The Sudreim claim is an entitlement to the throne of the Kingdom of Norway held among members of the powerful and influential House of Sudreim in the late Middle Ages.

Background

In the early 14th century, when it was foreseeable that the male line of Sverre dynasty would go extinct, members of the Norwegian nobility arranged the

Order of succession An order, line or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated, such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Haakon V of Norway. King Haakon's youngest daughter, Ingeborg Haakonsdatter instead of her older, illegitimate half-sister Agnes Haakonsdatter received recognized rights of succession for her descendants. This entitlement came to be referred to as the Stovreim claim (''Stovreimsætten''). In the eventuality of Ingeborg's line dying out, it was determined that the issue and line of King Haakon's oldest daughter, Agnes Haakonsdatter, born to her in marriage to Havtore Jonsson (c. 1275–1319), would then be entitled to succession to the throne of Norway. This entitlement is referred to as the Sudreim claim (''Sudreimsætten'').

Sudreim line

Ingeborg's descendants brought the kingship to union with

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

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 ...

, and with a variety of Northern German principalities. Norway's kings from her lineage regularly resided elsewhere than in Norway. Nationalistic or separatist forces in Norway sometimes pursued having a native Norwegian king who was not to become any other country's ruler—and the descendants of Agnes Haakonsdatter lived in Norway. Accordingly, their ancient right to inherit the throne was claimed and sometimes was acted upon. Periodically a monarch died without any direct heirs as did Eric II of Norway in 1299, Olav IV of Norway in 1387 and Christopher of Bavaria in 1448. In each case, a near relative had to be found to become the successor. In certain cases some native-minded Norwegians offered the throne to a Sudreim descendant, but always unsuccessfully. In the mid-14th century, Jon Havtoreson, (1312–1397) and Sigurd Havtoreson (1315–1392), sons of Agnes Haakonsdatter and Havtore Jonsson (referred to as ''Havtoresønnene''), seem to have intrigued against their cousin Magnus VII of Norway (simultaneously King of Sweden), to take Norway from him. Haakon Jonson, son of Jon Havtoreson, is recorded as having been offered the throne in 1387–88, when Olav IV had died. Olav's mother, Queen

Margaret I of Denmark Margaret I (; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for ...

, saved the situation for herself by taking a child, Bogislav of Pomerania (later renamed Eric, becoming Eric III, Eric XIII and Eric VII of countries of the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...

) to a session of the Norwegian council and presenting him as legitimate heir. Eric was a maternal great-grandson of Eufemia, daughter of Ingeborg Haakonsdatter and Duke Eric Magnusson. Eric was also the grandson of Queen Margaret's elder sister, Ingeborg, Duchess of Mecklenburg—and thus descended from recent kings of all three countries. In 1448, when Christopher of Bavaria died, the Norwegian throne was offered to Sigurd Jonsson of Sudreim, who was a grandson and ultimately the heir of Sigurd Havtoresonn and his wife Ingebjorg Erlingsdottir of Bjarkoy—but he declined because legally King Eric was still the lawful king. Sigurd held combined hereditary rights of both Ingeborg Haakonsdatter's Stovreim line and Agnes Håkonsdatter's Sudreim line. The 1448 offer to the intended "Sigurd III" was made by more or less the same party who after his refusal, worked toward having Karl Knutsson from Sweden as Norway's king instead of Christian I of Denmark ignoring that King Eric was still the only lawful king of Norway although in exile. In 1458, Eric III, Eric XIII and Eric VII, de-jure King of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Wends and Goths and Duke of Pommerania, at the request of the Vice-Chancellor of Norway, certified for posterity that the House of Rosensverd remains the lawful and rightful successors as Kings in Norway.Traktat 1458 Rugenwald, Arkiv: Nasjonal Arkivet (Oppbevares i klimakontrollert velv) . Regest: Herredagen / (Høyesterett) The succession right was not limited in time.

References

Notes

* * * * * * * * * {{cite web, url=http://snl.no/Görvel_Fadersdotter, title=Görvel Fadersdotter , publisher=

Store norske leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' (, abbreviated ''SNL'') is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. It has several subdivisions, including the Norsk biografisk leksikon. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian publishe ...

, accessdate=4 November 2012 Monarchy of Norway 14th century in Norway 15th century in Norway Pretenders to the Norwegian throne