Folkvid the Lawspeaker
Encyclopedia
Folkvid was the lawspeaker
of Värmland
during the last half of the 12th century. He is only known from the so-called Bagler sagas
, where he is only mentioned by virtue of his marriage to Cecilia, the bastard daughter of the Norwegian king Sigurd Munn. The marriage was arranged by the earl
Erling Skakke
and it was annulled in 1184 by the archbishop of Nidaros, on the initiative of Cecilia's half-brother, king Sverre I of Norway.
He was the father of Haakon the Crazy
, an earl
whose son was a claimant for the Norwegian throne.
Most Swedish historians have refused to accept the historical existence of Folkvid, which probably is due to lack of information in the poor Swedish sources from the time.
Lawspeaker
A lawspeaker is a unique Scandinavian legal office. It has its basis in a common Germanic oral tradition, where wise men were asked to recite the law, but it was only in Scandinavia that the function evolved into an office...
of Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
during the last half of the 12th century. He is only known from the so-called Bagler sagas
Bagler sagas
The Bagler Sagas are kings' sagas relating to events in Norway from 1202 to 1217. They are our main source to events in Norway in this period...
, where he is only mentioned by virtue of his marriage to Cecilia, the bastard daughter of the Norwegian king Sigurd Munn. The marriage was arranged by the earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
Erling Skakke
Erling Skakke
Erling Skakke was a Norwegian Jarl during the 12th century. He was the father of Magnus V, who reigned as King of Norway from 1161 to 1184....
and it was annulled in 1184 by the archbishop of Nidaros, on the initiative of Cecilia's half-brother, king Sverre I of Norway.
He was the father of Haakon the Crazy
Haakon the Crazy
Håkon the Crazy was a Norwegian earl and Birkebeiner chieftain during the civil war era in Norway. He was born no later than the 1170s and died in 1214...
, an earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
whose son was a claimant for the Norwegian throne.
Most Swedish historians have refused to accept the historical existence of Folkvid, which probably is due to lack of information in the poor Swedish sources from the time.