The

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a monarchy, kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the Heptarchy#List of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, numerou ...

s of Norway ( nb, smårike) were the entities from which the later

Kingdom 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 the ...

was founded. Before the

unification of Norway The Unification of Norway (Norwegian Bokmål: ''Rikssamlingen'') is the process by which Norway merged from several petty kingdoms into a single kingdom, predecessor to modern Kingdom of Norway. History King Harald Fairhair is the monarch who ...

in 872 and during the period of fragmentation after 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 ...

's death, Norway was divided in several small kingdoms. Some could have been as small as a cluster of villages, and others comprised several of today's

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. By the time of the first historical records of Scandinavia, about the 8th century, a number of small political entities existed in Norway. The exact number is unknown, and would probably also fluctuate with time. It has been estimated that there were 9 petty realms in Western Norway during the early

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...

. Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg on this basis estimates that there would have been at least 20 in the whole country. There are no written sources from this time to tell us the title used by these rulers, or the exact borders between their realms. The main written sources we have on this period, the

kings' sagas Kings' sagas ( is, konungasögur, nn, kongesoger, -sogor, nb, kongesagaer) are Old Norse sagas which principally tell of the lives of semi-legendary and legendary (mythological, fictional) Nordic kings, also known as saga kings. They were compo ...

, were not written until the 12th and 13th centuries. While they were in part based on

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...

ic poems, and possibly on

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...

, their reliability as sources for detailed events of the Viking Age continues to be debated among historians. The sagas, most notable of which is

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 ...

, often refer to the petty rulers as ''konungr'', i.e. ''king'', as in Agder, Alvheim, Hedmark, Hordaland, Nordmøre og Romsdal, Rogaland, Romerike, Sogn, Solør, Sunmmøre, Trøndelag, Vestfold (which at various times included several of the aforementioned) and Viken; however in Hålogaland the title was

jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...

, i.e. ''earl'' (compared with

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

in the Norse sources, as well as German

Gräf (feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...

), later ''Ladejarl'' (from the rulers power base at Lade, in modern-day

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 ...

). The rulers of all the areas might be called petty kings, herser, subkings, kings or earls depending on the source. A number of small communities were gradually organised into larger regions in the 9th century, and in AD 872 King

unified the realm and became its first supreme ruler. Many of the former kingdoms would later become earldoms under the Norwegian high king and some would try to break free again. Below follows an incomplete list of petty kingdoms of Norway and their known rulers. Most of the people mentioned in this list are legendary or semi-legendary. Some of the areas might have a contested status as petty kingdoms.

List of petty kingdoms and earldoms

Kingdom of Agder

Rulers: Legendary(From

Gautreks saga ''Gautreks saga'' (''Gautrek's Saga'') is a Scandinavian legendary saga put to text towards the end of the 13th century which survives only in much later manuscripts. It seems to have been intended as a compilation of traditional stories, often hu ...

) *

Harald the Agder-King Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold (given name), Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 9 ...

(legendary) *

Víkar Víkar (''Old Norse language, Old Norse nominative case form'' Víkarr; ''Latin'' Wicarus) was a legendary Norway, Norwegian king who found himself and his ships becalmed for a long period. To raise a wind, a human blood sacrifice was needed, and ...

(Harald Agder-king's son) *

Harald Vikarson Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrad ...

(Son of Vikar) *

Bjæring Bjæring was a legendary chieftain who, according to local legends, were buried in the Bjærum grave (''Bjærumfunnet'') in Hægebostad, Agder, Norway. The grave has been dated to the Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in Euro ...

, possibly only a chief(local legend from

Hægebostad Hægebostad is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tingvatn. Other villages in Hægebostad include Eiken, Haddeland, and S ...

