Bjørn Farmann ("Bjørn the Tradesman", also called Bjørn Haraldsson, Farmand and Kaupman, died between 930 and 934) was a king of
Vestfold
Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...
. Bjørn was one of the sons of King
Harald Fairhair
Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...
of Norway. In late tradition, Bjørn Farmann was made the great-grandfather of
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title ''Rex Perpet ...
, through a son
Gudrød Bjørnsson Gudrød Bjørnsson was, in late tradition, the son of Bjørn Farmann, the king of Vestfold, and a grandson of Harald Fairhair. These traditions make Gudrød the father of Harald Grenske, and the paternal grandfather of Saint Olaf, but modern schola ...
.
Biography
Bjørn Farmann was one of the sons born of
Harald Fairhair
Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...
with Svanhild, daughter of
Eystein Earl. When Harald Fairhair died, his kingdom was divided up between his sons. Bjørn Farmann became the king of
Vestfold
Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...
, the county west of the
Oslofjord
The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...
, and is considered as the founder of
Tønsberg
Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative ce ...
. Bjørn Farmann spent most of his time at the court at Sæheimr located near
Sem, Norway
Sem is a village in Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway.
Sem was a former municipality in Vestfold. The parish of ''Sæm'' was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census the municipalit ...
.
Erik Bloodaxe
Eric Haraldsson ( non, Eiríkr Haraldsson , no, Eirik Haraldsson; died 954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( non, blóðøx , no, Blodøks) and Brother-Slayer ( la, fratrum interfector), was a 10th-century Norwegian king. He ruled as King of Norway from ...
(Old Norse: ''Eiríkr blóðøx'', Norwegian: ''Eirik Blodøks'') was the eldest son of Harald Fairhair and became the second king of Norway (930–934). Once the power was in his hands, Erik Bloodaxe began to quarrel with his other brothers and had four of them killed, including Bjørn Farmann. Bjørn was killed by
Eirik Bloodaxe
Eric Haraldsson ( non, Eiríkr Haraldsson , no, Eirik Haraldsson; died 954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( non, blóðøx , no, Blodøks) and Brother-Slayer ( la, fratrum interfector), was a 10th-century Norwegian king. He ruled as King of Norway from ...
in a feud around 930–934 AD at
Sæheimr. Later in battle at
Tønsberg
Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative ce ...
, Erik Bloodaxe killed
Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf Olaf Haraldssøn Geirstadalf Digerbein (Agder, c. 877 - Tønsberg, c. 934), was a reputed son of King Harald Fairhair of Norway with Svanhild Øysteinsdatter, daughter of Øystein Jarl.
Biography
The saga ''Heimskringla'', written in Iceland in the ...
, king of
Vingulmark
Vingulmark (Old Norse ''Vingulmörk'') is the old name for the area in Norway which today makes up the counties of Østfold, western parts of Akershus (excluding Romerike), and eastern parts of Buskerud (Hurum and Røyken municipalities), and inclu ...
and later also of
Vestfold
Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...
together with Sigrød Haraldsson, king of
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
.
Farmannhaugen
Bjørn Farmann was reportedly killed by his brother King Eirik Bloodaxe at the Sæheimr estate. He is said to be buried in ''Farmannshaugen'' (from the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
word ''haugr'' meaning burial mound), outside Tønsberg about 3 km east of the village of
Sem, close to the manor of the
Jarlsberg
Jarlsberg was a former countship that forms a part of today's Vestfold county in Norway.
The former countships of Jarlsberg and Larvik were merged into a county in 1821. Jarlsberg and Larvik's County (''Jarlsberg og Larviks amt'') were renamed ...
family. Farmannhaugen is visible from route 312. Farmannhaugen was archaeologically investigated during 1917.
''Farmannshaugen. Kongelig vikinggrav i Tønsberg'' (Tønsberg Tourist Centre)
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
tells this of Bjørn, in an extract from ''Heimskringla
''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...
'', Harald Harfager's Saga:
References
External links
Bjørn Farmann monument
Farmannshaugen at Saeheim
Farmannshaugen - Royal viking mound in Tønsberg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjorn Farmann
Norwegian petty kings
People from Tønsberg
930s deaths
Year of birth unknown
Year of death uncertain