Civil war era in Norway
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The civil war era in Norway began in 1130 and ended in 1240. During this time in Norwegian history, some two dozen rival kings and pretenders waged wars to claim the throne.
King Sverre crossing the mountains of Voss
King Magnus is mutilated. Illustration by Eilif Peterssen for Magnus The Blind's saga, from Heimskringla (1899 edition).
Erling Skakke burns the house of a supporter of Sigurd Markusfostre as imagined by artist Wilhelm Wetlesen in the 1899 edition of Heimskringla
Birkebeiner
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The Birkebeiner, Birkebeinar or Birkebein Party were a political and rebel group in the Civil War period in Norway, formed in 1174 around Eystein Meyla, a pretender to the throne. The name has its ori
Civil war era in Norway
…civil wars, alliances shifted and centered on the person of a king or pretender. However, towards the end of the 12th century, two rival parties, the Birkebeiner and the Bagler, emerged. In their competition for power, the legitimacy dimension retained its symbolic power, but it was bent to accommodate the…
Skiing Birchlegs Crossing the Mountain with the Royal Child, by Knud Bergslien. Painting located at Holmenkollen Ski Museum, Oslo, Norway.