Sturla Sighvatsson (
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 ...
: ;
Modern Icelandic
Icelandic ( ; , ) is a North Germanic language from the Indo-European language family spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national language. Since it is a West Scandinavian language, it ...
: ; 1199 – 21 August 1238) was an
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
ic chieftain or ''
goði'' of the
Sturlungar family clan who played an active role in the armed conflicts in Iceland during the
Age of the Sturlungs (Icelandic: ''Sturlungaöld'').
Sturla was the son of
Sighvatur Sturluson, brother of saga-writer
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
and lived on a farmstead in
Sauðafell. Like his uncle, Sturla became a vassal to 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 ...
, and fought to extend his influence in
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
. Sturla was killed in the
Battle of Örlygsstaðir.
[ ]
See also
*
Sauðafell Raid
References
1199 births
1238 deaths
13th-century Icelandic people
Military personnel killed in action
Sturlungar family clan
Goðar
{{iceland-bio-stub