Karl Jónsson (1135–1213) was an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic writer, poet and clergyman.

Biography

Karl Jónsson was abbot of the Thingeyrar monastery (Icelandic: ''Þingeyrarklaustur)'' dating from 1169 until 1181. In 1185. he traveled to Norway where he attended the court of King

Sverre of Norway Sverre Sigurdsson ( non, Sverrir Sigurðarson) (c. 1145/1151 – 9 March 1202) was the king of Norway from 1184 to 1202. Many consider him one of the most important rulers in Norwegian history. He assumed power as the leader of the rebel party ...

. Later Karl Jónsson became the author of ''

Sverris saga ''Sverris saga'' is one of the Kings' sagas. Its subject is King Sverre Sigurdsson of Norway (r. 1177–1202) and it is the main source for this period of Norwegian history. As the foreword tells us, the saga in its final form consists of more ...

''. The Saga became a primary source of information concerning the reign of King Sverre. The work additionally contains relevant facts for this period in the

history of Norway The history of Norway has been influenced to an extraordinary degree by the terrain and the climate of the region. About 10,000 BC, following the retreat inland of the great ice sheets, the earliest inhabitants migrated north into the territor ...

. The

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery of Thingeyrar was founded in 1133 by

Jón Ögmundsson Jón Ögmundsson or Ogmundarson ( la, Ioannes Ögmundi filius; 1052–23 April 1121), also known as John of Holar and Jon Helgi Ogmundarson, was an Icelandic bishop and local Icelandic saint. In 1106, the second Icelandic diocese, Hólar, was cre ...

Bishop of Hólar A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. The Thingeyrar Monastery was located in

Austur-Húnavatnssýsla Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police ( ...

, (eastern part of Húnavatnssýslur), in Northwestern Iceland. During the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, the monastery of Thingeyrar was an important literary center as well as one of the major centers of culture and education in Iceland. ''1133 in Iceland'' (Comprehensive History of Iceland)
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Sources

*Hermannsson, Halldó (2009) ''Bibliography of the sagas of the kings of Norway and related sagas and tales'' (BiblioBazaar) *Jakobsson, Ármann (2005) (2004) ''A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture'' (Blackwell Publishing) *Karlsson, Gunnar (2000) ''Iceland's 1100 Years : History of a Marginal Society'' (London: C. Hurst & Co.) *Thorsson, Örnólfur (2000) ''The Sagas of the Icelanders: A Selection'' (Penguin Putnam)

External links

''Þingeyrarklaustur'' (Northwest Iceland)

References

1135 births 1213 deaths Karl Jonsson Karl Jonsson Old Norse literature Kings' sagas 13th-century Icelandic poets {{Iceland-bio-stub

Biography

See also

Sources

Related Reading

External links

References