Håkon Galen

Håkon Galen , Håkon Folkvidsson Galen, (* around 1170 ; † 1214 in Bergen ) was a Norwegian Jarl .

His parents were the Lagmann in Värmland Folkvid (mentioned 1181–1184) and his wife Cecilia Sigurdsdatter (around 1150/55 - after 1185).

In the winter of 1205 he married Kristin Nilsdotter († 1254), daughter of Nils Blaka and his wife Katarina Eriksdotter. He was the grandson of Sigurd Munn (1133–1155) and the nephew of King Sverre Sigurdsson (around 1150–1202), half brother of Inge Bårdsson († 1217) and father of Jarl Knut Håkonsson (around 1206–1261), a Norwegian - Swedish rival king.

Håkon Galen was ruler of Norway for half a year for King Guttorm Sigurdsson, who was still a minor . He was also the heir to the throne after his death, but had to stand behind his half-brother Inge Bårdsson. He had a reputation for being a capable military leader, but his nickname "Galen" (the madman) suggests that his contemporaries viewed him as resistant to advice and unrestrained. He is first mentioned in the Hirð King Sverre Sigurdsson. He took part in the battles against the Baglers and the Øyskjeggene on the side of the Birkebeiner . The sources do not reveal what special role he played under King Sverre and his successor Håkon Sverresson . But when his nephew Guttorm Sigurdsson became king in 1204, Håkon Galen became Jarl and imperial administrator as guardian for the four-year-old Guttorm. This led to a power shift towards Håkon and his followers. When the baglers found out about this, they assumed that the Birkebeiner would now give them harder treatment, and many went abroad.

A new uprising arose under the bagler king Erling Steinvegg . While Håkon was mobilizing against this uprising, King Guttorm died in August 1204. Most of the chiefs of the Birkebeiner wanted Håkon to succeed him. There was, however, great resistance to this. When Håkon Sverreson died on January 1, 1204, rumors persisted that he had been poisoned and that his Swedish stepmother, Queen Margrete, was behind it. Queen Kristin's niece was suspected of having killed Guttorm. Håkon Galen had a close relationship with the two. He had helped the Queen get back to Sweden after Håkon Sverresson's death, and he married Kristin shortly after Guttorm's death. The archbishop spoke out against the choice of Håkon Galen, emphasizing the close relationship between Håkon and Kristin, who was a granddaughter of the Swedish King Erik the Holy . But the royal aristocracy wanted Håkon because of his military qualities. The peasant aristocracy, on the other hand, did not want a king of divine lineage. The dispute ended with his half-brother Inge Bårdsson becoming king, but Håkon becoming jarl and chief of the army and receiving half the king's income.

After Erling's death in 1207 and the peace of Kvitsøy in 1208 between Erling's successor Philipp Simonsson , King Inge and Håkan Galen, he received the area north of Dovre west of Langfjell. But that wasn't enough for him. He also wanted the title of king. King Inge opposed this vigorously. The church mediated again, and a comparison was made in 1212 that whoever survived the other should inherit his kingdom. After that, his marital heirs should become king. At the time, only Håkon had a legitimate son, Knut. Tensions between the two remained and Håkon was suspected of inciting the farmers of Trøndelag to revolt against Inge in 1213.

Håkon Galen died in 1214, and his widow Kristin Nilsdotter took her son Knut with him to Sweden and a little later married the lagman Eskil Magnusson, a brother of Birger Jarl .

Remarks

The article is essentially taken from the Norsk biografisk leksikon . Other information is shown separately.

1. ↑ "Folkvid" was the name of the lagman in Värmland in the second half of the 12th century. He is only known from the Bagler sagas, where he is only mentioned in connection with his marriage to Cecilia Sigurdsdatter, an illegitimate daughter of Sigurd Munn.
2. ↑ The " Øyskjeggene " were a small insurgent group in the civil war that had come from the Scottish islands and settled in the Oslofjord and in Bergen.

literature

• Knut Peter Lyche Arstad: Article “Håkon Galen” in: Norsk biografisk leksikon , accessed on October 20, 2010.
• Knut Helle: Under kirke og kongemakt 1130-1350. Aschehougs Norges history. Vol. 3. Oslo 1995.