Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson
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Paul Thorfinnsson (died 1098) and Erlend Thorfinnsson (died 1098) were brothers who ruled together as
Earls of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Nort ...
. Paul and Erlend were the sons of
Thorfinn Sigurdsson Thorfinn Sigurdsson (1009?– 1065), also known as Thorfinn the Mighty (Old Norse: ''Þorfinnr inn riki''), was an 11th-century Jarl of Orkney. He was the youngest of five sons of Jarl Sigurd Hlodvirsson and the only one resulting from Sigu ...
and
Ingibiorg Finnsdottir Ingibiorg Finnsdottir ( normalised Old Norse: , no, Ingebjørg Finnsdotter) was a daughter of Earl Finn Arnesson and Bergljot Halvdansdottir. She was also a niece of Kings Olaf II and Harald Hardrada of Norway. She is also known as Ingibiorg, t ...
. Through Ingibiorg's father Finn Arnesson and his wife, the family was related to the Norwegian Kings Olav II and Harald II. They are both described as "tall, handsome men, shrewd and gentle, taking rather more after their mother's side of the family. Their lives and times are recounted in the '' Orkneyinga Saga'', which was first written down in the early 13th century by an unknown Icelandic author.


Appointment

The saga provides few accurate dates and it is not certain when Earl Thorfinn died save that it was in the later days of
Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' (; modern no, Hardråde, roughly translated as "stern counsel" or "hard ruler") in the sagas, was King of Norway from 1046 t ...
. It is frequently stated that Thorfinn's demise was in 1065, but it may have been earlier. The ''Orkneyinga Saga'' fails to mention a campaign in the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
by Magnus Haraldsson in 1058, (which is the first such event attested in contemporary sources in the British Isles). Woolf (2007) suggests that Torfinn's death provoked Magnus's expedition, and that this was the occasion on which Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson submitted to Harald. Whatever the timing, on the death of their father the brothers became joint earls although Paul, who was the elder of the two, was "very much the one in charge".


Battle of Stamford Bridge

Soon after they became Earls the brothers accompanied the Norwegian king
Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' (; modern no, Hardråde, roughly translated as "stern counsel" or "hard ruler") in the sagas, was King of Norway from 1046 t ...
and
Tostig Godwinson Tostig Godwinson ( 102925 September 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson. After being exiled by his brother, Tostig supported the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, and was killed ...
on the ill-fated expedition to
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1066. Paul and Erlend were with Harald's son Olaf Kyrre, guarding the ships at
Riccall Riccall is a village and civil parish situated in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, lying to the north of Selby and south of York. It was historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. According to the 2011 cens ...
, when the
battle of Stamford Bridge The Battle of Stamford Bridge ( ang, Gefeoht æt Stanfordbrycge) took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, on 25 September 1066, between an English army under King Harold Godwinson and an invading N ...
was fought.Thomson (2008) p. 88 The Norwegian army was heavily defeated and both Harald and Tostig were killed but Olaf and the earls were allowed to leave with the survivors by king
Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the C ...
after giving pledges not to attack England again. The losses suffered were so severe that according to the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...
'' only 24 ships from the Norse fleet of over 300 were needed to carry the survivors away. They withdrew to Orkney, where they spent the winter, and in the spring Olaf returned to Norway still on good terms with the Thorfinssons.


Family strife

The ''Orkneyinga saga'' says that Paul and Erlend remained on friendly terms until their children grew to adulthood, after which the disputes between their sons led to a quarrel and open hostility between the brothers. As the disputes between the descendants of Paul and Erlend loomed large in the affairs of 12th century Orkney, the saga goes into some detail about their family relationships. Paul was married to an unnamed daughter of Norwegian earl Hakon Ivarsson and they had two sons and four daughters. Of these,
Hakon Paulsson Hakon is the Danish spelling of the Norwegian name Håkon or Haakon. The name is also related to the Danish form Hagen (given name) and Hagen (surname).''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'' ed. Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges - 2006 "H ...
played the greatest part in later Orcadian events. Their other children were Thora, Brynjolf, Ingirid, Herbjorg and Ragnhild.''Orkneyinga Saga'' Chapter 33 pp. 76-77 Erlend married Thora, daughter of Sumarlidi Ospaksson. They had two sons and two daughters, while Erlend had a third, illegitimate daughter as well. Erland's daughter Gunnhild was married to Kol Kalison and Earl
Rognvald Kali Kolsson Ragnvald, Rögnvald or Rognvald or Rægnald is an Old Norse name (Old Norse ''Rǫgnvaldr'', modern Icelandic ''Rögnvaldur''; in Old English ''Regenweald'' and in Old Irish, Middle Irish ''Ragnall''). Notable people with the name include: * Ragnval ...
was their son. The second daughter was called Cecilia and the natural daughter Jaddvor. Erlend's sons were Erling and
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 ...
who later appears in the saga as earl, martyr and saint. Magnus was "a quiet sort of man" but the troubles between the earls began with rivalry between Hakon Paulsson and Erling Erlendsson. Both are described as talented but also quarrelsome and arrogant. Hakon believed himself to be the most highly-born of the cousins and wanted to be seen as the foremost amongst his kin, but Erling was not one to back down. The fathers did their best to reach a settlement but it became clear that they were both favouring their own offspring, which resulted in hostility between them. Eventually the earldom was divided into two distinct territories, as it had been in the time of their father Thorfinn and uncle
Brusi Sigurdsson Brusi Sigurdsson (died between 1030 and 1035) was one of Sigurd Hlodvirsson's four sons (together with Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Thorfinn, Einar Sigurdsson, Einar and Sumarlidi Sigurdsson, Sumarlidi ). He was joint Earl of Orkney from 1014. His life i ...
.


