Sigurd Lavard was the oldest son of King Sverre of Norway

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....

. The name "Lavard" is an epithet

Epithet

An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...

 which probably derives from the Old Norse word for lord.

Background

Sigurd Sverresson Lavard is mentioned the first time during the struggles of 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...

 in November 1181, when Sverre's rival, King Magnus Erlingsson

Magnus V of Norway

Magnus V Erlingsson was a King of Norway during the Civil war era in Norway.-Biography:Magnus Erlingsson was probably born in Etne in Hordaland. He was the son of Erling Skakke. His father was a Norwegian nobleman who earned his reputation crusading with Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, the Earl of Orkney...

, took the city. According to Saxo Grammaticus

Saxo Grammaticus

Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives...

, Sigurd was born while Sverre still lived on the Faroes and received the name Unås, honouring the man then thought to be Sverre's father. Later when Sverre claimed to be the son of King Sigurd Munn

Sigurd II of Norway

Sigurd II Haraldsson was king of Norway from 1136 to 1155. He was son of Harald Gille, king of Norway and his mistress Tora Guttormsdotter . He served as co-ruler with his half-brothers, Inge Haraldsson and Eystein Haraldsson. His epithet Munn means "the Mouth" in Old Norse...

, Sverre had his own son change name accordingly. Sverre became king of Norway by leading a rebellion against the previous King Magnus.

Career

King Magnus was defeated and killed in 1184, but in 1196 his old followers united to form 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....

 party. The first encounter between Sverre and the Baglers took place along the coast of Ranrike

Ranrike

Ranrike was the old name for a part of Viken, corresponding to southeast Norway and the northern half of the modern Swedish province of Bohuslän...

. King Sverre gave Sigurd Lavard the responsibility of guarding a ballista which he had built. However during the night, the Baglers launched a surprise attack. Sigurd and his men were caught off guard and chased away and the ballista destroyed. Sigurd was not given any commands after this episode. Sigurd Lavard died in 1200 or 1201 while his father was still alive. He left behind a young son Guttorm

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...

 who would be king for a few months in 1204.

Other sources

• Krag, Claus
  Claus Krag
  Claus Krag is a Norwegian educator, historian, and writer. He is a noted specialist in Old Norse philology and medieval Norwegian history. Krag earned his Cand.philol. in 1969...
  
  Sverre – Norges største middelalderkonge (Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co. 2005) ISBN 82-03-23201-9.