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Haakon Sigurdsson ( , ; 937–995), known as Haakon Jarl (Old Norse: ''Hákon jarl''), was the '' de facto'' ruler of
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
from about 975 to 995. Sometimes he is styled as Haakon the Powerful (), though the '' Ágrip'' and ''
Historia Norwegiæ ''Historia Norwegiæ'' is a short history of Norway written in Latin by an anonymous monk. The only extant manuscript is in the private possession of the Earl of Dalhousie, and is now kept in the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh. The manu ...
'' give the less flattering name ''Hákon Illi'', that is, Haakon the Bad.


Background

Haakon was the son of Sigurd Haakonsson, Jarl of Lade and ruler of
Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
and
Hålogaland Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the medieval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a kingdom extending between the Namdalen valley in Trøndelag county and the Lyng ...
. His mother was Bergljot Toresdatter, daughter of Tore Ragnvaldsson,
Jarl of Møre Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. The institution evolved over time and varied by region. In Old Norse, it meant "Germanic chieftain, chieftain", specifically one appointed to rule a territ ...
.
Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen (; ; before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' ('' ...
wrote that he was "of the stock of Ivar (either
Ivar the Boneless Ivar the Boneless ( ; died ), also known as Ivar Ragnarsson, was a Viking leader who invaded England and Ireland. According to the '' Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok'', he was the son of Aslaug and her husband Ragnar Loðbrok, and was the brother of ...
or
Ivar Vidfamne Ivar Vidfamne (or ''Ívarr inn víðfaðmi''; English exonym ''Ivar Widefathom''; Danish ''Ivar Vidfadme'' – in Norwegian and Danish the form ''Ivar Vidfavne'' is sometimes used as an alternative form) was a semi-legendary king of Denmark, wh ...
) and descended from a race of giants". In the sagas, Haakon claimed descent from the divine lineage of Sæming, son of
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
. The Hakon Jarl Runestones in Sweden may refer to him.


