Events from the

12th century The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar. In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...

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 ...

1101–1109

;1107 * The

Norwegian Crusade The Norwegian Crusade, led by Norwegian King Sigurd I, was a crusade or a pilgrimage (sources differ) that lasted from 1107 to 1111, in the aftermath of the First Crusade. The Norwegian Crusade marks the first time a European king person ...

sailed from Norway.

1110s

;1115 * 22 December – Death of

Olaf Magnusson of Norway Olav Magnusson (1099 – 22 December 1115) was king of Norway in 1103–1115. He was the son of King Magnus Barefoot and Sigrid, daughter of Saxe of Vik. Olav became king together with his half-brothers Sigurd Jorsalfar and Øystein Magnusson wh ...

, King (born ).

1120s

;1123 * Kalmare ledung, a

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

led by King Sigurd to Christianize the Swedish provinces of

Småland Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small la ...

and

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Oland'' internationally) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. ...

. *

29 August Events Pre-1600 * 708 – Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708). * 870 – The city of Melite surrenders to an Aghlabid army following a siege, putting an end to Byzantine ...

– Death of Eystein I Magnusson, King of Norway 1102–1123 (born ). ;1125 Stavanger domkyrkje edit

* 1125 is regarded as the founding year of the city of

Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

, with the establishing of the

Diocese of Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger () is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Lise Ådnøy, who has held the p ...

, and construction of the

Stavanger Cathedral Stavanger Cathedral () is Norway's oldest cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Stavanger who leads the Diocese of Stavanger in the Church of Norway. It is located in the centre of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger which lies in the southw ...

is initiated.

1130s

;1130 *

26 March Events Pre-1600 * 590 – Emperor Maurice proclaims his son Theodosius as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. * 624 – First Eid al-Fitr celebration. * 1021 – The death of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, kept secret f ...

– The death of

Sigurd the Crusader Sigurd the Crusader (; ; 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-brother Øystein (until Øystein died in 1123), has been regarded by historian ...

in 1130 was followed by a century-long period of civil wars and rivalry for the crown. ;1133 * Birth of

Sigurd II of Norway Sigurd Haraldsson (; 1133 – 10 June 1155), or Sigurd II, also called Sigurd Munn, was king of Norway from 1136 to 1155. He was son of Harald IV of Norway, Harald IV Gille, king of Norway and his Mistress (lover), mistress Thora Guttormsdotter ...

, king (died

1155 Year 1155 ( MCLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * April 18 – Siege of Tortona: German forces capture the citadel of Tortona (after a two-month siege). The city is razed ...

). ;1135

Magnus Blindes og Harald Gilles saga-Biskop Reinald henges-E

7 January Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army, prompting the tribunes who support him to flee to where Caesar is waiting in Ravenna. * 1325 – Afonso IV ...

– In a naval battle in Bergen,

Harald Gille Harald Gille (, c. 1102 − 14 December 1136), also known as Harald IV, was king of Norway from 1130 until his death. His byname Gille is probably . Background Harald was born ca. 1102 in Ireland or the Hebrides, more likely the former. Accord ...

defeated King Magnus. Magnus was captured and dethroned, blinded, castrated and had one leg cut off, and was subsequently placed in the

Nidarholm Abbey Nidarholm Abbey was a Benedictine monastery located on the island of Munkholmen in Trondheim Fjord on the sea approach to Trondheim, Norway. History The monastery was founded either in 1028 by King Canute the Great or in about 1100 by Sigurd Ulls ...

. *

18 January Events Pre-1600 * 474 – Seven-year-old Leo II succeeds his maternal grandfather Leo I as Byzantine emperor. He dies ten months later. * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople fail. * 1126 – Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chine ...

– Bishop Reinald of Stavanger was executed by

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. ;1136 * 14 December – Harald IV Gille is

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

within his sleep.

