Civil war era in NorwayBelligerentsAristocratsPretendersCommanders and leadersList:List:Units involvedBaglerBirkebeinerThe civil war era in Norway (Norwegian: borgarkrigstida, borgarkrigstidi, borgerkrigstida or borgerkrigstiden) began in 1130 and ended in 1240. During this time in Norwegian history, some two dozen rival kings and pretenders waged wars to claim the throne.
Battle of FyrileivThe Battle of Fyrileiv was the first battle in the Norwegian Civil War. It was fought between the co-kings Magnus Sigurdsson and Harald Gille at the farm Fyrileiv in Ranrike (now Färlev in Stågenäs lordship in Bohuslen) on 9 August 1134. The battle is mentioned in Magnus Blindes and Harald Gilles saga in Snorre's Heimskringla, and in Fagrskinna. The battle ended with victory for Magnus and his men, who were clearly numerically superior.Harald GilleHarald Gille (Old Norse: Haraldr Gilli / Haraldr Gillikristr, c. 1102 − 14 December 1136), also known as Harald IV, was king of Norway from 1130 until his death. His byname Gille is probably from Middle Irish Gilla Críst 'servant of Christ'.
Western NorwayWestern Norway (Bokmål: Vestlandet, Vest-Norge; Nynorsk: Vestlandet, Vest-Noreg) is the region along the Atlantic coast of South Norway. It consists of the countiesRogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrative function. The region has a population of approximately 1.4 million people. The largest city is Bergen and the second-largest is Stavanger.
DenmarkDenmark is a 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 constitutionallyunitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the north Atlantic Ocean. Metropolitan Denmark, also called "continental Denmark" or "Denmark proper", consists of the northern Jutlandpeninsula and an archipelago of 406 islands.Borghild OlavsdotterBorghild Olavsdatter (fl. 1115), was the Norwegian royal mistress of King Sigurd the Crusader (c. 1090 – 1130) and the mother of King Magnus IV of Norway (ca. 1115 – 1139). She probably lived within the period 1090 to 1150 and was one of few Christian women mentioned in Heimskringla by Snorre Sturlasson. Borghild was the daughter of a wealthy farmer who owned the farm Stordal (Store-Dal i Skjeberg) in the parish of Skjeberg in Østfold.LendmannLendmann (plural lendmenn; Old Norse: lendr maðr) was a title in medieval Norway. A lendmann had the highest rank attainable in the royal hird, that is, the secular aristocracy, standing beneath earls and dukes only. In the 13th century, there were between ten and twenty lendmenn at any one time. A lendmann was similar to the medieval English baron, itself corresponding to a modern count.
TrøndelagTrøndelag (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈtrœ̂ndəˌlɑːɡ]; or Trööndelage (Southern Sami) is a county in central Norway, coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as Midt-Norge or Midt-Noreg, lit. "Mid-Norway"). It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (Norwegian: Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmark-Norway.
Monarchy of NorwayThe monarchy of Norway is the system used in Norway by which a reigns as head of state under a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingdoms which were united to form Norway; it has been in unions with both Sweden and Denmark for long periods.
Sigurd the CrusaderHouseHardradaFatherMagnus BarefootMotherTora (concubine)Sigurd the Crusader (Old Norse: Sigurðr Jórsalafari; Norwegian: Sigurd Jorsalfare; 1089 – 26 March 1130), also known as Sigurd Magnusson and Sigurd I, was King of Norway from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his half-brothers King Øystein (until Øystein died in 1123) and King Olaf, has been regarded by historians as a golden age for the medieval Kingdom of Norway.
BergenBergen (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈbæ̀rɡən] , locally [ˈbæ̂ʁgæn]) is a city and municipality in the Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital, Oslo. At the beginning of 2026, the population was 294,860, according to Statistics Norway. The municipality covers 465 square kilometres (180 sq mi) and is on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen.
BohuslänBohuslän (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈbûːhʉːsˌlɛːn] ) is a Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold, in Norway, to the north.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.