Rognvald Brusason (died 1046), son of
Brusi Sigurdsson, was
Earl 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 ...
jointly with
Thorfinn Sigurdsson from about 1037 onwards. His life is recorded in the ''
Orkneyinga Saga''.
History
Rognvald was taken by his father to
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 ...
, to the court of
Olaf Haraldsson, when Brusi and Thorfinn went there to have the inheritance of
Einar Wry-mouth's third-share of the Earldom settled. Olaf kept Einar's share for himself, appointing Brusi to administer it, and kept Rognvald at his court.
The ''Orkneyinga Saga'' says of Rognvald:
Rognvald was one of the handsomest of men, with a fine head of golden hair, smooth as silk. At an early age he grew to be tall and strong, earning a great reputation for his shrewdness and courtesy ...
Rognvald was a supporter of Olaf Haraldsson, later Saint Olaf, sharing his exile in
Kievan Rus
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern Europe, Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Hist ...
, and helping his brother
Harald Sigurdsson, better known as Harald Hardraade, escape after the
Battle of Stiklestad
The Battle of Stiklestad ( no, Slaget på Stiklestad, non, Stiklarstaðir) in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway () was killed. During the pontificate of Pope Alexander III, ...
in 1030. While Harald went on to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, Rognvald and other exiles remained in Rus, in the service of
Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was al ...
. Rognvald returned to Norway with Olaf's son
Magnus the Good
Magnus Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Magnús Óláfsson''; Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus Olavsson''; – 25 October 1047), better known as Magnus the Good (Old Norse: ''Magnús góði'', Norwegian and Danish: ''Magnus den gode''), was King of Norwa ...
in 1035.
While Rognvald was abroad, his father had died and
Thorfinn Sigurdsson was ruling all of the Earldom of Orkney. Rognvald asked King Magnus for his third part of the Earldom, and Magnus agreed, giving him three ships and granting him the stewardship of Magnus's own third share. When Rognvald arrived in Orkney, he sent to his uncle Thorfinn asking him for the two thirds of the Earldom which Magnus had given him. Thorfinn agreed to give Rognvald his father's third, and the third which Magnus claimed into the bargain, although he claimed not to recognise Magnus's claim and presented this as a gift in return for Rognvald's assistance. Thorfinn and Rognvald worked closely together for eight years, fighting against enemies in the
Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebr ...
and raiding
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and
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 ...
.
However, the earls eventually fell out. The proximate cause of their quarrel, according to the saga, was the arrival of
Kalf Arnesson, the uncle of Thorfinn's wife
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 ...
.
Kalf had a large following which placed a heavy burden on the Earl's finances. Plenty of people told him that he shouldn't let Rognvald have two-thirds of the islands, considering his heavy outlay.
Rognvald and Kalf Arnesson were not friends. The ''
Orkneyinga Saga'' reports that Rognvald, a staunch supporter of Saint Olaf, came close to attacking Kalf in Rus, who alone among the Arnessons had betrayed Olaf, when he came to pledge his support to Magnus. For that reason, if for no other, Rognvald refused to hand over the third which Thorfinn asked for. From then onwards, relations deteriorated. Rognvald was defeated in a sea-battle and sought refuge in Norway with Magnus while Thorfinn took control of the earldom.
With a single ship, and a crew of picked men, Rognvald returned to Orkney hoping that surprise would enable him to retake the earldom. He succeeded, but not entirely as Thorfinn was able to flee to
Caithness. However, soon afterwards, Rognvald was surprised in his turn, but was killed by Thorkell the Fosterer while escaping, given away by the barking of his
lap dog.
Rognvald was buried on
Papa Westray. The ''Orkneyinga Saga'' offers this assessment of Rognvald: 'Everyone agrees that of all the Earls of Orkney he was the most popular and gifted, and his death was mourned by many."
Insular geography
Although the ''Orkenyinga saga'' frequently mentions placenames it is largely silent on the subject of how the joint earldoms functioned on a geographical basis. It is possible that Brusi Sigurdsson's share, described as the "northernmost part of the isles", was those islands lying north of the
Orkney mainland
The Mainland, also known as Hrossey and Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections.
Seventy-five per cent of O ...
, that his brother
Einar "Wry-mouth" Sigurdsson's was originally the east Mainland and the south isles and that
Sumarlidi Sigurdsson
Sumarlidi Sigurdsson (died between 1014 and 1018) was jointly Earl of Orkney with his brothers Brusi and Einar Wry-Mouth following the death of their father, Sigurd Hlodvisson at the battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf ( ga, Cath Chlu ...
's was the west Mainland.This theory, based on the Orcadian distribution of
ounceland
An ounceland ( gd, unga) is a traditional Scottish land measurement. It was found in the West Highlands, and Hebrides. In Eastern Scotland, other measuring systems were used instead. It was equivalent to 20 pennylands or one eighth of a markland. ...
s was originally researched by J. Storer Clouston in the 1920s and was "enormously influential" but also "preposterous" according to Smith (1988). However, it is also possible that Brusi's share was
Shetland, which formed part of the earldom throughout the Norse period. This possibility is supported by a later reference to Rognvald as "Lord of the Shetlanders" and Thompson (2008) is in "no doubt " that Shetland was in Brusi's possession. It is likely that
Fair Isle
Fair Isle (; sco, Fair Isle; non, Friðarey; gd, Fara) is an island in Shetland, in northern Scotland. It lies about halfway between mainland Shetland and Orkney. It is known for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting. Th ...
marked the boundary between these shares both then and during later joint earldoms.
Legacy
Twelfth-century Earl
Kali Kolsson was given the name Rognvald "because Kali's mother claimed that Rognvald Brusason had been the most able of all the Earls of Orkney, and people saw this as a sign of good luck."
[''Orkneyinga Saga'', c. 61.]
The ''Orkneyinga Saga'' is largely silent regarding Rognvald's personal life and there is no mention of a marriage or children. However, Anders Stølen has argued that
Magnus Barelegs
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 ...
's mother, whose identity is uncertain, was a daughter of "Ragnvald jarl" as stated in the genealogical text ''Sunnmørsættleggen''. This Ragnvald has in turn been identified as Rognvald Brusason by Ola Kvalsund.
Notes
References
*
Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286'', volume 1. Reprinted with corrections. Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1990.
* Anon., ''Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney'', tr. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. Penguin, London, 1978.
* Crawford, Barbara, ''Scandinavian Scotland.'' Leicester University Press, Leicester, 1987.
*
*
*
*
Sturluson, Snorri, ''Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway'', tr. Lee M. Hollander. Reprinted University of Texas Press, Austin, 1992.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brusason, Rognvald
People associated with Orkney
1046 deaths
Earls of Orkney
Norwegian earls
Year of birth unknown