) * Vigbrands fra Agder – c. 690Ættartolurbækur Jóns Espólíns Sysslumanns (1980-), Espólín, Jón, (Reykjavík: Samskipti, 1980-), FHL book 949.12 D2e v. 6; FHL microfilms 73,257-73., p. 42, FHL microfilm 73257. *

Herbrand Vigbrandsson Herbrand is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Freddy Herbrand (born 1944), Belgian decathlete * Jacques Herbrand Jacques Herbrand (12 February 1908 – 27 July 1931) was a French mathematician. Although he died at age 23, he ...

* Kissa *

Kjotve the Rich Kjotve the Rich (Old Norse: ''Kjǫtvi hinn auðgi'', Norwegian: ''Kjøtve den Rike'') was a king of Agder, then one of the petty kingdoms of Norway during the late 9th century. Kjotve led the western Norwegian kings against King Harald Fairha ...

Kings from 790 to 987 *

Harald Granraude Harald Granraude (''Haraldr hinn granrauði'') was a semi-legendary Norwegian petty king of Agder who lived in the 9th century. He was married to Gunnhild Ragnvaldsdottir, daughter of Ragnvald Sigurdsson, of Huseby on the peninsula of Lista. H ...

, 7??–815, father of Åsa *

Åsa Haraldsdottir of Agder Åsa Haraldsdottir of Agder (died c. 834?) was a semi-legendary Norwegian Viking Age queen regnant of the petty kingdom of Agder. According to sagas referencing the clan Yngling (''Ynglingaätten''), she was the mother of Halfdan the Black (''Halv ...

, between 815 and 834–838, mother of Halfdan the Black *

Halfdan the Black Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: ''Halfdanr Svarti''; fl. c. 9th century) was a king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of a unified Norway. In sagas According to ''Heimskringla'' ...

, father of

, from 838. *

, late 9th century *

Harald Grenske Harald Grenske (10th century) was a petty king in Vestfold in Norway. Harald Grenske was the son of Gudrød Bjørnsson. Gudrød is claimed to have been grandson of Harald Fairhair and the king of Vestfold. Harald's cognomen ''Grenske'' is due to h ...

, 976–987

Kingdom of Fjordane

Might also be called Firda or Firdafylke. Rulers: Olaf brother of Anund Yngling * Audbjørn

Kingdom of Grenland

Kingdom of Gudbrandsdalen

Rulers: *

Dale-Gudbrand Dale-Gudbrand is a historical Norwegian person that appears in the '' Separate Saga of St. Olaf'' in Snorri Sturluson's ''Heimskringla''. He is said to have lived at the farm in Hundorp in the Gudbrand Valley around the year 1000, and to have ...

Kingdom of Hadeland

Rulers: * Höd *

Halfdan Hvitbeinn Halfdan Whiteshanks (Old Norse: ''Hálfdan hvítbeinn'') was a semi-historical petty king in Norway, described in the ''Ynglinga saga''. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. ...

Kingdom of Hardanger

Kingdom of Hedmark

Rulers: *

Sigtryg Eysteinsson Sigtryg Eysteinsson was king of the Norwegian petty kingdoms Raumarike and Hedmark in what is today south-eastern Norway. He was killed by Halfdan the Black Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: ''Halfdanr Svarti''; fl. c. 9th century) was a king of Vest ...

Eystein Eysteinsson Eystein or Eysteinn is the name of: * Eystein Erlendsson (d. 1188), Norwegian bishop and saint * Eystein Halfdansson (fl. c. 730), king of Romerike and Vestfold in what is now Norway * Eystein Haraldson (died 1157), king of Norway * Eystein Ivarsso ...

, brother of Sigtryg *

, was king of half of Hedmark after defeating rulers Sigtryg and his brother, Eystein.

Kingdom of Hordaland

Rulers: * Herthjóf (From

) *

Alrek Eiriksson Alaric and Eric (Old Norse: ''Alrekr'' and ''Eiríkr''), according to legend, were two kings of Sweden. In the ''Ynglinga saga'' According to the ''Ynglinga saga'', Alaric and Eric were sons and heirs of the previous king Agni. They shared the ...

early 600s * Hrolf or Bergi Svåsason * Solvi Hrolfson * Kaun Solvason *

Eirik King of Hordaland Eirik King of Hordaland (Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Konungr á Hǫrðalandi'') was a king of Hordaland, then a petty kingdom in western Norway, in the late 9th century. Eirik was the father of Gyda. Eirik lead the first attack against Harald Fairhair at ...

late 800s

Kingdom of
Hålogaland Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norway, Norwegian provinces in the medieval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a Monarchy, kingdom extending between the Namdalen valley in Trøndelag county and ...

