Tryggvi "the Pretender" (

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 ...

''Tryggvi Ólafsson'', Norwegian ''Tryggve Olavsson'') was a

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

chieftain who lived in the early eleventh century, and came from "west across the sea" (probably from the Norse settlements in

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 ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

). His story appears in '' Heimskringla'' by

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

, the saga '' Morkinskinna'', and a saga composed by

Oddr Snorrason Oddr Snorrason whose name is also sometimes Anglicized as Odd Snorrason was a 12th-century Icelandic Benedictine monk at the Þingeyraklaustur monastery (''Þingeyrarklaustur''). The monastery was founded in 1133 and was the first in Iceland. Work ...

on Olaf Tryggvason.

Invasion of Norway

According to ''Heimskringla'', in 1033, during the lordship of

Cnut 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 Norwa ...

's son Svein over

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 ...

, Tryggvi invaded Norway. He claimed to be the son of Olaf Tryggvason and his wife Gyda.Hollander (2002:534). His enemies scoffed at this claim, asserting that Tryggvi was instead the

bastard Bastard may refer to: Parentage * Illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents ** Bastard (law of England and Wales), illegitimacy in English law People People with the name * Bastard (surname), including a list of people with that na ...

son of a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

; however,

refers to Olaf's relatives in Viken as Tryggvi's "kinsmen;" moreover, the author of '' Morkinskinna'' has

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 ...

asserting kinship with the then-deceased Tryggvi, indicating that at least some people believed Tryggvi's claim. When word reached Svein and his mother

Ælfgifu of Northampton Ælfgifu of Northampton ( non, Álfífa, 990 – after 1036) was the first wife of Cnut the Great, King of England and Denmark, and mother of Harold Harefoot, King of England. She was regent of Norway from 1030 to 1035. Biography Family b ...

that Tryggvi's invasion was imminent, they summoned the landholders 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 ...

and the

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 ...

district to join the royal army in resisting Tryggvi. The jarl

Einar Thambarskelfir Einar Eindridesson Thambarskelfir (c. 980–c. 1050) (Old Norse: ''Einarr Þambarskelfir'', Modern Norwegian: ''Einar Tambarskjelve'') was an influential Norwegian noble and politician during the 11th century. He headed the feudal lords in th ...

, angered by the policies of Cnut's government, remained at home and refused to fight for Svein. Likewise, neither the powerful landowner

Kálfr Árnason Kálfr Árnason (Norwegian language, modern Norwegian Kalv Arnesson; c. 990 – 1051) was an 11th-century Norway, Norwegian chieftain who played a major role both in defeating Olaf II of Norway, King Olaf Haraldsson (later named St. Olaf) at ...

nor any of his brothers would fight for Svein.Hollander (2002:535). Svein and his forces made their way south to Agder, believing that Tryggvi would attempt to slip through the Skagerrak and join his supporters in Viken. Tryggvi, however, landed instead in

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...

, then sailed to

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

to attack Svein's navy. The two fleets met off the island of

Bokn Bokn is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Føresvik, the only urban area in Bokn. Other villages in Bokn include Ars ...

, where only a few years before Erling Skjalgsson had been defeated and killed. During the battle, according to reports recorded by Snorri, Tryggvi hurled

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

s at his enemies with both hands simultaneously, a feat for which Olaf Tryggvason had been known. He famously exclaimed "Thus did my father teach me to say

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

," simultaneously asserting his descent from King Olaf and mocking his enemies' allegation that his father was a priest. Despite his celebrated resourcefulness, Tryggvi's forces were overwhelmed by Svein's fleet and Tryggvi himself was killed. An account preserved in ''Morkinskinna'' relates that Tryggvi was actually killed by a farmer after the battle. Many years later, when Harald Hardrada was king of Norway, he passed by the site of the battle. The king met an old friend of his who pointed out the alleged assassin. After questioning the purported killer and hearing him confess, King Harald had the man

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

, citing the familial bond between him and Tryggvi and his duty to avenge the latter's death.

''Heimskringla''

A famous poem, ''

Tryggvaflokkr Tryggvaflokkr (the " Flokkr-poem of Tryggvi") was an Old Norse poem about Tryggve the Pretender, an 11th-century Viking chieftain who purported to be the son of Olaf Tryggvason and tried to conquer Norway in 1033. It is usually attributed to Sighv ...

'', was written about Tryggvi. Excerpts of the poem, usually attributed to Canute's court poet Sighvat Thordarson, were preserved in ''Heimskringla'': :''For fame eager, forth fared'' :''from the north King Tryggvi,'' :''whilst Sveinn from the south forth '' :''sailed to join the battle'' :''From fray not far was I.'' :''Fast they raised their banners'' :''Swiftly then-rang sword 'gainst'' :''sword-began the bloodshed.'' Another poem recorded in ''Heimskringla'', by an unknown

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 ...

, mentions the battle against Tryggvi: :''That Sunday morning, maiden,'' :''much unlike it was to'' :''days when at

wassail Wassail (, , most likely from Old Norse ''"ves heill"'') is a beverage made from hot mulled cider, ale, or wine and spices, drunk traditionally as an integral part of wassailing, an ancient English Yuletide drinking ritual and salutation ei ...

women'' :''wait on men with

ale Ale is a Type of beer, type of beer brewed using a Warm fermentation, warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typicall ...

-drink:'' :''when Sveinn the sailors bade his'' :''

sloops of war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

to fasten'' :''by their bows, with carrion'' :''battening hungry

raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

s.''Hollander (2002:536).

Notes

Sources

* Gade, Kari (trans.) (2000).
Morkinskinna : The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157)
'.

Cornell University Press The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in th ...

. * Hollander, Lee (trans.) (2002).
Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway
'.

University of Texas Press The University of Texas Press (or UT Press) is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books and journals in several areas, including Latin American studies, Texan ...

. * Jones, Gwyn (2001). ''A History of the Vikings''. Oxford Univ. Press, USA. * Sephton, John (trans.) (1895). ''The Saga of King Olaf Tryggwason''. D. Nutt. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tryggvi 1033 deaths Viking warriors Pretenders to the Norwegian throne 11th-century Norwegian people Year of birth unknown 11th-century Vikings