The Battle of Víðines () of 1208 was a conflict that took place between

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

and clerical forces in early 13th century

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 ...

. The

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishop Guðmundur Arason had defended the exclusive judicial powers of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

over its clergy against the secular powers of the ''

goði Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious structure and com ...

'' chieftains. In 1208, Kolbeinn Tumason and Arnór Tumason of the Ásbirningar clan and Sigurður Ormsson of the Svínfellingar clan advanced on the see of Guðmundur Arason. They wanted the bishop to give up several men in his assembly with whom they claimed they had rightful business. The bishop stood by his claim that the clergy should retain judicial power in its own affairs, and a conflict ensued at Víðines, near

Hólar Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland. Location Hólar is in the Hjaltadalur valley, some from the national capital of Reykjavík. It has a population of around 100. It is th ...

, the seat of the bishop. Kolbeinn Tumason died in the battle, his head bashed in with a large rock, and the clan troops dissipated. Before he died, he composed the poem " Heyr, himna smiður" (Hear, heavenly creator"), which is a classic Icelandic hymn to this very day.Terry Gunnell, ''The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia'' (1995) page 338: "Z34 In the second example, which is also said to have occurred shortly after the battle at Vidines in 1208, a man dreams that he is in a small room where he sees two men dressed in black, with loose hoods on their heads. They 'held hands ...

References

*Árni Daníel Júlíusson, Jón Ólafur Ísberg, Helgi Skúli Kjartansson ''Íslenskur söguatlas: 1. bindi: Frá öndverðu til 18. aldar'' Almenna bókafélagið, Reykjavík 1989 {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Vidines 13th century in Iceland 13th-century Christianity Conflicts in 1208 1208 in Europe