The Earls of Møre () were a dynasty of powerful noblemen in Norway dating to the unification of Norway in the 9th century. The first earl of Møre was

Rognvald Eysteinsson Rognvald Eysteinsson () 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'') and in ...

, a close friend and ally of King

Harald I of Norway Harald Fairhair (; – ) 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 Norway. Supposedly, two of his sons, Eric Bl ...

. He is called by the

byname An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

Rognvald () in the ''

Heimskringla () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...

'' and ''

Orkneyinga saga The ''Orkneyinga saga'' (Old Norse: ; ; also called the ''History of the Earls of Orkney'' and ''Jarls' Saga'') is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly No ...

''. During the early

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

, Norway consisted of a number of petty kingdoms. King Harald I was able to unite them all after winning the

Battle of Hafrsfjord The Battle of Hafrsfjord () was a naval battle fought in Hafrsfjord sometime between 872 and 900 that resulted in the unification of Norway, later known as the Kingdom of Norway (872–1397), Kingdom of Norway. After the battle, the victorious Vi ...

in 872. Subsequently, King Harald I granted land to his sons and other earls who swore fealty to him. The land and estates of the earls of Møre were primary located in modern-day

Sunnmøre Sunnmøre (, ) is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities () of Fjord, Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Sande, Haram, Stranda Mu ...

and

Nordmøre Nordmøre () is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the Norway, Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. The area comprises the northern third of the county including the List of municipalities of Norway, municipalities of Kristiansund Mu ...

in the county of

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in the northernmost part of Western Norway, Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the Molde (town), town of M ...

, in the northernmost part of

Western Norway Western Norway (; ) is the Regions of Norway, region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the Counties of Norway, counties Rogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrative fu ...

. The earls of Møre and the Norse

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 N ...

were very closely related. The first sitting earl of Orkney was

Sigurd Eysteinsson Sigurd Eysteinsson, or Sigurd the Mighty (reigned 875–892Ashley, pp. 440–441), was the second Jarl of Orkney—a title bequeathed to Sigurd by his brother Rognvald Eysteinsson. A son of Eystein Glumra, Sigurd was a leader in the Viking ...

, brother of Rognvald . After several relations held reigns of less than two years, , the youngest of the illegitimate sons of Rognvald , became the fourth earl of Orkney and established the bloodline from which the earls of Orkney would directly descend until 1231.

Dynasty

, reigned mid-9th century to his death in #

Thorir Rögnvaldarson {{Infobox noble , title = Thorir the Silent , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = Jarl of Møre , reign = {{Circa ...

, reigned

References

* Koht, Halvdan ''Harald Hårfagre og rikssamlinga'' (1955) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarls of More Norwegian nobility