The Eyjarskeggjar (in modern Norwegian: ''Øyskjeggene'') were a Norse rebel group during the Norwegian Civil War that supported the claim of

Sigurd Magnusson Sigurd Magnusson ( 1180 – 3 April 1194) was a Norwegian nobleman who campaigned against King Sverre of Norway during the Civil war era in Norway. Background Sigurd Magnusson was the son of King Magnus Erlingsson and Gyrid Aslaksdatter. Sigu ...

to the throne. In the spring of 1193,

Harald Maddadsson Harald Maddadsson (Old Norse: ''Haraldr Maddaðarson'', Gaelic: ''Aralt mac Mataid'') (c. 1134 – 1206) was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206. He was the son of Matad, Mormaer of Atholl, and Margaret, daughter ...

Jarl of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the N ...

approved the banding together of men from

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

and

Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

to oppose the rule of King

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 ...

. The name ''eyjarskeggjar'' means "island beards," reflecting their origin in the

Northern Isles The Northern Isles (; ; ) are a chain (or archipelago) of Island, islands of Scotland, located off the north coast of the Scottish mainland. The climate is cool and temperate and highly influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main is ...

. The leaders of the Eyjarskeggjar were Hallkjell Jonsson, who was married to Ragnhild, daughter of

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 ...

; Harald's brother-in-law Olav Jarlsmåg; and Olav's foster-son Sigurd, the teenaged son of King

Magnus V 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 ...

.''

Sverris saga ''Sverris saga'' is one of the Kings' sagas. Its subject is King Sverre Sigurdsson of Norway (r. 1177–1202) and it is the main source for this period of Norwegian history. As the foreword tells us, the saga in its final form consists of mo ...

'' By summer, Sigurd's supporters had captured

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, ...

, and in autumn, Sigurd's uncle, , joined the Eyjarskeggjar. The Eyjarskeggjar confronted Sverre and his

Birkebeiner The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar (; (nynorsk) or (bokmål)) was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla. The name has its origins in propaganda from the establ ...

supporters at the

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 ...

in April 1194 and were decisively defeated. Sigurd, Olav, and Hallkjell were all killed, effectively ending opposition to Sverre. Harald travelled to Bergen to disavow the Eyjarskeggjar, which allowed him to remain Jarl of Orkney and Caithness, although Sverre removed Shetland from his jarldom.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyjarskeggjar Civil wars in Norway Conflicts in 1194 1194 in Europe 12th century in Norway