Sigurd Slembe Sigurd Magnusson Slembe (or Slembedjakn) (died 12 November 1139) was a Norwegian pretender to the throne. He was the subject of '' Sigurd Slembe'', the historical drama written by the Norwegian playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1862. Biogr ...

arranged for the assassination.. ;1139 * 12 November –

Battle of Holmengrå The Battle of Holmengrå () was a naval battle fought on 12 November 1139 near the island Holmengrå south of Hvaler, between the forces of the child kings Sigurd Haraldsson and Inge Haraldsson on the one side, and on the other side the preten ...

Magnus IV of Norway Magnus Sigurdsson ( – 12 November 1139), also known as Magnus the Blind and Magnus IV, was King of Norway from 1130 to 1135 and again from 1137 to 1139. His period as king marked the beginning of the civil war era in Norway, which lasted until ...

, King (born ) was killed in battle. * Death of

, pretender to the throne.

1140s

;1147 *

18 May Events Pre-1600 * 332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople. * 872 – Louis II of Italy is crowned for the second time as Holy Roman Emperor at Rome, at the age of ...

– Hovedøya Abbey was founded. * Birth of

Haakon II of Norway Haakon II Sigurdsson (1147 – 7 July 1162), also known as Haakon Herdebrei meaning ''Haakon Broadshoulder'', was King of Norway from 1157 until 1162 during the civil war era in Norway. Biography His nickname, ''Herdebrei'', means broad-shoulder ...

, King (died

1162 Year 1162 ( MCLXII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * March 6 – German forces led by Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, capture Milan; much of the city is destroyed t ...

1150s

;1152 *

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 ...

is given the status of

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

. * Trondheim Cathedral School is established. ;1155 * King

was killed in

by the men of his brother and co-ruler Inge I Haraldsson. ;1156 * Birth of Magnus V Erlingsson – King of Norway from 1161 to 1184 (d.

1184 Year 1184 ( MCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * March 27 – Tamar of Georgia becomes queen regnant on the death of her father and coregent George III. She remains sole rul ...

). ;1157 *

24 February Events Pre-1600 * 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene Christianity, Nicene bishops with Arianism, Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica. *1303 – The English are defeated at the Battle of Roslin, in the First War of ...

– Death of

Jon Birgersson, Archbishop of Nidaros Jon Birgersson (died 24 February 1157) was a Norwegian clergyman, bishop, and the first archbishop of the archdiocese of Nidaros. His father's name was Birger, but his year of birth is unknown. He served as bishop of the diocese of Stavanger from 11 ...

. * King

Eystein II of Norway Eystein Haraldsson (; ); – 21 August 1157), also called Eystein II, was King of Norway from 1142 to 1157. He ruled alongside his half-brothers, Inge Haraldsson and Sigurd Munn. He was killed in the power-struggle against his brother Ing ...

was killed by supporters of his brother and co-ruler Inge I Haraldsson.

1160s

;1161 *

3 February Events Pre-1600 *1047 – Drogo of Hauteville is elected as count of the Apulian Normans during the Norman conquest of Southern Italy. * 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, unitin ...

– King

Inge I of Norway Inge Haraldsson (; 1135 – 3 February 1161) was king of Norway (being Inge I) from 1136 to 1161. Inge’s reign fell within the start of the period known in Norwegian history as the civil war era, and he was never the sole ruler of the country. ...

was defeated and killed while leading his men into battle against

near

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. ;1162 *

7 July Events Pre-1600 *1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks. *1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution. *1520 – Spanish ''conquistadore ...

– ,

is killed, and King Magnus V becomes the only King of Norway. ;1163 * The first . * The

Norwegian Law of Succession The Norwegian Law of Succession (''Tronfølgeloven av 1163'') was first introduced in 1163 during the Civil war era in Norway. The Succession law was an accord between Erling Skakke and Øystein Erlendsson, Archbishop of Nidaros. Erling Skakke ...

was introduced. * Archbishop

Eysteinn Erlendsson Eysteinn Erlendsson (, ; died 26 January 1188) was Archbishop of Nidaros from 1161 to his death in 1188. Background His family came from Trøndelag, and he was related to most of the local nobility. His birth date and place of birth is not recorde ...

crowned Magnus V of Norway. This was the first time such a ceremony had taken place in Norway. *

29 September Events Pre-1600 *61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday. *1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, a ...