Religion

Paul and Erlend's father Thorfinn may have visited the
Pontiff A pontiff (from Latin ''pontifex'') was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs."Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007 The term "pontiff" was late ...
in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
and c. 1050 Thorulf, the first
Bishop of Orkney The Bishop of Orkney was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Orkney, one of thirteen medieval bishoprics of Scotland. It included both Orkney and Shetland. It was based for almost all of its history at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The bi ...
was installed at the "Christ Church" in the "city of Blascona". Thorfinn and Thorulf's Christ Church has been identified with the Romanesque ruins on the
tidal island A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands, many of them have been sites of ...
known as
Brough of Birsay The Brough of Birsay is an uninhabited tidal island off the north-west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland, in the parish of Birsay. It is located around 13 miles north of Stromness and features the remains of Pictish and Norse settlem ...
, but there is also evidence that it was located over in the
Mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...
next to the Earl's palace. This remained as the bishop's seat until it was moved to
Kirkwall Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...
during the time of
William the Old William the Old ( la, Gulielmus Senex; died 1168) was a 12th-century prelate who became one of the most famous bishops of Orkney. Although his origins are obscure in detail, William was said to have been a "clerk of Paris".Crawford, "William (died ...
after the death of Magnus Erlendsson.


Erlend and Paul deposed

Haakon Paulsson went on a long journey to Scandinavia, latterly staying with his kinsman,
Magnus Barefoot Magnus Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Magnús Óláfsson'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Olavsson''; 1073 – 24 August 1103), better known as Magnus Barefoot (Old Norse: ''Magnús berfœttr'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Berrføtt''), was King of Norway (being Mag ...
the king of Norway. Whilst there he heard that his father Paul had largely handed over control of Orkney to Earl Erlend and his sons and that after a substantial period of peace the people of Orkney were not keen to see Haakon returning. He therefore asked Magnus for help in the hope of obtaining the earldom for himself. Haakon knew Magnus was power-hungry and suggested that he take back direct control of Orkney as a base for raiding further afield as his predecessor
Harold Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagreModern 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 Norw ...
had done. Magnus was persuaded and in 1098 he launched a major campaign, taking his 8-year-old son
Sigurd Sigurd ( non, Sigurðr ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon and was later murdered. It is possible he was inspired by one or more figures from the Frankish Meroving ...
with him. However, Magnus had designs that were not envisaged by Haakon. He took possession of the islands, deposing both Erlend and Paul who were sent away to Norway as prisoners, Magnus and Erling Erlendsson were taken by Magnus as hostages and Sigurd was installed as the nominal earl. Sigurd's rule was aided by a council, with Haakon as a member of this group.Thonson (2008) p. 90 (On ascending to the Norwegian throne Sigurd made Haakon Earl of Orkney c. 1104).Thomson (2008) p. 92 In the winter of 1098 Erlend died and was buried in
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 ...
. Paul Thorfinnsson also died that year and was buried 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 ...
.''Orkneyinga Saga'' Chapter 42 p. 88 Erling Erlendsson died while campaigning with Magnus, either at the Battle of the Menai Straits or in
Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
.


Interpretations

The saga references to Paul and Erland are relatively brief suggesting that, although there may have been ongoing warfare in the territories annexed by their father Thorfinn, in Orkney at least life was mostly peaceful during their more than thirty year rule. Thomson (2008) identifies the joint rulership of earls as the key recurring theme of the ''Orkneyinga Saga'' in the period up to 1214. The initial friendship between Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson notwithstanding, this was a situation that was "inherently unstable and usually ended in violence". These family feuds culminate in the martyrdom of Magnus Erlendsson c.1115, and Thompson believes that the Icelandic writer is emphasising the doom of "kin-slaying".Thomson (2008) pp. 58-59 Indeed, the rivalry between the two families that Paul and Erland founded were still alive four generations later when the ''Orkneyinga Saga'' was written down.


In literature

The overthrow of Erland and Paul is a central plot point of
Stephen Lawhead Stephen R. Lawhead (born 2 July 1950) is a UK-based American writer known for his works of fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, particularly Celtic historical fiction. He has written over 28 novels and numerous children's and non- ...
's novel ''The Iron Lance'' (HarperCollins; 1999)


Notes


References

* *''Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney''. Translated by Pálsson, Hermann and Edwards, Paul Geoffrey (1981) Penguin Classics. * Thomson, William P. L. (2008) ''The New History of Orkney''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. * Woolf, Alex (2007) ''From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070''. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press.


Further reading

* Donaldson, Gordon, ''A Northern Commonwealth: Scotland and Norway.'' Saltire Society, Edinburgh, 1990. * * Sturluson, Snorri, ''Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway'', tr. Lee M. Hollander. Reprinted University of Texas Press, Austin, 1992. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorfinnsson, Paul and Erlend 11th-century births Year of death unknown Earls of Orkney Mormaers of Caithness