Sverris saga

Sverris saga was commissioned as a work of propaganda, but does contain elements of truth

The Usur per

The saga of Sverre is filled with a lust for power set against a backdrop of warring factions vying for a throne

Written by Joanna Elphick

here was once a man by the name of

TSverre Sigurdsson, whose desire for power was unparalleled. Having been raised in the household of his Uncle Roe, who was Bishop of the Faroes, young Sverre was expected to join the priesthood. The boy studied hard and was eventually ordained but such a holy, quiet life did not suit the feisty Sverre. He quickly became restless, longing for adventure and having many dreams in which it became clear that he was destined for far greater things than the destiny of a local priest.

His lofty beliefs were reinforced by his beloved mother, Gunnhild, who revealed that Sverre was not her husband’s child but was, in fact, the son of King Sigurd Munn. This, Sverre reasoned, was why the priesthood did not sit well with him. He was the offspring of a mighty king and was indeed destined for a far better lifestyle, and now he intended to claim a throne of his own.

Sverre’s alleged father, King Sigurd II Munn of Norway, had been murdered by his brother and this had left the country in turmoil. Succession to the throne had not been clear and various parties stepped forward claiming their right to rule. Sverre listened to the tales of chaos with interest. Surely he, as illegitimate son, had just as much right to take the throne? However, he would have to fight to achieve his destiny; such power would not come easily.

Magnus Erlingsson had been crowned king, with his own father, Erlingr Skakki, acting as regent until he had come of age. The Church was in favour of this monarch and, with such a powerful ally, any uprisings were soon quashed.

Sverre, who had turned his back on the Church and had subsequently been defrocked, would not be popular but this did not deter him from travelling to Norway in search of a country to rule.

Sverre arrived in Norway, “young and alone and unknown to any”. His assertion of royal descent was weak and unproven, and taking the throne by force seemed impossible since he commanded no armies or financial backing. However, luck was on his side, for the lonely usurper made contact with a local Swedish ruler by the name of Birger Brosa, who took the young man in. Brosa, who was married to Sigurd Munn’s sister, supported a ragged group of men, known as the Birchlegs, who were fighting to put their leader, Oystein Moyla, on the throne. Sadly, Moyla had perished during the Battle of Re and the group were looking for a new leader.

The Birchlegs, so-called because of their penchant for binding their feet with birch bark if they could not afford shoes, were little more than 70 vagabonds with no fighting skills. This was not the vast army Sverre had imagined he would be leading into battle, but it was a start, and he proceeded to turn them into a force to be reckoned with.

During the summer of 1177, Sverre was proclaimed king at Oretinget. This was a great victory, but it was not enough for the power-hungry leader who still desired Norway for himself. Further minor skirmishes ensued but, although victorious, King Sverre was forced across Sognefjell where he and

“It soon became clear that he was destined for far greater things than the destiny of a local priest”

his men struggled against the bitterly cold winds and freezing snow. Spring brought renewed hope and the Birchlegs continued to fight their way across the land to Trondelag. Eventually, after much toing and froing, Sverre pushed King Magnus and his warring father, Erlingr Skakki, back far enough so that the Birchlegs could spend the winter in the relative safety and splendour of Nidaros.

Sverre and his men faced their first large-scale battle at Kalvskinnet, where they delivered a crushing blow against Magnus. Although the King escaped with his life, many of his men perished on the battlefield, including his own father, Earl Erlingr Skakki. Since he had been the real military genius, King Magnus was now vulnerable and Sverre was in a position to take full control. Ever the tactical dramatist, King Sverre decided to give the Earl’s eulogy himself, turning the moment into a rallying propaganda speech, declaring the loss of a good soldier but, in its place, the rise of a great one. His words were crystal clear in both sound and meaning and the people were duly impressed. Gradually, his words altered, claiming that Erlingr in fact bore the helmet of terror and in doing so, a shadow was cast across the legitimacy of King Magnus’ rule. The people took Sverre at his word and accepted him as king.

But Magnus’s ‘Heklungs’ continued to fight both on land and at sea. His strong hold over western Norway meant that supplies failed to reach Sverre, causing him to trek overland to plunder for goods. While he was away, Magnus stormed Trondelag and burned the Birchlegs’ fleet to the ground. This was a mighty blow indeed, but the unstoppable Sverre quickly built new ships and amassed a better, stronger fleet, including the magnificent Mariasuda, the largest ship afloat.

Magnus, too, built more ships and sailed towards Bergen, where he met Sverre at Fimreite, on the long, thin Sognefjord. Both kings had fine vessels but none so impressive as Mariasuda. Half the enemy fleet were held back, finding it impossible to pass her in the narrow fjord, while Sverre’s men attacked the remaining outlying ships.

