Håkon II. (Norway)
Håkon Sigurdsson Herdebrei (= broad shoulder) (* 1147 ; † 7 July 1162 ) was King of Norway from 1159 until his death in 1162. He was only 15 years old.
The information about him come from the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson .
Håkon was the illegitimate son of Sigurd Munn with a maid. After his father Sigurd and his brother Øystein Haraldsson were killed by the third brother Inge Krogrygg , the supporters of the two murdered rallied around the young Håkon. In 1157 he was first elected king and in 1159 on the Øyrathing he was proclaimed king at the age of 12. The center of these trailers was in Trøndelag , in the Opplands and east of Oslo. This group continued the fight against Inge Krogrygg under the leadership of Sigurd Håvardsson. Most of them were people from families with no respect, as well as outlaws and small farmers from the border areas. When they moved south from Trøndelag, they first armed and pillaged Møre . Some localities organized spontaneous resistance against Håkon's robber gangs.
King Inge Krogrygg had his center of power in Vestland and in the Oslofjord. He himself did not lead his army because he was crippled and could hardly walk. But he had two military leaders: the impulsive Gregorius Dagsson and tactically experienced Erling Skakke . His army was actually superior to that of Håkon, but the two commanders quarreled in 1160 over the right strategy against Håkon. There was even an armed conflict, but Inge was initially able to settle the dispute. But only Gregorius followed the king east, Erling stayed behind. In a battle in Ranrike Gregorius went against the advice over frozen water, broke in and was fatally hit by an arrow. A short time later, Inge himself took over command of the army. But inexperienced as he was, he was killed.
Against all odds, the young Håkon Herdebrei was the only surviving prince as the winner. All the other crown pretenders, younger illegitimate sons of his father, were in his following. He was honored as king at the Øyrathing and Sigurd Håvardsson was made Jarl .
A year later the supporters of Inge Krogrygg and Gregorius gathered around Erling Skakke for resistance. He had at least as much power as Håkon, if not more. However, he lacked the legitimation to rule. But he had a son, Magnus Erlingsson, who was fit for royalty through his wife Kristin, the only legitimate child of King Sigurd Jórsalafari . Since both the mother and Magnus were born in wedlock, the Church supported Magnus. So Magnus was honored as king in Bergen in 1161 at the age of 5. Then Erling Skakke moved to Denmark to get help from King Waldemar for his support .
The next summer he moved north with a large force. Håkon and Sigurd then gave up the Oslofjord and moved overland to Trøndelag. The next spring they called up the Leidang and took the fleet south. They made a stop near the market town of Veøya on the island of the same name in the Romsdalsfjord . There Håkon was surprised by Erling Skakke. Håkon and his followers fled in a panic in their ships and drove into the fjord to the island of Sekken . There was a disorderly battle there. For some reason, Håkon got on the wrong ship and in the confusion he was killed.
Erling Skakke won and moved to Trøndelag, where his son was honored as king on Øyrathing. Håkon's body was initially buried in Romsdal. Later, his supposed brother, King Sverre, came and took his body to Nidaros , where he buried it in a stone sarcophagus on the south side of the choir in the cathedral.
More recently, stone monuments have been placed on Sekken and Veøy to commemorate this battle.
Web links
- Håkon 2 Sigurdsson Herdebrei (Norwegian)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
|
Øystein II. Inge Krogrygg |
King of Norway 1159–1162 |
Magnus V. |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Håkon II. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sigurdsson, Håkon; Herd porridge |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | King of Norway |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1147 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Norway |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 7, 1162 |
| Place of death | Romsdalsfjord |