rich was a king of Agder, then a petty kingdom in southern Norway, in the late 800s. Kjotve was the father of Thor Haklang . Kjotve lead the western Norwegian kings against Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Hafrsfjord. Defeated by Harald, Kjotve fled; many of his allies were killed in...
, late 800s - Harald Gudrødsson Grenske, 976–987
Kingdom of Hedmark
Rulers:- Halfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan Whiteshanks was a mythical petty king in Norway, described in the Ynglinga saga. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. The historicity of the kings described in that saga is generally not accepted by modern...
- Sigtryg EysteinssonSigtryg EysteinssonSigtryg Eysteinsson was king of the Norwegian petty kingdoms Raumarike and Hedmark before he was killed by Halfdan the Black in the middle of the 9th century....
- Eystein Eysteinsson, brother of Sigtryg
- Halfdan the BlackHalfdan the BlackHalfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
, was king of half of Hedmark after defeating rulers Sigtryg and his brother, Eystein.
Kingdom of Hordaland
Rulers:- Alrek Eiriksson early 600's
- Hrolf or Bergi Svåsason
- Solvi Hrolfson
- Kaun Solvason
- Eirik King of HordalandEirik King of HordalandEirik King of Hordaland was a king of Hordaland, then a petty kingdom in southern Norway, in the late 800s. Eirik was the father of Gyda. Eirik lead the first attack against Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Hafrsfjord. Defeated by Harald, Eirik fell; many of his allies were also killed in the...
late 800's
Kingdom of Hålogaland
Rulers:- Saeming (legendary son of Odin)
- Thrand (son of Saeming)
- Eystein
- Halfdan
- Håkon GrjotgardssonHåkon GrjotgardssonHåkon Grjotgardsson , nicknamed Håkon the Rich was the son and heir of Grjotgard Herlaugsson Lade. Håkon became the ruler of the petty kingdom of Trøndelag, the Earl of Lade in the eastern part of Trondheim, Norway, when he succeeded his father...
Kingdom of Oppland
- Eystein, father of Åsa who married Halfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan Whiteshanks was a mythical petty king in Norway, described in the Ynglinga saga. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. The historicity of the kings described in that saga is generally not accepted by modern...
(see Ynglinga SagaYnglinga sagaYnglinga saga is a legendary saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It was first translated into English and published in 1844....
, paragraph 49) - Halfdan "the Aged" Sveidasson (c. 750)
- Ivar Halfdansson (c. 770)
- Eystein "Glumra (the Noisy)" Ivarsson, son-in-law of Ragnvald the Mountain-HighRagnvald the Mountain-HighRagnvald "the Mountain-High" Olafsson was a petty king of Vestfold in what is today Norway. He was the son of Olaf Geirstad-Alf, a cousin of Harald Fairhair and the father of Åsa Ragnvaldsdatter , who married Eystein Ivarsson.His greatest contribution to posterity was that he asked the skald...
and father of Ragnvald EysteinssonRagnvald EysteinssonRognvald "The Wise" Eysteinsson is the founder of the Earldom of Orkney in the Norse Sagas. Three quite different accounts of the creation of the Norse earldom on Orkney and Shetland exist...
(788)
Kingdom of Raumarike
Rulers:- Sigurd RingSigurd RingSigurd Hring was a Swedish and Danish king mentioned in many old Scandinavian legends. According to Bósa saga ok Herrauds, there was once a saga on Sigurd Hring, but this saga is now lost...
8th century - Ragnar LodbrokRagnar LodbrokRagnar Lodbrok was a Norse legendary hero from the Viking Age who was thoroughly reshaped in Old Norse poetry and legendary sagas.-Life as recorded in the sagas:...
8th century - Halfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan Whiteshanks was a mythical petty king in Norway, described in the Ynglinga saga. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. The historicity of the kings described in that saga is generally not accepted by modern...
- Eystein HalfdanssonEystein HalfdanssonEystein Halfdansson was the son of Halfdan Hvitbeinn of the House of Yngling according to Heimskringla. He inherited the throne of Romerike. He was known by his nickname Eysteinn Fart, an Old Norse name, possibly meaning "the swift".His wife was Hild, the daughter of the king of Vestfold, Erik...
Son of Halfdan - Halfdan the MildHalfdan the MildHalfdan the Mild was the son of king Eystein Halfdansson, of the House of Yngling and he succeeded his father as king, according to Heimskringla. He was king of Romerike and Vestfold....
Son of Eystein - Gudrød the HunterGudrød the HunterGudrød the Hunter was a semi-legendary king in Vingulmark in south-east Norway, during the early Viking Age from 804 until 810...
Son of Halfdan - Sigtryg EysteinssonSigtryg EysteinssonSigtryg Eysteinsson was king of the Norwegian petty kingdoms Raumarike and Hedmark before he was killed by Halfdan the Black in the middle of the 9th century....
- Halfdan the BlackHalfdan the BlackHalfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
Son of Gudrød
Kingdom of Rogaland
Rulers:- Gard
- Rugalf Gardsson
- Ogvald Rugalfsson mid 500's
- Ingjald Ogvaldsson fl. c. 600
- Jossur Ingjaldsson fl mid 600's
- Hjor Jossurasson fl. 700's
- Hjorleif Hjorsson the Fornicator fl. mid-late 700's
- Halfur Hjorleifsson
- Hjor Halfsson ? -c. 870 with...