Reign

Haakon became ''
jarl Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. The institution evolved over time and varied by region. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", specifically one appointed to rule a territory in a king's stea ...
'' after his father was killed by King
Harald Greycloak Harald Greycloak (Old Norse: ''Haraldr gráfeldr'', lit. "Harald Grey-hide"; Norwegian: ; Danish: ; c. 935 – c. 970) was a king of Norway from the Fairhair dynasty. Harald acquired his nickname "Gray-hide" after an encounter with the crew o ...
's men in 961. Haakon Jarl warred with King Harald for some time, until he was forced to flee to
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, where he conspired with
Harald Bluetooth Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson (; , died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway. The son of King Gorm the Old and Thyra Dannebod, Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 958 – c. 986, introduced Christianization of Denmark, Christianity to D ...
against Harald Greycloak. The two arranged the death of Harald Greycloak around 971, after which Harald Bluetooth invited his foster-son to be invested with new Danish fiefs. Civil war broke out between Haakon Jarl and the surviving brothers of Harald Greycloak, but Haakon proved victorious. After this, Haakon Jarl ruled Norway as a
vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
of Harald Bluetooth, but he was in reality an independent ruler. For Harald, he attacked
Götaland Götaland (; also '' Gothia'', ''Gothland'', ''Gothenland'' or ''Gautland'') is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises ten provinces. Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north by Svealand, with the deep wo ...
and killed its ruler Ottar Jarl. Around 973–974, he went to Denmark to help Harald Bluetooth of Denmark in his defense against the Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy. Otto II was ...
. Otto's forces successfully opposed an attempt by Harald to throw off the German yoke. After that Haakon paid no taxes to Denmark. Haakon was a strong believer in the old
Norse gods Norse is a demonym for Norsemen, a Medieval North Germanic ethnolinguistic group ancestral to modern Scandinavians, defined as speakers of Old Norse from about the 9th to the 13th centuries. Norse may also refer to: Culture and religion * Nors ...
, even after Harald Bluetooth forced him to accept baptism around 975 and assigned him clergymen to take to Norway to spread
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
. When a favourable wind came for Haakon to leave, he commanded the clergymen to return ashore, and broke his allegiance to Denmark. In 977,
Vladimir of Novgorod Vladimir Yaroslavich (; ; 1020 – October 4, 1052) was Prince of Novgorod from 1036 until his death in 1052. He was the eldest son of Yaroslav I the Wise by Ingegerd Olofsdotter, a daughter of Olof Skötkonung, the king of Sweden. He is venerat ...
fled to him, collecting as many of the Viking warriors as he could to assist him to recover
Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
, and on his return the next year marched against
Yaropolk I of Kiev Yaropolk may refer to * Yaropolk I of Kiev (Yaropolk Svyatoslavich) (about 950–980) * Yaropolk Izyaslavich (about 1050–about 1100) * Yaropolk II of Kiev (Yaropolk Vladimirovich), (1082–1139) *Yaropolk, son of Vladimir of Novgorod {{disam ...
. In 986, a Danish invasion fleet led by the fabled
Jomsvikings The Jomsvikings were a legendary order of Viking mercenaries or conquerors of the 10th and 11th centuries. Though reputed to be staunchly dedicated to the worship of the Old Norse gods, they would allegedly fight for any lord who could pay t ...
was defeated at the
Battle of Hjörungavágr A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. In 995, a quarrel broke out between Haakon and the Trønders just as
Olaf Tryggvason Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King ...
, a descendant of
Harald Fairhair 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 Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway. Supposedly, two ...
, arrived. Haakon quickly lost all support, and was killed by his own slave and friend,
Tormod Kark Tormod Kark (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was a slave in Viking Age Norway. He appears in the saga ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar''. Biography His life was closely tied to Haakon Sigurdsson (c. 937 – 995). In 995, a quarrel broke out betwee ...
, while hiding in the pig sty in the farm
Rimul Romol or Rimul (historic name) is a farm in Melhus Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The farm lies near the western part of the Melhus (village), village of Melhus. It was the scene of the murder of Håkon Sigurdsson (also known as ''Há ...
in Melhus. Jarlshola is the location in Melhus thought to have been the hiding place of Haakon Jarl and Tormod Kark on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul. After his death, Haakon Jarl's two sons Eirik Håkonson and
Sveinn Hákonarson Sweyn Haakonsson (Old Norse: ''Sveinn Hákonarson'', ) (died c. 1016) was an 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 mentioned in connection with the battl ...
fled for protection to the king of Sweden,
Olof Skötkonung Olof Skötkonung (; – 1022), sometimes stylized as Olaf the Swede, was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. He succeeded his father in c. 995. He stands at the threshold of record ...
. A number of (textually related) sources recount Haakon's predilection for taking women as concubines, whether the daughters of nobles or of commoners; according to
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 th ...
: "the jarl had the daughters of powerful men taken and brought home to him, and he slept with them for a week or two and then sent them home, and for that he got much dislike from the kinsmen of the women." This has been suggested to be part of a fertility cult, dedicated to Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr.


Children

*
Eric Haakonsson The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...
(960s – 1020s), would avenge his father at the
Battle of Svolder The Battle of Svolder (''Svold'' or ''Swold'') was a large naval battle during the Viking age, fought in September 1000 in the western Baltic Sea between King Olaf of Norway and an alliance of the Kings of Denmark and Sweden and Olaf's enemies ...
and then govern Norway with his half-brother, Sveinn Hákonarson *
Sweyn Haakonsson Sweyn Haakonsson (Old Norse: ''Sveinn Hákonarson'', ) (died c. 1016) was an 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 mentioned in connection with the batt ...
(died c. 1016), co-ruler of Norway * Aud Haakonsdottir, married the Swedish king
Eric the Victorious Eric the Victorious (Old Norse: ''Eiríkr inn sigrsæli'', Modern Swedish: ''Erik Segersäll''; c. 945 – c. 995) was a Swedish monarch as of around 970. Although there were earlier Swedish kings, he is the first Swedish king in a consecutive re ...
, according to ''
Yngvars saga víðförla ''Yngvars saga víðförla'' (also known as ''Sagan om Ingwar Widtfarne och hans Son Swen'') is a legendary saga said to have been written in the twelfth century by Oddr Snorrason. The tale tells of a Viking expedition to somewhere in southern Ru ...
'' * Bergljót Haakonsdottir, married Einar Tambarskjelvar *Sigrid Haakonsdottir, mother of Ivar Hvide, Jarl of
Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The ...
*Sigurd Haakonsson *Ragnhild Haakonsdatter *Erling Haakonsson *Erland Haakonsson *Hemming Haakonsson * Ramvieg Haakonsdatter