Rulers: * Saeming (legendary son of Odin) *Thrand (son of Saeming) * Gudlog 480s? *Eystein *Halfdan *

Håkon Grjotgardsson Håkon Grjotgardsson (Old Norse: ''Hákon Grjótgarðsson'') (c. 860–870 – c. 900–920) was the first Earl of Lade and an ally of Harald Fairhair, King of Norway. Biography Nicknamed Håkon the Rich (''Hákon jarl hinn riki'') and Håkon the ...

Kingdom of Land

Earldom of
Lade Lade may refer to: People * Brendon Lade (born 1976), an Australian rules footballer * Sir John Lade (1759–1838), a baronet and Regency horse-breeder * Heinrich Eduard von Lade (1817–1904), a German banker and amateur astronomer * The Jarls o ...

Rulers: * Hákon Grjótgarðsson, an ally of

, first

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

of Lade in about: c. 860–870 – c. 900–920 AD *

Sigurðr Hákonarson Sigurd Håkonsson (died 962) (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Hákonarson'') was a Norwegian nobleman and Jarl of Lade in Trøndelag. Sigurd Håkonsson Ladejarl was the son of Håkon Grjotgardsson, the first Jarl of Lade (Old Norse Hlaðir). In 900, H� ...

, friend and advisor of Hákon the Good *

Hákon Sigurðarson Haakon Sigurdsson ( non, Hákon Sigurðarson , no, Håkon Sigurdsson; 937–995), known as Haakon Jarl (Old Norse: ''Hákon jarl''), was the ''de facto'' ruler of Norway from about 975 to 995. Sometimes he is styled as Haakon the Powerful ( n ...

, ruler of Norway from about 975 to 995 *

Eiríkr Hákonarson Erik Hakonsson, also known as Eric of Hlathir or Eric of Norway, (, 960s – 1020s) was Earl of Lade, Governor of Norway and Earl of Northumbria. He was the son of Earl Hákon Sigurðarson and brother of the legendary Aud Haakonsdottir of Lade. He ...

, governor of the majority of Norway under

Svein Forkbeard Sweyn Forkbeard ( non, Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg ; da, Svend Tveskæg; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 to 1014, also at times King of the English and King of Norway. He was the father of King Harald II of D ...

Sveinn Hákonarson Sweyn Haakonsson (Old Norse: ''Sveinn Hákonarson'', no, Svein Håkonsson) (died c. 1016) was an Earls of Lade, earl of the house of Hlaðir and co-ruler of Norway from 1000 to c. 1015. He was the son of earl Hákon Sigurðarson. He is first ment ...

, governor of a part of Norway under Olaf the Swede *

Hákon Eiríksson Haakon Ericsson (Old Norse: ''Hákon Eiríksson''; no, Håkon Eiriksson; died c. 1029–1030) was the last Earl of Lade and governor of Norway from 1012 to 1015 and again from 1028 to 1029 as a vassal under Danish King Knut the Great. Biograph ...

, governor of Norway under

Canute the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...

Kingdom of Namdalen

Earldom of Nordmøre

Kingdom of Oppland

Olav den helliges saga - De opplandske konger - H

Rulers: * Eystein, father of Åsa who married

(see

Ynglinga Saga ''Ynglinga saga'' ( ) is a Kings' saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It is the first section of his ''Heimskringla''. It was first translated into English and published in 1844 ...

