Knut Haakonsson (''Knut Håkonsson'',

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

''Knútr Hákonarson'') (c. 1208–1261) was a Norwegian nobleman and claimant to the throne during the

Civil war era in Norway The civil war era in Norway (, ''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. ...

Biography

Haakonsson was born the son of jarl

Haakon the Crazy Haakon the Crazy (Old Norse: ''Hákon galinn'', Norwegian: ''Håkon Galen'') was a Norwegian ''jarl'' and Birkebeiner chieftain during the civil war era in Norway. Håkon Galen was born no later than the 1170s and died in 1214. His epithet "the cra ...

(''Håkon Galen'') and Swedish noble-woman

Kristina Nilsdotter Kristina Nilsdotter Blake (died 1254), was a Swedish noblewoman. Kristina and her spouse were written of by poet Snorri Sturlasson, who visited them in 1219; they reportedly gave him valuable information for his writings. Kristina was the daughter ...

. In 1223 the archbishop of

Nidaros Nidaros, Niðarós or Niðaróss () was the medieval name of Trondheim when it was the capital of Norway's first Christian kings. It was named for its position at the mouth (Old Norse: ''óss'') of the River Nid (the present-day Nidelva). Althou ...

stated in a council of the realm that it was known by all that Knut was the lawfully begotten heir of

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

Haakon the Crazy, perhaps implying that he would have inherited the title of earl possibly of

Värmland Värmland () is a ''Provinces of Sweden, landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Name Several Latinized version ...

which his grandfather had held. In 1226, upon the death of

Sigurd Ribbung Sigurd Erlingsson Ribbung (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr ribbungr'') (died 1226) was a Norwegian nobleman and pretender to the throne of Norway during the civil war era in Norway. Biography Sigurd Erlingsson's father was Erling Steinvegg, who claimed to ...

, Knut was chosen as the new pretender of the Ribbung party. The Ribbunger forces were soon beaten militarily. Knut resigned his pretender crown and made peace with King

Haakon IV of Norway Haakon IV Haakonsson ( – 16 December 1263; ; ), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his namesake son, was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 years, longer than any Norwegian king since Harald Fairhair. Haak ...

in 1227. He subsequently married Ingrid, a daughter of jarl Skule Baardsson, who had a form of power sharing with King Haakon. Tensions between Skule Baardsson and King Haakon existed and in an effort to facilitate a compromise, Skule was given the title

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

in 1237. However, Skule rose to open revolt in 1239 and tried to win Knut over to his side. Knut rejected Skule's advances and remained loyal to King Haakon, who subsequently elevated him to jarl. Skule's rebellion met an unsuccessful end in 1240 and the duke was killed. After Skule's death, no one was able to challenge King Haakon's position in Norway. For the rest of his life, Knut retained the title of jarl, which formally made him the highest ranking man in the country after the king and his sons. Whether he held much real power over affairs of state is doubtful. In September 1261, he carried the crown at the coronation ceremony of Haakon's son, King

Magnus VI of Norway Magnus the Lawmender (1 or 3 May 1238 – 9 May 1280), also known as Magnus Haakonsson, was King of Norway from 1263 to 1280. One of his greatest achievements was the modernisation and nationalisation of the Norwegian law-code. He was the first ...

. Later that same year, Knut died and was buried in

Bergen Cathedral Bergen Cathedral () is a cathedral in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin as well as the seat of the "Bergen domkirke" parish and the seat of the Bergen domprosti (arch-deanery). It ...

Historic Prospective

References

Other sources

*Vigfusson, Gudbrand (editor) ''

Sturlunga Saga ''Sturlunga saga'' (often called simply ''Sturlunga'') is a collection of Icelandic Norse saga, sagas by various authors from the 12th and 13th centuries; it was assembled in about 1300, in Old Norse. It mostly deals with the story of the Sturlun ...

'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1878) * Koht, Halvdan ''The Scandinavian Kingdoms until the end of the thirteenth century'' (Cambridge University Press. 1929) *Hartvedt, Gunnar Hagen ''

Bergen Byleksikon ''Bergen Byleksikon'' is an encyclopedia which covers the city of 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 ...

'' (Bergen, Norway: 1994) {{DEFAULTSORT:Knut Haakonsson 1200s births 1261 deaths Norwegian earls Pretenders to the Norwegian throne 13th-century Norwegian nobility Norwegian people of Swedish descent