Poets

According to ''
Skáldatal ''Skáldatal'' (''Catalogue of Poets'') is a short prose work by Snorri Sturluson in Old Norse. It was preserved in two manuscripts: DG 11, or ''Codex Uppsaliensis'', which is one of the four main manuscripts of the ''Prose Edda'' (first quarter of ...
'', Haakon had the following poets at his court: * Eyvindr Finnsson * Einarr skálaglamm * Tindr Hallkelsson * Skafti Þóroddsson *Þórólfr munnr * Eilífr Guðrúnarson * Vigfúss Víga-Glúmsson * Þorleifr jarlsskáld *Hvannár-Kálfr


Korsvikaspillet

Haakon Jarl is a central figure in ''Håkon og Kark'' which is performed annually at the Korsvikaspillet festival in Korsvika in
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
. The play is based on the story of Haakon Jarl and Tormod Kark as portrayed in the
Sagas Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
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 th ...
. The first play was a poetic tableau that was made in connection with the 800-year anniversary of the Lade Church (''Lade kirke'') in 1989 and repeated two years later. In 1995,
Idar Lind Idar Lind (born 23 September 1954) is a Norwegian novelist, crime fiction writer, songwriter, and playwright. Biography Lind was born on the island of Otterøya (now part of Namsos Municipality) in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. He made his lit ...
wrote a new script. The music is composed by Frode Fjellheim.


Primary sources

Source bases for Haakon Jarl are considerable. He was given coverage in several sagas, including 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 th ...
in ''
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 ...
'', ''
Ágrip af Nóregskonungasögum ( Icelandic for "''Summary of the Norwegian Kings' Sagas''"), often shortened to ''Ágrip'', is a history of the kings of Norway. Written in Old Norse, it is, along with the '' Historia Norvegiæ'', one of the Norwegian synoptic histories. The ...
'' and more. According to ''
Hallfreðar saga ''Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskálds'' (, Old Norse pronunciation: ) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The saga is preserved in several 14th-century manuscripts, including Möðruvallabók and Flateyjarbók, but there are significant differences b ...
'' the poet Hallfreðr composed a ''
drápa A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally comp ...
'' on the ''jarl''. Several disjoint stanzas by Hallfreðr in ''
Skáldskaparmál ''Skáldskaparmál'' (Old Norse: 'Poetic Diction' or 'The Language of Poetry'; ; ) is the second part of the ''Prose Edda'', compiled by Snorri Sturluson. It consists of a dialogue between Ægir, the divine personification of the sea, and Bra ...
'' are often thought to belong to this otherwise lost poem.


Oehlenschläger tragedy

Haakon Jarl's life also received literary treatment by Danish poet
Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (; 14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthe ...
, in his tragedy ''Hakon Jarl'', written in six weeks in 1805 during a stay in Halle, after reading Snorri's ''Heimskringla''. The theme is the conflict between paganism and Christianity. There is an English translation by J. C. Lindberg. Oehlenschläger's play later formed the basis for Smetana's symphonic poem '' Hakon Jarl''.DeLong, Kenneth (1998)
"Hearing His Master's Voice: Smetana's 'Swedish' Symphonic Poems and their Lisztian Models"
in Michael Saffle (ed.), ''Liszt and His World'', pp. 295–334. Pendragon Press.


Notes


References


Bibliography

*Foote, P. G., and D. M. Wilson (1970) ''The Viking Achievement'' (Macmillan Company) *Gjerset, Knut (1915) ''History of The Norwegian People'' (Macmillan Company) *Jones, Gwyn (1973) ''A History of the Vikings'' (Oxford University Press) *Krag, Claus (2000) ''Norges historie fram til 1319'' (Universitetsforlaget) *Larsen, Karen (1948) ''A History of Norway'' (Princeton University Press) *Stylegar, F.A. (2013) ''Håkon jarl'' (Spartacus forlag)


External links


Korsvikaspillet: Håkon og Kark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haakon Sigurdsson 10th-century Norwegian monarchs 10th-century murdered monarchs Norwegian earls Norwegian military leaders Norse monarchs Ladejarl dynasty Year of birth uncertain 930s births 995 deaths 10th-century Vikings