King Haakon Haakonsson

Haakon Haakonsson (1217-1263), the grandson of Sverre Sigurdsson, was the longest reigning Norwegian monarch since Harald Hårfagre (Fairhair). In 1206, the Birkebeiners set off on a dangerous voyage through treacherous mountains and forests, taking the now two-year-old Haakon Haakonsson to safety in Trondheim. Norwegian history credits the Birkebeiners' bravery with preserving the life of the boy who later became King Haakon Haakonsson IV, ended the civil wars in 1240 and forever changed Northern Europe's history through his reign.

History of Haakon Haakonsson

The beginning of his reign was marked by unrest untill 1227 when the last uprisings came to an end with the peace between the Birkebein and the Ribbung party. There were also tense relations between Haakon and Earl Skule Bårdsson. Skule refused to give up his ambition of becoming king. Skule was granted the royal title by the «Øreting» assembly in Trøndelag in 1239 forcing Haakon to take up arms. Eventually, Skule sought refuge in the Elgeseter monastery, but Haakon’s «Birkebeiner» supporters set fire to the buildings. Skule was killed with swords when he had to escape from the flames.

Haakon secures peace

With Skule’s death, the civil wars came to an end. In keeping with the European ecclesiastical view of the monarchy, Haakon bypassed his oldest son as heir since he was born out of wedlock. Instead, he appointed his oldest legitimate son as his successor to the throne. The son in question was Magnus, who was later to be given the sobriquet Lawmender (Lagabøte).

Setting up base in Bergen

Having secured the church as his ally, Haakon was now able to focus his attention on foreign politics and issues of trade from his capital in Bergen. Haakon was the first king to secure a trade agreement with Lübeck. He also signed treaties with Novgorod and maintained the traditional commercial ties with England. Haakon put much effort into strengthening Norwegian hegemony in the North Sea islands. Towards the end of Haakon’s life Iceland and Greenland became Norwegian tributaries. Haakon’s Norwegian «empire» had now come to include the Orkneys, the Faeroe Islands, Shetland, the Hebrides, Iceland and Greenland. Nonetheless, the Norwegian focus in trade and foreign policies was increasingly being oriented towards the east and the south. This shift was to have grave consequences for the Norwegian monarchy.

Bergen History

History of Bryggen in Bergen