The

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

Law of Succession (''Tronfølgeloven av 1163'') was first introduced in 1163 during the

Civil war era in Norway The civil war era in Norway ( no, 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. In the absence of f ...

. The Succession law was an accord between

Erling Skakke Erling Skakke (1115 – 18 June 1179) was a Norwegian Jarl during the 12th century. He was the father of Magnus V, who reigned as King of Norway from 1161 to 1184. Biography Erling Ormsson was born at Etne in the county of Hordaland, Norway. He ...

and Øystein Erlendsson, Archbishop of Nidaros. Erling Skakke was married to Kristin Sigurdsdatter, the daughter of King

Sigurd Jorsalfar Sigurd Magnusson (1089 – 26 March 1130), also known as Sigurd the Crusader (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Jórsalafari'', Norwegian: ''Sigurd Jorsalfar''), was King of Norway (being Sigurd I) from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his half-brothe ...

. They had a son,

Magnus Erlingsson Magnus Erlingsson ( non, Magnús Erlingsson, 1156 – 15 June 1184) was a king of Norway (being Magnus V) during the civil war era in Norway. He was the first known Scandinavian monarch to be crowned in Scandinavia. He helped to establish primoge ...

, who was deemed to be a legitimate claimant to the throne, which was left vacant with the death of King Haakon II. Archbishop Erlendsson agreed to terms under which Magnus inherited the Norwegian throne, in exchange for greater power afforded to the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

. Magnus was crowned king in 1163 at the age of eight and the succession law was enacted simultaneously. As king, Magnus had to promise to obey the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, while Church law was recognized on an equal level with secular laws. Erling took the title of earl and held the real power, since Magnus was a minor. ''Magnus 5 Erlingsson' (Store norske leksikon)
/ref> According to the Succession law, there should be only one king, with primogeniture as a rule. If the oldest son was not fit to be king, a council of sixty representatives should select another of the legitimate royal sons. After this they could choose between another of the royal heirs. If the king had no suitable heir, the council could choose whoever they thought would better "guard God's right and the laws of the land". If the representatives could not agree, the bishops of the Church should decide the election.

Primary Sources

* Holmsen, Andreas (1965) ''Erkebiskop Eystein og tronfølgeloven av 1163'' (Oslo, Historisk tidsskrift) *Steen, Sverre: (1949) ''Tronfølgeloven av 1163 og konungstekja i hundreåret etter'' (eng: "The 1163 Norwegian Law of Succession and the royals coronations in the following century"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norwegian Law Of Succession Law of Succession Law of Succession 1163 in Europe 12th century in Norway Succession acts

See also

Primary Sources

References