The battle was a fierce one, resulting in the deaths of many of Magnus’ men, who had overcrowded their own ships and subsequently drowned. A rumour, which was soon verified, spread through the troops, claiming that King Magnus himself had been killed. Whilst the Heklung made their escape, Sverre told the Birchlegs to hunt for the body in the water. Eventually, he was discovered and, with much pomp and ceremony, King Sverre brought him back to Bergen. His arrival was a fantastic spectacle, showing him to be a powerful victor and, therefore, rightful ruler of all Norway. His eulogy referred to the defunct king as ‘an honourable chief in many respects’, and adorned by kingly descent’, but the tone was obvious to all. Sverre was the true king now.

Sadly, the death of his arch enemy did not put an end to the warring. A year later, a band of dissidents named the Kuvlungs, began to gain control of eastern and western Norway. A number of irritating skirmishes took place until their leader, Jon Kuvlung, was eventually killed. This was followed by a further pretender to the throne in the shape of Sigurd, bastard son of Magnus Erlingsson. The leader of this new rebel group was Magnus’ brother-in-law, Hallkjell Jonsson, who aligned himself to the Earl of Orkney. Calling themselves the Oyskjeggene, the group of men fought Sverre at the Battle of Flovag. Once again, the powerful King won but the never-ending wars were beginning to take their toll. Sverre longed to establish peace with the Church and hoped that this could be achieved with Eirik Ivarsson, Bishop of Stavanger. With hope in his heart, Sverre asked that Eirik might crown him, thereby offering proof of recognition. Alas, it was not to be, rather, the bishop openly denied Sverre as rightful ruler. Pope Celestine III was in agreement and plans were made to excommunicate the Norwegian king. When Celestine died, the new Pope continued the proposal and a new church-backed group emerged to take on Sverre and the Birchlegs.

The Bagler party, who supported Inge, the son of King Magnus, gathered their forces and after a number of battles, burnt Bergen to the ground. Further battles followed and Sverre regained control but the victory proved to be a pyrrhic one. He was tired of the perpetual warring and, although he had longed for the right to rule, and had indeed achieved his dreams, the lack of peace had turned out to be a nightmare. A cold and tired Sverre fell sick whilst returning from yet another campaign. He wrote a letter to his son, Hakon, appointing him as his heir and successor, and advising him to seek reconciliation with the Church. He then quietly passed away. King Sverre, mighty ruler of Norway, had found peace at last.

The veracity of Sverris saga is highly questionable since it was mostly written during the king’s own lifetime and was undoubtedly a work of propaganda. Its purpose was to legitimise Sverre’s right to the throne and to make the journey to his kingship less bumpy. It could be argued that the manuscript failed, as his royal ascent consisted of little more than battles. However, the fact that many of the protagonists were most likely still living, suggests that there must have been at least some truth in the narration. People would have been able to read about themselves and, whilst they might have disagreed with the emphasis, the basic outcomes must have been recognisable as truth. Sverre wanted to be remembered as a man who was destined for greatness and who eventually realised his dreams. His speeches clearly depict a skilled orator and Sverre’s Saga allowed him to be remembered exactly as he would have wished, an accomplished ruler, a fine strategist and an inspiring leader of men.

A vital record of history

The Book of Flatey, or Flateyjarbók, was created during the latter half of the 14th century and is considered to be one of the most important manuscripts to have come from Iceland. It was commissioned by a well-to-do Icelandic farmer by the name of Jon Hakonarson who heralded from Viodalstunga in the Northwest. He employed two priests, Magnus Þorhallsson and Jon Þoroarson, to scribe the sagas, and then called upon Magnus to illustrate the entire book. Thanks to a detailed introduction, the provenance and history of the manuscript is fully known, making the Flateyjarbók most unusual since many other Icelandic texts of the time were written and gathered in a piecemeal fashion and, unless they were particularly famous skalds, the writers have inevitably slipped into obscurity.

The original manuscript contained 202 pages. 23 further leaves were added in the 15th century and were finally bound in two large volumes during the 17th century, containing the trials and tribulations of the Norwegian kings. Although there are various suggestions as to where the manuscript was penned, the most likely is the scriptoria at Þingeyrar since one of the illustrations clearly depicts the Þingeyrar seal. Such magnificent illuminations are extremely unusual in Icelandic manuscripts and this suggests that the work was intended as a very special gift. Some historians have claimed that it was most likely created for King Olaf IV when he was a boy with the notion that it would inform the young king of the deeds and practices of those rulers who had gone before.

One of the huge A3 sized leaves from the beautifully illustrated Flateyjarbók, the finest manuscript that Viking Age Iceland ever produced