, paragraph 49) * Halfdan "the Aged" Sveidasson (c. 750) *

Ivar Halfdansson Ivar Halfdansson or Ivarr Upplendingajarl ("Ivar the Oppland Earl") was a possibly mythical king of Oppland, a petty kingdom in Norway. If he existed, Ivar probably lived during the late 8th century. Traditional sources state that he was father of ...

(c. 770) * Eystein "Glumra (the Noisy)" Ivarsson, son-in-law of

Ragnvald the Mountain-High Ragnvald, Rögnvald or Rognvald or Rægnald is an Old Norse language, Old Norse name (Old Norse ''Rǫgnvaldr'', modern Icelandic ''Rögnvaldur''; in Old English language, Old English ''Regenweald'' and in Old Irish, Middle Irish language, Middle Iri ...

and father of

Ragnvald Eysteinsson Rognvald Eysteinsson (''fl.'' 865) was the founding Jarl (or Earl) of Møre in Norway, and a close relative and ally of Harald Fairhair, the earliest known King of Norway. In the Norse language he is known as Rǫgnvaldr Eysteinsson (''Mǿrajarl ...

(788)

Kingdom of Orkdalen

Rulers: *

Gryting Gryting is a small village in Gjerstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the Norwegian County Road 417 and the Sørlandsbanen railway line. The village of Sundebru Sundebru is a village in Gjerstad municipality ...

?–c. 870

Kingdom of Ranrike

Rulers: *

Tryggve Olafsson Tryggve Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Tryggvi Óláfsson'', Norwegian: ''Tryggve Olavsson'') (born 928 in Ringerike, died 963 in Sotnes, Bohuslän, Västra Götaland, Sweden) was king of Viken, Norway (Vingulmark and Rånrike). Biography Tryggve Olafs ...

?–963 AD

Kingdom of Raumarike

Rulers: *

Sigurd Hring Sigurd Ring (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Hringr'', in some sources merely called ''Hringr'') according to legend was a king of the Swedes, being mentioned in many old Scandinavian sagas. According to these sources he was granted rulership over Sweden a ...

8th century *

Ragnar Lodbrok according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Danish and Swedish king.Gutenberg Projec ...

8th century *

Eystein Halfdansson King Eystein is knocked off his ship. (''Illustration by Gerhard Munthe'') Eystein Halfdansson (Old Norse: ''Eysteinn Hálfdansson'') was the son of Halfdan Hvitbeinn of the House of Yngling according to Norse tradition. He inherited the throne of ...

Son of Halfdan *

Halfdan the Mild Halfdan the Mild (Old Norse: ''Hálfdan hinn mildi ok hinn matarilli'', (meaning the generous and stingy on food)) was the son of king Eystein Halfdansson, of the House of Yngling and he succeeded his father as king, according to Heimskringla. He w ...

Son of Eystein *

Gudrød the Hunter Gudrød the Hunter (Old Norse: ''Guðrøðr veiðikonungr'', Norwegian: ''Gudrød Veidekonge'', literally ''Gudrod Hunter-king''; died 820 AD), also known as Gudrød the Magnificent (Old Norse: ''enn gǫfugláti'', Norwegian: ''den gjeve''), is a l ...

Son of Halfdan *

Son of Gudrød

Kingdom of Ringerike

Rulers: *

Raum the Old Raum the Old (Old Norse: ''Raumr inn gamli'') is a legendary king in Norway in the '' Hversu Noregr byggdist'' and in Thorsteins saga Víkingssonar. He was said to have been ugly, as was his daughter, Bryngerd, who was married to King Álf. Indeed ...

Halfdan the Old Halfdan the Old (Old Norse: ''Hálfdanr gamli'' and ''Hálfdanr inn gamli'') was an ancient, legendary king from whom descended many of the most notable lineages of legend. A second Halfdan the Old is the purported great-grandfather of Ragnvald Eys ...

Sigurd Syr Sigurd Syr (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Sýr'') (died c. 1018) was a Norwegian petty king of Ringerike, a region in Buskerud. He was notable in Norwegian history largely through his association with Kings Harald Hardrada and Olaf II of Norway. By his mar ...

