Erling Skjalgsson
Encyclopedia
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
political leader of the late 10th and early 11th century. He has been commonly seen as this period's foremost defender of the historic Norwegian social system. Erling fought for the traditional small, autonomous kingdoms and the þing system, against the reformists of the Fairhair family line.
Background
According to the Norwegian-Icelandic saga tradition Erling Skjalgsson belonged to one of the most prominent clans in western Norway. He lived on the farm SolaSola
Sola is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren. The old municipality of Håland was divided into Sola and Madla in 1930....
in Nord-Jæren
Jæren
Jæren is a traditional district in the county of Rogaland. The others are Dalane, Ryfylke and Haugalandet.Jæren is the largest flat lowland area in Norway, stretching from the municipality of Randaberg in the north to Hå in the south. The coast is flat compared to the rest of the Norwegian coast,...
. His sister was married to Sigurd Toresson, an important chief in Trondenes
Trondenes
Trondenes is a parish and a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located along the Vågsfjorden in the present-day municipality of Harstad. Trondenes includes the majority of the island of Grytøya and part of the island of Hinnøya as well as some smaller islands...
and the brother of Tore Hund
Tore Hund
right|thumb|Tore HundTore Hund was one of the greatest chiefs in Hålogaland. Tore Hund was one of the leaders of the Stiklestad peasant faction opposing Norwegian King Olaf II of Norway. Tore was reported to have been among the chieftains who killed Norway's Patron Saint in the Battle of...
of Bjarkøy
Bjarkøy
Bjarkøy is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bjarkøy. The municipality is spread across several smaller islands, the biggest being the northern side of Grytøya...
.
Erling was established as a political front figure by the farmers of Gulaþing. They demanded that he be married to Olav Tryggvason's sister Astrid Tryggvesdatter, the daughter of Tryggve Olavsson, king of Viken
Viken
Viken was the historical name for the district in southeastern Norway, including the area surrounding the Oslofjord and Skagerrak, the strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark.-History:...
. Astrid initially refused but later agreed only after strong pressure from his brother. Erling Skjalgsson was baptized and was married to Astrid during the summer of year 996. Erling thus became an important ally during the remaining four years of King Olav's reign. Olav awarded Erling all the land between the Sognefjord
Sognefjord
The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...
and Lindesnes
Lindesnes
Lindesnes is a municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway. Lindesnes was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the older municipalities of Spangereid, Sør-Audnedal, and Vigmostad....
to rule.
Career
After the Battle of SvolderBattle of Svolder
The Battle of Svolder was a naval battle fought in September 999 or 1000 in the western Baltic Sea between King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway and an alliance of his enemies...
resulted in the defeat of Olav Tryggvason, the victorious leaders split Norway into three areas of control. The three-way rule of Norway during these years suited Erling well. His own power base was strong enough that he could maintain his own autonomy. However in 1015, the relative stability of this arrangement was effected by the arrival of Olav Haraldsson
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
. In 1016 at the Battle of Nesjar
Battle of Nesjar
Battle of Nesjar was a sea battle off the coast of Norway in 1016. It was a primary event in the reign of King Olav Haraldsson . Sigvatr Þórðarson composed the poem Nesjavísur in memory of the battle....
, Erling fought against Olav Haraldsson in Svein jarl's losing forces. Afterward Olav Haraldsson was forced to form an uneasy alliance with Erling Skjalgsson. The settlement was arranged with Erling having to accept lesser terms than had been granted him by either Olav Tryggvason or Svein jarl.
However, Erling kept enforcing his power on the western coast of Norway from Rogaland extending further north, presumably to Sogn
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway . It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjord. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers ...
. King Olav tried to split his powers by introducing new local nobles, but these were quickly pushed out by Erling's traditional clout. In 1022, the king arrested Erling's sister's son, Asbjørn Selsbane, for murder. Erling replied by raising a 1,000-man army and circling the king at Avaldsnes
Avaldsnes
Avaldsnes was an ancient centre of power on the west coast of Norway and is the site of one of Norway’s more important areas of cultural history...
. King Olav gave in and released the nephew. However this episode damaged the relationship between the two men. During 1027, Erling traveled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to seek the support of Canute the Great
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
.
Erling returned during autumn in 1028 and rallied an army with the intention to fight Olav. However as his army was shipborne, Erling was trapped on a single ship by King Olav's fleet in the Battle of Boknafjorden
Boknafjord
The Boknafjord is a Norwegian fjord located in the county of Rogaland, between the cities Stavanger and Haugesund. The fjord is shared between the municipalities of Kvitsøy, Rennesøy, Finnøy, Tysvær, Bokn and Karmøy....
near Bokn
Bokn
Bokn is a municipality in the Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland. Bokn was separated from Skudenes in 1849....
in Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
. The ship was overwhelmed, Erling was captured and his ship was cleared. Just as Olav was set to pardon him, Erling himself was killed by Aslak Fitjaskalle, from Fitjar
Fitjar
Fitjar is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. The municipality covers the northern part of the island of Stord and surrounding islands, while the municipality of Stord covers the southern part of the island.-History:...
in Sunnhordland
Sunnhordland
Sunnhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, consisting of the southern, coastal regions of the county of Hordaland, from the mouth of the Hardangerfjord and outwards to the Atlantic Ocean...
, who cleaved Erling's head with an axe.
According to Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, King Olav said to the killer, You fool! Now you hewed Norway off my hands!. The king's prediction turned true. Backed by Canute the Great
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
, Erling's allies went on to drive Olav out of the country, and then finally kill him at the Battle of Stiklestad
Battle of Stiklestad
The Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway was killed. He was later canonized...
in 1030.
Personal life
Erling and Astrid were the parents of several children:- Ragnhild Erlingsdatter (992)
- Aslak Erlingsson (997)
- Skjalg Erlingsson (999)
- Sigurd Erlingsson (1001)
- Lodin Erlingsson (1003)
- Tore Erlingsson (1003)
- Gertrud Erlingsdatter (1006)
Erling's daughter Ragnhild Erlingsdatter was married to Torberg Arnesson of Giske
Giske
Giske is an island and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It lies north-northwest of the town of Ålesund in the Sunnmøre traditional district. The municipal center is the village of Nordstrand on the island of Valderøy. Other population centers include the villages of Roald and...
, the brother of Finn Arnesson
Finn Arnesson
Finn Arnesson was a Norwegian nobleman and advisor to both King Olaf II of Norway and King Harald III of Norway and later served King Sweyn II of Denmark...
. They had a daughter, Tora Torbergsdatter
Tora Torbergsdatter
Tora Torbergsdatter was a Norwegian royal consort. She was the mother of two kings of Norway. It is possible, but unconfirmed, that she was also queen of Denmark and Sweden....
, who was the second spouse of King Harald Hardråde. Tora became the mother of both King Olav Kyrre and King Magnus Haraldsson.