The Slavic raid on Kungahälla targeted the Norwegian port city of

Kungahälla Kungahälla (, , ) was a medieval settlement in southern Bohuslän at a site which is located in Kungälv Municipality in Västra Götaland County in Sweden. It is the site of the former fortification at Ragnhildsholmen (''Borgen på Ragnhi ...

, conducted by the Pomeranian Slavs against the

Kingdom of Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a 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 Norway. Bouvet I ...

, on 10–12 August, 1135.

Prelude

In the 12th century,

had a prestigious status, being an important Norwegian strategic center. The date of when the Pomeranian raid took place is unclear, but is believed to have occurred in either 1135 or 1136.

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 ...

places the date of this raid on 10 August, 1135. Other

Slavic people The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and N ...

that took part in the raid were likely from Rani tribe of the

Rügen Rügen (; Rani: ''Rȯjana'', ''Rāna''; , ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic ci ...

region. Older sources estimate the Pomeranian strength during expedition at 24,400 raiders, 1,000 horses and 550 boats. Some sources even put it as high as 30,000 raiders and 650–750 boats. These are considered to be exaggerated estimates, with actual force during the raid likely consisting of 1,000–1,500 raiders and 50–70 boats. The motives behind the raid are unknown. Snorri doesn't mention the motive either. Some historians attempted to link it to the orders given by

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

, but this version is unlikely to be the case. The raid was likely undertaken with desire for profit, taking advantage of Norwegian internal turmoil during this period.

Raid

The raid was begun by

Ratibor I Ratibor I (''Racibor'') ( 1124 – 1156) of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins'') was Duke of Pomerania. He was married to Pribislawa, and was the ancestor of the ''Ratiborides'' sideline of the Griffins. Initially he might have ruled the Land of ...

. Slavic raiders sailed from

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

, possibly from

island. Sailing to the

likely took 4–5 days. Snorri states that inhabitants of the city were warned prior about the incoming raiders. The raiders carried out sorties on Kungahälla through the

Göta älv The (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ice Lake to ...

. Part of raiders on the Eastern side, Ratibor's force on the Western side, while others landed on ground. The raiders set nine merchant ships on fire and plundered surroundings. Out of Skurbagar town, 200 Norwegian troops attempted to stop the raiders, but were repulsed. The siege of Kungahälla likely lasted until 12 August, with Ratibor I promising mercy to Kungahälla garrison if they surrendered. However, Slavic raiders broke their promise. They plundered the city, massacred the inhabitants "unfit for labour", and took the rest into

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

to Slavic lands.

Aftermath

Thousands were enslaved by the Slavic raiders during the raid on

. At the same time, this raid became one of the last major victories for Pomeranians. In 1136,

Eric II of Denmark Eric II the Memorable (; – 18 September 1137) was king of Denmark between 1134 and 1137. Eric was an illegitimate son of Eric I of Denmark, who ruled Denmark from 1095 to 1103. Eric the Memorable rebelled against his uncle Niels of Denmark, and ...

raided

. This was claimed to be the "revenge for Kungahälla", but that's unlikely to be the case. Eric's motive was to convert

Slavic pagans Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Sl ...

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 ...

, since his raid was aimed at a religious site. Slavs negotiated with Danes, but didn't follow the agreement and continued their pagan practices after Danish withdrew.

References

Bibliography

* * *{{Cite web, first=Roman , last=Zaroff , title=Slavic Raid on Konungahella, url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324472719_Slavic_Raid_on_Konungahella, website=www.researchgate.net, publisher=Collegium Medievale, date=2014 12th century in Sweden 12th century in Norway 12th century in Europe Conflicts in 1135 1135 in Europe Medieval piracy Piracy in the Baltic Sea History of Pomerania West Slavic history