Magnus III of Norway
Magnus Barefoot , son of
Olaf Kyrre, was king of
Norway from 1093 until 1103 and King of the
Isle of Man from 1099 until 1102. His nickname
barfot or
berrftt means
barefoot or
bareleg and is commonly understood to come from his habit of wearing Gaelic-style clothing, leaving lower legs bare - this Scottish style is a precursor of later
kilts. According to another theory, he got the nickname because he was in the habit of walking barefoot, in the Irish style.
The period of peace during the reign of Magnus' father
Olaf III Kyrre came to an abrupt end when Magnus succeeded him in 1093.
Encyclopedia
Magnus Barefoot , son of
Olaf Kyrre, was king of
Norway from 1093 until 1103 and King of the
Isle of Man from 1099 until 1102. His nickname
barfot or
berrføtt means
barefoot or
bareleg and is commonly understood to come from his habit of wearing Gaelic-style clothing, leaving lower legs bare - this Scottish style is a precursor of later
kilts. According to another theory, he got the nickname because he was in the habit of walking barefoot, in the Irish style.
The period of peace during the reign of Magnus' father
Olaf III Kyrre came to an abrupt end when Magnus succeeded him in 1093. Magnus made war with
Sweden and
Denmark and sought to build a Norwegian empire around the
Irish Sea. In 1098, he conquered the
Orkney Islands, the
Hebrides and the
Isle of Man. Magnus returned to Norway in 1099 but in 1102 set out again, this time to conquer
Ireland. He captured
Dublin and the surrounding area. and the folllowing year, in 1103, attempted to capture the whole of Ireland. However, he was caught in an ambush and died in battle near
Downpatrick in what is now
Northern Ireland.
Magnus was married to Margareta , in 1101 at Kungahälla. They did not have surviving children. His extant sons at his death were Olaf Magnusson, Øystein Magnusson and Sigurd Magnusson who all together succeeded him. After his death, Harald Gille and
Sigurd Slembedjakn later came forward and both claimed to be his illegitimate sons . Harald Gille became king Harald IV of Norway in 1103.
Magnus's death set the stage for a period of civil war that would last until 1240, with Magnus' illegitimate sons and their descendants fighting for the throne.
See also
- List of Norwegian monarchs
External links
