Sverre of Norway Sverre Sigurdsson ( ) ( c . 1145 / 1151 – 9 March 1202 ) was the King of Norway from 1184 to 1202 . He married Margareta Eriksdotter , the daughter of the Swedish king Eric IX , by whom he had the daughter Kristina Sverresdotter . Many consider him one of the most important rulers in Norwegian history . He assumed power as the leader of the rebel party known as the Birkebeiner in 1177 , during their struggle against King Magnus Erlingsson . After Magnus fell at the Battle of Fimreite in 1184 , Sverre ruled as sole king of Norway . Differences with the Church , however , led to his excommunication in 1194 . Another civil war began against the church - supported Bagler s , which lasted beyond Sverre ' s death in 1202 . The most important historical source on Sverre ’ s life is his biography , Sverris saga , in part written while Sverre was alive . This saga is likely bias ed , since the foreword states that part was written under Sverre ’ s direct sponsorship . Correspondence between the Pope and the Norwegian bishops can be used as an alternate source when it comes to church affairs . The saga and the letters mostly agree about the hard facts . Supposedly , King Sverre was short , so he usually directed his troops from horseback during battles . The contrast is great to the traditional Norse warrior ideals where the king was expected to lead his men from the front of the battle line . Sverre was a talented improviser , both in political and military life . His innovative tactics often helped the Birkebeiners against more tradition - bound opponents . During battle he had his men operate in smaller groups , while previously tactics similar to the shield wall had been preferred . This made the Birkebeiners more mobile and adaptable . Early life . According to the saga , Sverre was born in 1151 to Gunnhild and her husband Unås , a comb maker from the Faroes . When Sverre was five , the family moved to the Faroes where Sverre was raised in the household of Unås ' brother Roe , bishop of the Faroes on Kirkjubøargarður in Kirkjubøur . It was here that Sverre studied for the priesthood and was ordained . The priest school of Kirkjubøur must have been of a high standard , for Sverre was later described as very well educated . The legend says that he was hidden in a cave near the village . This cave actually exists and gave the mountain Sverrihola ( 303 m , " Sverre ' s cave " ) on the south tip of Streymoy its name . Sverre , however , was not suited for a priestly life . The saga states that he had several dreams which he interpreted as a sign that he was destined for greater things . Further , in 1175 , his mother revealed that Sverre was really the son of king Sigurd Munn . In the following year , Sverre travelled to Norway to seek his destiny . The veracity of Sverre ' s claim . The tale told in Sverre ' s saga is the official version . Historians have questioned the veracity of it , especially with regard to Sverre ' s alleged paternity . Some historians have considered his claim to be King Sigurd ' s son to be false , as did many of his contemporaries . Others have believed the paternal claim to be true , while most historians have found that the paternal question can not be given a definite answer . Although the fact that kings fathered illegitimate sons was taken for granted , other facts indicate that Sverre was in his early thirties when he came to Norway , such as the age of his own sons and nephews . It has been cited against Sverre ' s claim that according to Canon law , one had to be at least 30 years old to be eligible for the priesthood . If Sverre was 30 years old when he became a priest , this would place his birth no later than 1145 , making his paternal claim impossible , as Sigurd Munn was born in 1133 . This particular objection has lost credence as it has become clear that this age limit was routinely ignored in Scandinavia at the time . However , other objections remain , such as the fact that Sverre consistently refused to undergo an ordeal by fire to prove his claims . At the time , such a trial was routine for new claimants to the throne , and belief in its efficacy seems to have been universal ; yet Sverre refused to undergo it . If Sverre ' s claim was false , however , he would lack royal legitimacy , dooming his plans to failure . Regardless , his motivation is clear : to capture the throne of Norway , whether he could prove royal blood or not . After all , Norway had seen other claimants , since Harald Gille , whose