- Sulke ? -870
- Geirmundur Hjorarsson
Kingdom of Romsdal
Rulers:- Raum the OldRaum the OldRaum the Old is a legendary king in Norway in the Hversu Noregr byggdist and in Thorsteins saga Víkingssonar. He was said to have been ugly, as was his daughter, Bryngerd, who was married to King Álf. Indeed, in Old Norse, raumr means a big and ugly person...
legendary - Jötunbjörn the Old son of Raum
- Raum
- Hrossbjörn
- Orm Broken-shell
- Knatti
- Thórolf and Ketill Raum (in one version, Thórolf and Ketill Raum are sons of Orm).
Kingdom of Telemark
The status of Telemark as a kingdom has been contested by some historians.Rulers:
Kingdom of Vestfold
Rulers:- Erik Agnarsson
- Halfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan HvitbeinnHalfdan Whiteshanks was a mythical petty king in Norway, described in the Ynglinga saga. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. The historicity of the kings described in that saga is generally not accepted by modern...
(part of Vestfold) - Eystein HalfdanssonEystein HalfdanssonEystein Halfdansson was the son of Halfdan Hvitbeinn of the House of Yngling according to Heimskringla. He inherited the throne of Romerike. He was known by his nickname Eysteinn Fart, an Old Norse name, possibly meaning "the swift".His wife was Hild, the daughter of the king of Vestfold, Erik...
Eriks son in law - Halfdan the MildHalfdan the MildHalfdan the Mild was the son of king Eystein Halfdansson, of the House of Yngling and he succeeded his father as king, according to Heimskringla. He was king of Romerike and Vestfold....
Eysteins son - Gudrød the HunterGudrød the HunterGudrød the Hunter was a semi-legendary king in Vingulmark in south-east Norway, during the early Viking Age from 804 until 810...
Son of Halfdan - Halfdan the BlackHalfdan the BlackHalfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
Ruled half the kingdom. Son of Gudrød. - Olaf Gudrødsson Ruled half the kingdom. Son of Gudrød.
- Ragnvald the Mountain-HighRagnvald the Mountain-HighRagnvald "the Mountain-High" Olafsson was a petty king of Vestfold in what is today Norway. He was the son of Olaf Geirstad-Alf, a cousin of Harald Fairhair and the father of Åsa Ragnvaldsdatter , who married Eystein Ivarsson.His greatest contribution to posterity was that he asked the skald...
- Bjørn FarmannBjørn FarmannBjørn Farmann was the king of Vestfold. Bjørn was one of the sons of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway...
- Olaf Haraldsson GeirstadalfOlaf Haraldsson GeirstadalfOlaf Haraldsson , was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdotter, daughter of Øystein Jarl.The saga Heimskringla, written in Iceland in the thirteenth century by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson, gives the ninth century Norwegian founder king Harald Fairhair...
, brother of Bjørn - Harald Gudrødsson Grenske, 976–987
Kingdom of Vingulmark
Vingulmark is the old name for the area which today makes up the counties of ØstfoldØstfold
is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...
and Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
, and included the site of Norway's capital, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, which had not been founded at this time. Archaeologists have made finds of richly endowed burials in the area around the estuary of the river Glomma
Glomma
The Glomma or Glåma is the longest and largest river in Norway. The long river has a drainage basin that covers a full 13% of Norway's area, all in the southern part of Norway.-Geography:...
, at Onsøy
Onsøy
Onsøy is a peninsula and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre was Gressvik.-History:The parish of Onsø was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
, Rolvsøy
Rolvsøy
Rolvsøy is an island and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway.It was created by a split from Tune on 1 January 1911. At that time Rolvsøy had a population of 2,381. On 1 January 1994 Rolvsøy was incorporated into the municipality of Fredrikstad, the neighboring municipality to the south...
and Tune
Tune, Norway
Tune is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The former municipality originally covered the current Sarpsborg municipality with the exception of Skjeberg and with the addition of Rolvsøy.-History:...
, where the remains of a ship, the Tune ship
Tune ship
The Tune ship is a Viking era ship exhibited in the Viking Ship Museum in Bygdøy, Oslo.The "karv" type ship was found at Haugen farm on Rolvsøy in Tune, Østfold, Norway. The ship was built around AD 900, and is made of clinkered oak planks. It was found in a boat burial mound...
, was found. This indicates that there was a center of power in this area.
There are indications that at least the southern part of this area was under Danish rule in the late 9th century. In the account of Ottar, which was written down at the court of the English king Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
, Ottar says that when he sailed south from Skiringssal
Skiringssal
Skiringssal is the name of an area situated in the Norwegian municipalities of Larvik and Sandefjord, in the southern region of the county of Vestfold...
, he had Denmark on the port side for three days.
Rulers:
- Gudrød the HunterGudrød the HunterGudrød the Hunter was a semi-legendary king in Vingulmark in south-east Norway, during the early Viking Age from 804 until 810...
, half of Vingulmark - Alfgeir (Old Norse: Álfgeir)
- Gandalf AlfgeirssonGandalf AlfgeirssonGandalf Alfgeirsson was a legendary king of the petty kingdom Vingulmark, in south-eastern Norway. He appears as a character in Snorri Sturluson's saga Heimskringla....
- Halfdan the BlackHalfdan the BlackHalfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
Son of Gudrød - Olaf HaraldssonOlaf Haraldsson GeirstadalfOlaf Haraldsson , was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdotter, daughter of Øystein Jarl.The saga Heimskringla, written in Iceland in the thirteenth century by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson, gives the ninth century Norwegian founder king Harald Fairhair...
- Tryggve OlafssonTryggve OlafssonTryggve Olafsson was king of Viken, Norway ....
- Harald Gudrødsson Grenske, 976-987
- Svein Alfivuson, 1030-1035
Sources
- The information in this article is mostly from other articles on Wikipedia.
- A private Viking history page
- http://my.raex.com/~obsidian/scand.html