Kingdom of Rogaland

Rulers: *

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;Rugalf Gardsson * Ogvald Rugalfsson mid 6th century( from

Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka ''Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka'' (''The Saga of Half & His Heroes'') or ''Hálfssaga'' is a legendary saga composed in the early 14th century, based on a legend that has also been preserved in the Scandinavian medieval ballad ''Stolt Herr Alf''.Mitch ...

) *

Ingjald Ogvaldsson Ingjald illråde or Ingjaldr hinn illráði (''Ingold Illruler'' or ''Illready'') was a semi-legendary Swedish king of the House of Ynglings, son and successor of King Anund, and the father and predecessor of King Olof Trätälja. As with many ...

fl. c. 600 * Jossur Ingjaldsson fl mid 7th century * Hjor Jossurasson fl. 8th century * Hjorleif Hjorsson the Fornicator fl. mid-late 8th century * Halfur Hjorleifsson * Hjor Halfsson ? –c. 870s * Sulke ? –870 * Geirmundur Hjorarsson

Kingdom of Romsdal

Rulers: *

legendary * Jötunbjörn the Old son of Raum *Raum *Hrossbjörn *Orm Broken-shell *Knatti *Thórolf and Ketill Raum (in one version, Thórolf and Ketill Raum are sons of Orm).

Kingdom of Sogn

Rulers: * King Harald Gullskjegg (translate: Harald the Goldbeard): 770–850 AD (according to

Fagrskinna ''Fagrskinna'' ( ; is, Fagurskinna ; trans. "Fair Leather" from the type of parchment) is one of the kings' sagas, written around 1220. It is an intermediate source for the ''Heimskringla'' of Snorri Sturluson, containing histories of Norwegian k ...

and

)

Kingdom of Solør

Rulers: *

Earldom of Sunnmøre

Kingdom of
Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

The status of Telemark as a kingdom has been contested by some historians. rulers or figures: *Geirthjof of Oppland (First battle of Telemark) *Fridthjof (Second battle of Telemark)

Kingdom of Toten

Rulers: *

Kingdom of Trøndelag

Rulers: *

Kingdom of Vestfold

Rulers: * (

Sigtryg of Vetteland Sigtryg Eysteinsson was king of the Norwegian petty kingdoms Raumarike and Hedmark in what is today south-eastern Norway. He was killed by Halfdan the Black Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: ''Halfdanr Svarti''; fl. c. 9th century) was a king of Vest ...

)Snorre
Norske Kongers Chronica, 1633 – archive.org
/ref> * Eirik Sigtrygsson * Agnar Eiriksson * Eirik Agnarsson *

(part of Vestfold) *

Eriks son in law *

Eysteins son *

Son of Halfdan *

Ruled half the kingdom. Son of Gudrød. * Olaf Gudrødsson Ruled half the kingdom. Son of Gudrød. *

* Bjørn Farmann *

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 ...

, brother of Bjørn *

Harald Gudrødsson Grenske Harald Grenske (10th century) was a petty king in Vestfold in Norway. Harald Grenske was the son of Gudrød Bjørnsson. Gudrød is claimed to have been grandson of Harald Fairhair and the king of Vestfold. Harald's cognomen ''Grenske'' is due to hi ...

, 976–987

Kingdom of Vestmar

Rulers: * Dag the mild

Kingdom of Vingulmark

Vingulmark is the old name for the area which today makes up the counties of

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side o ...

and

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

, and included the site of Norway's capital,

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 ...

, which had not been founded at this time. Archaeologists have made finds of richly endowed burials in the area around the estuary of the river

Glomma The Glomma, or Glåma, is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers fully 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the ...

, at

Onsøy Onsøy is a peninsula and a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre was Gressvik. History The parish of ''Onsø'' was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A part of Onsøy w ...