paternity was equally questionable . The fact that Sigurd Munn ' s daughter Cecilia acknowledged Sverre as the son of Sigurd is inconclusive . Sverre ' s actions offered her a welcome possibility to divorce from the marriage with Folkvid the Lawspeaker , into which she claimed to have been forced by Erling Skakke . Support from Earl Birger Brosa of Sweden is more a sign of pragmatic politics on the part of the Swedes , as their ally party in Norway needed a new leader and had chosen Sverre . Sverre was not the Earl ' s first choice , however . They had first supported Øystein Møyla , who had died at the battle of Re in 1177 . The Swedish dynastic lines were themselves engaged in civil war , and the current rulers of the family after king Erik were at war with the Danish king Valdemar . Erling Skakke had submitted to Valdemar some decades earlier , and it was beneficial for the Swedes at the time to support the opponents of Erling ' s regime , namely Sverre . He wasn ' t strong but he was very clever Norway in 1176 . In 1176 , Norway was slowly recovering from decades of multiple civil war s . The causes were largely due to the lack of any clear succession laws . According to the old customs , all the king ' s sons , legitimate or illegitimate , had equal right to the throne . It was customary for brothers to rule the kingdom together , but when quarrels arose , war was frequently the result . Sigurd Munn , claimed by Sverre as his father , had been slain by his brother Inge Krokrygg in 1155 . Sigurd ' s son Håkon Herdebrei had been chosen to be king by his father ' s followers . The conflict was now a regional conflict , with King Inge having the strongest support in Viken , while most of Håkon ’ s followers were from Trøndelag . Inge Krokrygg fell in 1161 . His party then took the five year old Magnus Erlingsson as king . Magnus was the son of Erling Skakke and Kristin , daughter of King Sigurd Jorsalfar . In 1162 , at the Battle of Veøy , Håkon Herdebrei fell and his faction began to fall apart . In 1164 Magnus was crowned by Øystein Erlendsson , Archbishop of Nidaros . With the Church and most of the aristocracy on his side , Magnus ' kingship seemed secure . Several uprisings followed , but they were all suppressed . Erling Skakke had been regent during his son ' s minority and continued to be the country ’ s real ruler even after Magnus had come of age . Sverre meets the Birkebeiners . Thus when Sverre came to Norway he found the prospects for a successful uprising to be small . Distraught , he travelled east and came to Östergötland in Sweden just before Christmas . There he met with the local ruler , Birger Brosa , who was married to Sigurd Munn ’ s sister , Brigit Haraldsdotter . Sverre revealed to Birger Brosa his claim to the throne , but Birger was at first unwilling to give any aid . He was already supporting another group , the Birkebeiner s — the Birchlegs . This group had risen in 1174 under the leadership of Øystein Møyla who claimed to be the son of King Øystein Haraldsson . They had received the name Birkebeiners because their poverty led some of them to wind the bark of the birch about their legs , instead of wearing shoes . But in January 1177 , the Birkebeiners met a crushing defeat at the ( " Slaget på Re " ) and Øystein fell . Sverre met with the remnants in Värmland . After some initial doubts , Sverre let himself be persuaded to become the Birkebeiners ’ next leader . Rise to power . Upon Sverre ' s initial contact , the Birkebeiners had been reduced to a ragtag army of brigands and vagabonds with no more than 70 men , according to the saga . Many regard Sverre ' s achievement of forging them into a force of skilled and professional soldiers as proof of his leadership qualities . Difficult years . During the early years as leader of the Birkebeiners , Sverre and his men were almost constantly on the move . The Birkebeiners were generally viewed as troublemakers with little chance of success by the general populace , who most of all desired peace . Although peasant gatherings were no match for the battle hardened Birkebeiners , Magnus or Erling Skakke frequently had the Birkebeiner on the run . In June 1177 , Sverre first led his men to Trøndelag where Sverre was proclaimed as king at . Since this was the traditional place to choose a king , the event carried important symbolic weight . The Birkebeiners then moved south to Hadeland , where they were forced northwards again . Sverre then decided to turn west , attempting to take