Birkebeiner The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar ( Old Norse : " Birkibeinar " ; Norwegian : " Birkebeinarane " ( nynorsk ) or " Birkebeinerne " ( bokmål ) ) was the name for a rebellious party in Norway , formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne , Eystein Meyla . The name has its origins in propaganda from the established party that the rebels were so poor that they made their shoes of birch bark . Although originally a pejorative , the opposition adopted the " Birkebeiner " name for themselves , and continued using it after they came to power in 1184 . Today , the Birkebeiners are popularly celebrated for having escorted the two - year - old Haakon Haakonsson , an heir to the Norwegian throne , to safety from Østerdalen to Trondheim , a long and perilous journey through treacherous mountains and forests . This is commemorated through Birkebeinerrennet and Birkebeinerrittet , as well as the American Birkebeiner . Background . The Civil war era in Norway ( " borgerkrigstida " ) is a term used for the period between 1130 and 1240 in the history of Norway . During this period there were several interlocked conflicts of varying scale and intensity . Although weak in the beginning , the Birkebeins had the upper hand in the dispute almost all the time it existed . King Haakon IV was the ultimate victor for the Birkebeins in 1217 . In the earlier part of the reign of King Haakon , much of the royal power was in the hands of Skule Bårdsson . In 1239 , the conflict between the two erupted into open warfare , when Skule had himself proclaimed king in Nidaros . The rebellion ended in 1240 when Skule was put to death . The background for these conflicts was the unclear Norwegian succession laws , social conditions and the struggle between Church and King . There were then two main parties , firstly known by varying names or no names at all , but finally condensed into parties of Bagler and Birkebeins . The rallying point regularly was a royal son , who was set up as the head figure of the party in question , to oppose the rule of the king from the contesting party . Formation . The Birkebein party was formed of some earlier groups with the original goal of deposing king Magnus V of Norway ( Magnus Erlingsson ) and his father Earl Erling Skakke . From a socio - historical perspective , scholars have interpreted the party as the result of the rapid increase in landless " markamenn " ( meaning " border men " ) , who settled along the Swedish border and made their living by pillaging the rich old settlements . It was this lawless population that became the foremost basis of the Birkebeiner , even though it is questionable whether their leaders were paupers wearing shoes made of birch bark . Their leadership came from Trøndelag , a region where the social tensions were not as marked , and their motive was rather to stop the transition of power from Trøndelag to Viken and Vestlandet . The powerful Trønder families were simply being left behind by their peers in the south , who had acquired a strong leader in the Vestland earl Erling Skakke in the mid - 12th century . In the early 1160s , Erling had taken control of Viken and the bishopric of Nidaros and had subsequently made his underage son Magnus Erlingsson the king of Norway . The party that was behind their rule was not called the Bagli party ( Bagler ) during their time , but only later . The rival forces against the Birkebeins were dubbed several names , successively Lendsmenn , Heklung s , Kuvlung s , Øyskjeggs and Bagler . The rise of Sverre . After some initial victories for the Viken party , the tables turned when Sverre entered the political scene claiming to be the illegitimate son of king Sigurd Munn . Sverre sought assistance from the Swedish earl Birger Brosa who sent him Swedish forces after some hesitation . One of Birger Brosa ' s sons , Philippus Birgersson , became Sverre ' s earl . Under Sverre ' s leadership , the Birkebeiner movement was re - organized and pruned and the most criminal elements were brutally purged from the party . The army consisted more and more of mercenaries from Sweden and England . As early as 1177 , Sverre was proclaimed king by his followers , but in reality his power did not extend beyond the borders of Trøndelag and it took two decisive battles in 1179 and 1184 before he could be formally elected king . By then , both the main opponents were dead , i . e . , earl Erling ( 1179 ) and King Magnus Erlingsson ( 1184 ) , and the opposition was greatly reduced . The Birkebeiner ' s political program was a continuation of earl Erling ' s centralization which underscores the geographical motivations behind the movement . Their leadership did not seek a social revolution , only to move the centre of power back to Trøndelag . The opposition around Viken organized in 1196 into a new faction called the Bagler . 1200 onwards . Around the year 1200 , the rival groups shared the identical but opposite goal of controlling the entire country . In 1202 , when King Sverre died , he had managed to acquire most of Norway , but in Østerdalen , the Baglers were still very powerful . Sverre ' s death meant some decrease in the power of the Birkebeins . His successor , King Haakon Sverresson , died only two years later , leaving his son Haakon Haakonsson as the ultimate target for the Baglers to get rid of the Lord on his dark throne . In 1206 , the Birkebeiners set off on a dangerous voyage through treacherous mountains and forests , taking the now two - year - old Haakon Haakonsson to safety in Trondheim . Norwegian history credits the Birkebeiners ' bravery with preserving the life of the boy who later became King Haakon Haakonsson IV , ended the civil wars in 1240 and forever changed Northern Europe ' s history through his reign . The Birkebeins managed to hold some power , despite short reigns of their monarchs . In 1209 , a resolution was made between Bagler and Birkebeiner . Bagler pretender Philip Simonsson was recognized as ruler of the eastern third of the country , Østlandet , without the title of king . Birkebeiner ' s Inge Baardsson was recognized to be King of Norway . They both died in 1217 and Birkebeiner - born Haakon IV ascended the throne , relatively unopposed , under the regency of Duke Skule . Birkebeiner traditions . The city arms of Lillehammer show a Birkebeiner skiing in honour of the historic rescue . The mascots Håkon and Kristin of the 1994 Winter Olympics are depicted as Birkebeiner children , bearing the names of the son and daughter of king Sverre . Near Drammen , the sports association Idrettsforeningen Birkebeineren took their name from the party . Birkebeiner Run . Today , the historic event of the rescue of Haakon Haakonsson is honoured in Norway by three annual sporting events , a run , Birkebeinerløpet ; a mountain bike race , Birkebeinerrittet ; a cross - country ski race , Birkebeinerrennet and , beginning in 2012 , Landeveisbirken , a road bicycle race . Common for the bike and ski events is the requirement of carrying a backpack weighing 3 . 5 kg as a remembrance of the child the Birkebeiners had to carry on their journey . The bike and ski events start in Rena and all three events finish at Lillehammer . There are also sister cross - country ski races held in Hayward Wisconsin ( USA ) ( the American Birkebeiner ) , in Edmonton ( Canada ) and in Falls Creek ( Australia ) .