Rolvsøy Rolvsøy is a village, an island, and a former municipality in Viken county, Norway. It was created by a split from Tune on 1 January 1911. At that time Rolvsøy had a population of 2,381. On 1 January 1994 Rolvsøy was incorporated into the mu ...

and Tune, where the remains of a ship, the

Tune ship The Tune ship (''Tuneskipet'') is a Viking ship exhibited in the Viking Ship Museum (''Vikingskipshuset på Bygdøy'') in Bygdøy, Oslo. The Tune ship is of the karve, a small type of longship with broad hull. It was found at the Haugen far ...

, was found. This indicates that there was a center of power in this area.Solberg 2000, p. 279 There are indications that at least the southern part of this area was under Danish rule in the late 9th century. In the account of Ottar, which was written down at the court of the English king

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

, Ottar says that when he sailed south from

Skiringssal Skiringssal (Old Norse ''Skíringssalr'') was the name of a Viking Age hall which stood at a site now known as Huseby, about 0.73 miles (1.2 km) south-west of Tjølling, a settlement a little over east of Larvik, in the south of the ...

, he had Denmark on the port side for three days. Rulers: *

, half of Vingulmark * Alfgeir (Old Norse: ''Álfgeir'') *

Gandalf Alfgeirsson Gandalf Alfgeirsson (Old Norse: ''Gandálf Álfgeirsson'') was a legendary king of the petty kingdom Alfheim, in south-eastern Norway and south-western Sweden He is portrayed in Snorri Sturluson's saga ''Heimskringla''. Heimskringla relates that ...

Son of Gudrød * Olaf Haraldsson *

, 976–987 * Svein Alfivuson, 1030–1035

Kingdom of Viken

Rulers: *

Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye Sigurd Snake-in-the-eye ( non, Sigurðr ormr í auga) or Sigurd Áslaugsson was a semi-legendary Viking warrior and Danish king active from the mid to late 9th century. According to multiple saga sources and Scandinavian histories from the 12th c ...

Kingdom of Voss(Vörs)

Rulers: * Skilfir * Skjöld * Eirík * Alrek( from

) * Víkar ( from

) * Vatnar ( from

) * Ímald and Eirík

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petty kingdoms of Norway States and territories established in the 8th century States and territories disestablished in the 870s Norwegian nobility Former kingdoms Barbarian kingdoms

List of petty kingdoms and earldoms

Kingdom of Agder

Kingdom of Fjordane

Kingdom of Grenland

Kingdom of Gudbrandsdalen

Kingdom of Hadeland

Kingdom of Hardanger

Kingdom of Hedmark

Kingdom of Hordaland

Kingdom of Hålogaland Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norway, Norwegian provinces in the medieval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a Monarchy, kingdom extending between the Namdalen valley in Trøndelag county and ...

Kingdom of Land

Earldom of Lade Lade may refer to: People * Brendon Lade (born 1976), an Australian rules footballer * Sir John Lade (1759–1838), a baronet and Regency horse-breeder * Heinrich Eduard von Lade (1817–1904), a German banker and amateur astronomer * The Jarls o ...

Kingdom of Namdalen

Earldom of Nordmøre

Kingdom of Oppland

Kingdom of Orkdalen

Kingdom of Ranrike

Kingdom of Raumarike

Kingdom of Ringerike

Kingdom of Rogaland

Kingdom of Romsdal

Kingdom of Sogn

Kingdom of Solør

Earldom of Sunnmøre

Kingdom of Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

Kingdom of Toten

Kingdom of Trøndelag

Kingdom of Vestfold

Kingdom of Vestmar

Kingdom of Vingulmark

Kingdom of Viken

Kingdom of Voss(Vörs)

See also

References

Kingdom of
Hålogaland Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norway, Norwegian provinces in the medieval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a Monarchy, kingdom extending between the Namdalen valley in Trøndelag county and ...

Earldom of
Lade Lade may refer to: People * Brendon Lade (born 1976), an Australian rules footballer * Sir John Lade (1759–1838), a baronet and Regency horse-breeder * Heinrich Eduard von Lade (1817–1904), a German banker and amateur astronomer * The Jarls o ...

Kingdom of
Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...