Bergen by surprise . At Voss , however , the Birkebeiners were ambushed by the local peasants . Although the Birkebeiners were victorious , the surprise element on Bergen was eliminated , forcing the group eastwards again . After almost freezing to death on Sognefjell , they wintered in Østerdal . The next spring , after a short stay in Viken , Sverre and the Birkebeiners returned to Trøndelag . The Birkebeiners now shifted to a more confrontational strategy . However , an attack on Nidaros ended in defeat at the ( " Slaget på Hatthammeren " ) . After fleeing south , they met Magnus ' army in Ringerike , with the skirmish ending in a tactical victory for the Birkebeiners . Encouraged , the Birkebeiners returned to Trøndelag and managed to subdue the region enough to stay in Nidaros during the winter . In the spring of 1179 , Magnus and Erling Skakke attacked Nidaros , forcing another apparent retreat . Confident that the Birkebeiners had again fled southwards , Magnus and his men were complacent . Sverre , however , had turned around at Gauldal and marched again upon the city . The two armies met 19 June in the ( " Slaget på Kalvskinnet " ) . Erling Skakke was killed in a battle that ended in a clear victory for Sverre . This victory secured Sverre ' s hold on Trøndelag . Victory over the Heklungs . After Sverre ' s victory at Kalvskinnet , the war changed somewhat in character . The Trønders accepted Sverre as their king ; the two sides were now much more equal in power . At some point , Magnus ' party acquired the nickname ( " Heklunger " ) . " Hekle " is Old Norse for hood and is here probably meant to imply the traditional monk garb . The Heklungs thus probably got their name from their close connection with the church . Several battles now followed . Magnus Erlingsson again attacked Trøndelag in the spring of 1180 , this time reinforced by conscripts from western Norway . But in the ( " Slaget på Ilevollene " ) , just outside of Nidaros , the Heklungs were again defeated and Magnus fled to Denmark . With Magnus out of the country , Sverre could sail south and occupy Bergen , but his hold on the region remained weak . Determined to achieve a decisive victory against the Birkebeiners , Magnus returned with his fleet the next year . The two forces met at sea 31 May 1181 in the Battle of Nordnes . The battle ended in a tactical victory for the Birkebeiners ; the Heklungs fled when Magnus was mistakenly believed to have been killed . With his men in poor shape , Sverre decided to withdraw to Trøndelag . Some attempts at negotiation were now made , but these soon broke down . Magnus would not accept Sverre as co - king with equal status , and Sverre could not accept becoming Magnus ' vassal . With Magnus controlling western Norway from his seat at Bergen , it became problematic for Sverre to keep his men supplied . Sverre therefore led his men south to Viken , a firm Heklung stronghold . He could therefore let his men plunder here with little damage to his cause . However , Magnus exploited Sverre ' s absence well . In November he raided Trøndelag and managed to seize and burn the Birkebeiner fleet . Sverre had to return or risk losing his one secure foothold . During summer 1182 , Magnus made an attempt to take Nidaros by siege , but was repulsed with grave losses when the Birkebeiners launched a surprise night attack . Sverre now started an extensive shipbuilding program . Without a fleet , he could have no hopes of expanding his influence further south . In spring 1183 Sverre attacked Bergen with parts of his new fleet . Avoiding detection by the enemy scouts , he caught the Heklungs off guard , seizing their entire fleet . Magnus fled to Denmark , leaving crown and sceptre behind . In the sea battles of medieval Scandinavia , the side with the largest and highest ship s would usually have an advantage , since this meant the crew could attack the enemy from above with projectiles and other weapons . Sverre built the largest ship afloat at the time , the " " . Because of its great size , the seaworthiness of the " Mariasuda " was rather poor and it would only be useful within the narrow fjords . Either because of luck or good strategy such a situation would soon arise . Early spring 1184 , Magnus returned to Viken from Denmark with new ships . In April he sailed north towards Bergen . At about the same time , Sverre had gone to Sogn to put down a local uprising and was still there when Magnus came to Bergen in June . After chasing out the few Birkebeiners