– Death of Sigurd Markusfostre, pretender and rival king (born c. 1155).

1170s

;1176 *

Eystein Meyla Eystein Meyla () was elected a rival king of Norway during the Norwegian Civil War period. Biography Eystein was son of King Eystein II Haraldsson. His nickname ''Møyla'' means maiden, girl, cute woman. His father was king of Norway from 1142 ...

is proclaimed king at

Øreting Øreting (Øretinget, Øyrating; ), was a Thing in Trøndelag, Norway. Øreting was located at Øra, where the river Nidelva mouths into the Trondheimsfjord in the modern city of Trondheim. Things were representative assemblies at which delegates ...

. ;1177 * . * Death of

, king pretender. ;1178 * The , between

Sverre Sigurdsson Sverre Sigurdsson () (c. 1145/1151 – 9 March 1202) was the king of Norway from 1184 to 1202. Many consider him one of the most important rulers in Norwegian history. He assumed power as the leader of the rebel party known as the Birkebeiner ...

and

. * The , between

and

Magnus Erlingsson Magnus Erlingsson (, 1156 – 15 June 1184), also known as Magnus V, was a king of Norway during the civil war era in Norway. He helped to establish primogeniture in royal succession in Norway. King Magnus was killed in the Battle of Fimreite i ...

. ;1179 *

19 June Events Pre-1600 * 325 – The original Nicene Creed is adopted at the First Council of Nicaea. * 1179 – The Battle of Kalvskinnet takes place outside Nidaros (now Trondheim), Norway. Earl Erling Skakke is killed, and the battle chan ...

– The , between

and

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

. * Death of

, earl (born ).

1180s

;1184 *

15 June Events Pre-1600 * 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. * 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. * 923 – Battle of So ...

–

Battle of Fimreite The Battle of Fimreite ( Norwegian: ''Slaget ved Fimreite'') was a naval battle fought on June 15, 1184, between King Magnus Erlingsson and the Birkebeiner supported Sverre Sigurdsson. At this time in Norwegian history it was extremely common for ...

Magnus V of Norway Magnus Erlingsson (, 1156 – 15 June 1184), also known as Magnus V, was a king of Norway during the civil war era in Norway. He helped to establish primogeniture in royal succession in Norway. King Magnus was killed in the Battle of Fimreite in ...

died in battle. ;1185 * Autumn – The (Kuvlungene) rises up in revolt in

Viken Viken may refer to: *Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region *Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020 *Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden *Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the Göta canal *IF Viken, ...

. Their leader, Jon Kuvlung, was a former monk and was claimed to be the son of Inge Krokrygg. * Birth of

Inge II of Norway Inge is a given name in various Germanic language-speaking cultures. In Swedish and Norwegian, it is mostly used as a masculine, but less often also as a feminine name, sometimes as a short form of Ingeborg, while in Danish, Estonian, Frisian, G ...

, king (died

1217 Year 1217 ( MCCXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events Fifth Crusade * Summer – Various groups of French knights reach the Italian ports. King Andrew II of Hungary arrives with his army in Split, i ...

). ;1188 *

26 January Events Pre-1600 * 661 – The Rashidun Caliphate is effectively ended with the assassination of Ali, the last caliph. *1531 – The 6.4–7.1 Lisbon earthquake kills about thirty thousand people. * 1564 – The Council of Trent ...

– Death of Saint

, archbishop (born c. 1120). *

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...

– The revolt ends. * Death of Jon Kuvlung, pretender to the crown.

1190–1200

;1194 *

3 April Events Pre-1600 * 686 – Maya king Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' assumes the crown of Calakmul. *1043 – Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. * 1077 – The Patriarchate of Friûl, the first Friulian state, is created. * 1 ...

–

Battle of Florvåg The Battle of Florvåg () was a naval battle that was fought on 3 April 1194 between King Sverre of Norway, Sverre Sigurdsson, leader of the Birkebeiner party, and Sigurd Magnusson, the Eyjarskeggjar party pretender. Although there had been previou ...

. Sigurd Magnusson, nobleman (born ), died in battle.

References

{{Reflist Centuries in Norway