Haakon Haakonsson the Young (
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
: ''Håkon Håkonsson Unge'',
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 ...
: ''Hákon Hákonarson hinn ungi'') (10 November 1232 – 5 May 1257) was the son of king
Haakon Haakonsson of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, and held the title of king, subordinate to his father, from 1 April 1240 to his death. He was referred to as ''Haakon the Young'' to distinguish him from his father, who was sometimes correspondingly called ''Haakon the Old''.
Haakon was born in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
on 10 November 1232, as the second son of king Haakon Haakonsson of Norway and his queen,
Margaret Skulesdatter
Margaret Skulesdatter (Old Norse: ''Margrét Skúladóttir'') (1208–1270) was a Norwegian queen consort, spouse of King Haakon IV of Norway and queen consort of Norway from 1225 to 1263.
Biography
Margrete was the daughter of Jarl Skule Bårdss ...
. His older brother died in infancy. In 1239, queen Margaret's father, Duke
Skule Bårdsson
Skule Bårdsson or Duke Skule (Norwegian: Hertug Skule) (Old Norse: Skúli Bárðarson) ( – 24 May 1240) was a Norwegian nobleman and claimant to the royal throne against his son-in-law, King Haakon Haakonsson. Henrik Ibsen's play '' Kongs- ...
, rebelled against his son-in-law, king Haakon, and had himself hailed as king. This revolt marked the end of the
civil war era in Norway
The civil war era in Norway ( no, borgerkrigstida or ''borgerkrigstiden'') began in 1130 and ended in 1240. During this time in history of Norway, Norwegian history, some two dozen rival kings and pretenders War of succession, waged wars to clai ...
. Part of king Haakon's response to Skule's action was to have the seven-year-old Haakon the Young hailed as king and co-ruler. This took place at the
thing
Thing or The Thing may refer to:
Philosophy
* An object
* Broadly, an entity
* Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant
* Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...
of ''Eyrathing'' in
Nidaros
Nidaros, Niðarós or Niðaróss () was the medieval name of Trondheim when it was the capital of Norway's first Christian kings. It was named for its position at the mouth (Old Norse: ''óss'') of the River Nid (the present-day Nidelva).
Althou ...
(Trondheim) on 1 April 1240. The ceremony was repeated at the thing in Bergen on 12 April. In this way, king Haakon the Old had provided his supporters with a successor, should he himself fall in the battle against Skule. Haakon proceeded to put down Skule's rebellion, and Skule himself was killed by Haakon's men on 24 May the same year.
The appointment of Haakon the Young as king Haakon the Old's heir-apparent marked a new development in the heredity of the Norwegian monarchy. King Haakon did have an older, illegitimate son, ''Sigurd'', who was bypassed in favour of Haakon the Young. This marked a break with older traditions, when the question of legitimacy of birth was not of consequence in inheriting the kingdom.
Although he held the title of "king", it was clear that Haakon the Young's position was subordinate to that of his father. This was underlined at the coronation of Haakon the Old in 1247, when Haakon the Young carried the crown in the procession. He himself was not crowned.
In 1251, he married the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Rikitsa Birgersdotter in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. Rikitsa was the daughter of the Swedish ''de facto'' ruler,
Earl Birger Magnusson, and sister of the under-aged Swedish king
Valdemar Birgersson
Valdemar ( English: Waldemar; sv, Valdemar Birgersson; 1239 – 26 December 1302) was King of Sweden from 1250 to 1275.
Biography
Valdemar was the son of the Swedish princess Ingeborg Eriksdotter and Birger Jarl, from the House of Bjelbo ...
. The match was the result of diplomatic activity on king Haakon the Old's part to forge an alliance between Norway and Sweden, primarily directed against
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. The couple had one son, who was named ''Sverre'' (Old Norse ''Sverrir'').
Haakon the Young took part in his father's military operations against Denmark in 1256 and 1257, when the Norwegian kings ravaged the Danish province of
Halland
Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...
. In the spring of 1257, he fell ill at
Konghelle while preparing to travel to Oslo. He broke off his journey 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 ...
, and took lodgings at a monastery there. The saga records that he was attended to by a
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
physician, who was with a Spanish diplomatic delegation to Norway at the time. However, the illness got worse, and he died in Tønsberg on 5 May 1257. His body was taken to Oslo, where he was buried in the
St. Hallvard's Cathedral
St. Hallvard's Cathedral (''Hallvardskatedralen'') was the former Oslo Cathedral. It fell into disrepair in the 17th century and is today in ruins. The site is located between Bispegata and St. Halvards gate in Oslo, Norway.
Summary
St. Hal ...
.
The main source on the life of Haakon the Young is the saga of his father, the ''
Saga of Haakon Haakonsson'', written by
Sturla Þórðarson
Sturla Þórðarson ( ; ; 29 July 1214–30 July 1284) was an Icelandic chieftain and writer of sagas and contemporary history during the 13th century.
Biography
The life of Sturla Þórðarson was chronicled in the Sturlunga saga.
Sturla was th ...
in the 1260s. The saga describes Haakon the Young as ''"of somewhat over medium height, well-shaped, handsome of countenance, with pretty hair and beautiful eyes. He was a strong man, unusually fast and agile. He was the best horseman there was in Norway at that time."''
After his death, his wife Rikitsa returned to her father in Sweden. Their young son Sverre remained in Norway with his grandfather. He does not seem to have been considered an heir to the throne, as Haakon the Young's younger brother,
Magnus
Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
, was hailed as king already in 1257. Sverre died young, in 1261.
References
*
{{Authority control
1232 births
1257 deaths
13th-century Norwegian monarchs
Fairhair dynasty
Medieval child rulers
House of Sverre
Heirs apparent who never acceded