there , Magnus set sail again , having heard news of Sverre ’ s current position . The two fleets met 15 June at Fimreite in the long and narrow Sognefjord . The Battle of Fimreite proved to be the final struggle between Birkebeiners and Heklungs . Magnus had several large ships , but none as huge as the " Mariasuda " . While the " Mariasuda " held up half of the enemy fleet , the rest attacked the outlying enemy ships . Panic began to spread as the Heklungs fled aboard their larger ships . These ships soon became overloaded and begun to sink . Many of the wounded and tired men could not keep themselves afloat and drowned , including King Magnus . Most of the Heklung leadership fell there , along with a huge number of men at both sides . Leaderless , the Heklungs were now broken as a political party . Sverre could now finally , after a six - year struggle , claim to be the sole and uncontested king of Norway . Troubled reign . Now that the dissatisfied priest and his band of vagrants and outcasts had become king and rulers of Norway , Sverre worked to consolidate his power . He placed his loyal men in high positions throughout the kingdom and negotiated marriage alliances between the old and new nobility . Sverre himself married Margareta , daughter of Erik the Saint and sister of King Knut Eriksson of Sweden . Although Norway had seen several conflicts in the previous decades , the victor had reconciled with his opponents . Reconciliation in Sverre ' s case , however , proved to be difficult . It was a long war with more casualties than previous conflicts . Most of the older noble dynasties had lost men and thirsted for vengeance . Further , that many people of non - noble origin were now elevated to noble standing was difficult for many to accept . Peace was not to last long . Kuvlungs and Øyskjeggene . Autumn 1185 the ( " Kuvlungene " ) rose in Viken . Their leader , Jon Kuvlung , was a former monk and was claimed to be the son of Inge Krogrygg . This group was in many ways the direct successor of the Heklungs , with many of its members coming from former Heklung families . The Kuvlungs soon gained control of eastern and western Norway , the old Heklung strongholds . In autumn 1186 , the Kuvlungs attacked Nidaros . This offensive took Sverre by surprise ; he took refuge in the recently constructed stone castle Sion . The Kuvlungs , unable to take the castle , were forced to retreat . In 1188 Sverre sailed south with a large fleet . They first met at Tønsberg , but neither side dared to offer battle . The Kuvlungs slipped away to Bergen . Sverre attacked Bergen just before Christmas . Jon Kuvlung was killed , which ended the Kuvlung rising . Some minor uprisings followed , but these never rose above banditry and were suppressed on a local scale . The next serious threat came in 1193 with the ( the Isle Beards ) . This group ' s pretender to the throne was Sigurd , a child claimed to be the bastard son of Magnus Erlingsson . The real leader was Hallkjell Jonsson who was Magnus ’ brother - in - law . Conspiring with the Earl of Orkney , Harald Maddadsson , Hallkjell gathered most of his men on the Orkney and Shetland Islands , hence the name of the group . After establishing themselves in Viken , the Øyskjeggene sailed on to Bergen . Although they occupied the city itself and the surrounding regions , a force of Birkebeiners held on in Sverresborg castle . In spring 1194 Sverre sailed south to confront the Øyskjeggene . The two fleets met 3 April in the ( " slaget ved Florvåg " ) . Here the battle experience of the Birkebeiner veterans proved to be decisive . Hallkjell fell with most of his men . Sverre and the church . The Church of Norway had been organized under the Archbishopric of Nidaros in 1152 . Øystein Erlendsson , who had become archbishop in 1161 , had been one of Magnus Erlingsson ’ s main supporters . In return , the church had secured its position as an independent institution and also gained several other privileges . Øystein had returned to Nidaros from England in 1183 , and during his last years a state of truce existed between church and king . When Øystein died on 26 January 1188 , Eirik Ivarsson , Bishop of Stavanger , was elected as his successor . Sverre now probably hoped that his relationship with the church could be normalised . He therefore approached Eirik with hopes of being crowned — the definite proof of recognition . However , in Eirik ' s eyes , Sverre was little more than a usurper and king - murderer . The situation now escalated into an open breach as Sverre began building up a list of privileges that were contrary to the church law made by St . Olaf , the traditional founder of the Norwegian Church . Eirik on his side preached against the king and his men , and sent letters of complaint to the Pope , but in the short term his offensive weapons were few . In 1190 Sverre attempted to force the archbishop into submission , claiming that Eirik had broken the law by having 90 armed men in his service . According to law , the archbishop ' s guard was limited to 30 men . Rather than submit to the king ' s will , Eirik fled to Lund where the Danish archbishop had his seat . From there he sent a delegation to Rome asking the pope for advice . With the archbishop absent , Sverre tightened his grip on the bishops , and on Nikolas Arnesson in particular . Nikolas was the half - brother of Inge Krokrygg and had become bishop of Oslo in 1190 against Sverre ' s wish . After the destruction of the Øyskjeggs at Florvåg , Sverre arranged a meeting with Nikolas where he claimed to have proof that the bishop had colluded with the Øyskjeggs . The king accused Niikolas of treason and threatened severe punishment . Nikolas submitted , and on 29 June , together with the other bishops , he crowned Sverre as King of Norway . Sverre ' s domestic priest was elected bishop of Bergen . Meanwhile , archbishop Eirik had at last received a reply from Rome . In a letter dated 15 June 1194 , Pope Celestine III lay out the foundational rights of the Norwegian Church supporting Eirik on every point . Empowered by this letter , Eirik could take the step of excommunicating Sverre and order the Norwegian bishops to join him in exile in Denmark . The following spring , Sverre sent the still loyal Tore , bishop of Hamar , to Rome to plead his case before the pope . He returned in early 1197 , according to the saga , carrying a papal letter which annulled the excommunication of Sverre . In Denmark , Tore is said to have fallen ill and died under suspicious circumstances , but not before pawning the papal letter . The pawnbrokers then travelled to Norway and delivered it to Sverre who used it for everything it was worth . No other sources confirm this story and most historians now agree that the letter was forged . With the death of Pope Celestine in January 1198 , the conflict entered a short lull until the new pope , Innocent III , had brought himself up to date , but then the conflict was further escalated . In October , Innocent III placed Norway under interdict and in letters to Eirik accused Sverre of forgery . He also sent letters to admonish neighboring kings to dispossess Sverre . They did the contrary : Sweden continued actively to support the Birkebeiners and John of England sent mercenaries to help Sverre . In 1200 Innocent found it necessary to warn the Archbishop of Canterbury not to accept further gifts from Sverre . Around this time someone close to Sverre wrote a speech against the bishops ( " En tale mot biskopene " ) . In this work , the unknown author discussed the relationship between King and Church . By referring to well known theological works such as the " Decretum Gratiani " and the writings of Augustine of Hippo , the author attempted to prove that the excommunication of Sverre was unjust and thus not binding . The author also tried to defend the right of Sverre to appoint bishops . To support this view he had to interpret Norwegian law , since the Church had long considered this to be simony . By now Sverre had his hands full with the church - supported Bagler rising , and the direct struggle with the church became a sideshow , at least for him personally . The Bagler war . During spring 1196 the Bagler party was formed at Halør in Denmark in opposition against Sverre . Their leaders were Nikolas Arnesson , the nobleman Reidar Sendemann from Viken and Sigurd Jarlsson , a bastard son of Erling Skakke . Eirik the Archbishop also gave his support . As their king , they chose Inge Magnusson , supposedly the son of Magnus Erlingsson . They then sailed back to Norway . Sverre happened to be in Viken , and the two forces soon encountered each other , although no major battles were fought . Sverre gave his eldest son , Sigurd Lavard , the responsibility of guarding a ballista he had had built . However , the Baglers launched a surprise night attack during which the ballista was destroyed and Sigurd and his men were chased away . Sverre was furious and never gave his son a command again . After some more indecisive fighting , Sverre sailed north to Trondheim , where he spent the winter . The Baglers had Inge hailed as king on Borgarting and soon established a firm control over the Viken region , with Oslo as their main seat . In spring 1197 , Sverre called out the leidang from the northern and western parts of the country , and in May he was able to sail south to Viken with more than 7000 men , a considerable force . The Birkebeiners attacked Oslo 26 July , and after many casualties on both sides , the Baglers were forced inland . Sverre now spent some time war - taxing the region , but with his leidang troops close to mutiny , Sverre withdrew to Bergen where he had decided to spend the winter . This was to be a near fatal mistake . The Baglers had meanwhile travelled north to Trøndelag by land where they had entered Nidaros with little opposition . The garrison at Sverresborg held fast for a while until their commander Torstein Kugad changed sides and let the Baglers into the castle . The Baglers had Sverresborg completely dismantled . Sverre ’ s home region was now in enemy hands . The year 1198 was to be the nadir of Sverre ' s fortunes . In May Sverre launched his attempt to recapture Trøndelag . This time Sverre failed to achieve surprise and the Birkebeiner fleet consisted mostly of smaller ships . In the sea battle that followed , the Birkebeiners were soundly beaten . In the aftermath of this battle the Baglers further consolidated their hold on Trøndelag and many went over to what they believed to be the winning side . After his defeat , Sverre limped back to Bergen . He was soon followed by a numerically superior Bagler army under the leadership of Nikolas Arnesson and Hallvard of Såstad . Sverre continued to hold Bergenhus fortress . This castle proved to be impregnable , giving the Birkebeiners a secure base of operation . The following summer was to be called the " Bergen ’ s summer " and was dominated by indecisive skirmishing in the Bergen area . On 11 August the Baglers set fire to Bergen . The destruction was complete , even the churches were burnt down . Facing starvation , Sverre slipped away with most of his men to Trøndelag . In Trøndelag , most of the population was still loyal to Sverre , and many of those who had joined the Baglers now changed sides again . Sverre was also able to play on the Baglers ' brutality at Bergen . The Trønders promised to provide Sverre with a new fleet , in all 8 large ships were constructed and several transport ships were converted . The Baglers sailed into the Trondheimsfjord in early June . On 18 June 1199 the two fleets met at the Battle of Strindafjord ( " slaget på Strindfjorden " ) . Here Sverre won a crushing victory , and the surviving Baglers fled to Denmark . Sverre could now take control over Viken and prepared to spend the winter in Oslo , but the countryside remained largely hostile . Early the next year , a spontaneous uprising took place as huge numbers of people started drifting towards Oslo to throw the Birkebeiners out . This peasant army was untrained and without organization and was no match for the battle - hardened Birkebeiners . In a battle on 6 March 1200 the peasants were defeated piecemeal . However , the Birkebeiners ' grip on the region was still weak , and Sverre decided to sail back to Bergen . With Sverre gone , the Baglers could return in force from Denmark and soon they had re - established their hold on Eastern Norway . The two sides then spent a year raiding each other ’ s territories with no lasting gains for either side , although the Birkebeiners had the upper hand at sea . In Spring 1201 Sverre sailed out from Bergen with a large leidang force in what would be his last campaign season . With this army he could demand war taxes without opposition on both sides of the Oslofjord during the summer . In September he set up camp at Tønsberg and laid siege to Tønsberg Fortress , which was garrisoned by Reidar Sendemann and his men . The siege dragged on because the other Bagler leaders dared not send a relief force and the garrison did not fall for any of Sverre ’ s tricks . At last , on 25 January , Reidar and his men surrendered , and Sverre decided to sail back to Bergen . During the return journey Sverre fell ill , and by the time they reached Bergen , the king was dying . On his death bed , Sverre appointed his sole living son , Håkon , as his heir and successor and in a letter advised him to seek reconciliation with the Church . Sverre died 9 March 1202 .