Magnus III. (Norway)

Magnus hangs the insurgent Jarl Egil, depiction by Wilhelm Wetlesen ( Heimskringla , 1899)

Magnus Barefoot (Old Norse Magnús Óláfsson berfœttr ; Norwegian Magnus Berrføtt ; English Magnus Barefoot or Barelegs ; * around 1073 ; † August 24, 1103 ) was the son of King Olav Kyrre and as Magnus III. King of Norway .

True to the scheme of the Heimskringla's saga authors that a warlike king is followed by a peaceful king, and a peaceful king is followed by a warlike one, Magnus is shown to be particularly bellicose. Nevertheless, this representation should apply to him. There is no sure explanation for the nickname. Snorri explains that after a campaign in Scotland he adopted Scottish fashion and walked with bare legs and in a kilt . This explanation is wrong, however, as the kilt can only be found in Scotland about 100 years after his death. It is probable that the Irish tunic, which was customary at the time, was adopted, which did not reach deeper than the knee, while the Norwegian tunic usually reached to the ankles. During his lifetime he was nicknamed Sryrjaldar-Magnus , which means "War Magnus".

In 1101 he married Margarethe Fredkulla , the daughter of his former enemy Inge Stenkilsson , the King of Sweden, and his wife Helena (Mö) Blotsven. This happened on the occasion of an Epiphany meeting between King Magnus of Norway, King Inge of Sweden and King Erik of Denmark in Kungälv , where a peace treaty was concluded.

Before his marriage, Magnus had waged war against the Swedish king on Gotland . Most of the military campaigns went west, first in 1098/1099 and then in 1102/1103. He subjugated the Orkneys , where the Jarle Páll and Erlendur were quarreling, and sent his son Sigurd to rule the Orkneys. Likewise, he subjugated the Faroe Islands , the Isle of Man and other islands, and made the Scottish king recognize that the islands west of Scotland were under Norwegian rule. With his wars - as with his ancestors - the war was supposed to be financed by looting and, if possible, to generate a surplus. During one of the typical beach raids in Northern Ireland in August 1103, they were surprised by a superior Irish force at Downpatrick , Ulster , when they were about to go home. The Irish had lured the Norwegians into a swampy area. In this fight Magnus fell.

He is buried in St. Patrick's Church in Demesne of Down, County Down . (Chronicle of Man: Sepultus est autem juxta ecclesiam Sancti Patricii in Dun. )

Snorri reports a saying from him that he considers significant. When his men reprimanded him for behaving carelessly on his campaigns, he is said to have replied: "One should have kingship for honor and not for a long life."

Magnus left four children: the sons Sigurd Barfot (Jorsalfari) , Olof Barfot , Øystein Barfot , whose mothers are unknown. He also had the daughter Ragnhild Barfot Magnusdotter from a Torah.

In Downpatrick the celebrations are from 26.-29. May the “Magnus Barelegs Viking Festival”.

See also : History of Norway

literature

• Claus Krag: Vikingtid og Rikssamling 800–1130. In: Aschehougs Norges history. Oslo 1995, ISBN 82-03-22015-0 .
• Beatrice La Farge: Magnus III: Barefoot . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 6, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1993, ISBN 3-7608-8906-9 , column 97 f.
• Gustaf Elgenstierna (Ed.) Den introducerade svenska adelns ättartavlor.

Web links

• Magnus III. Barefoot ( Memento from August 18, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) at medieval-genealogie.de

predecessor	Office	successor
Olav Kyrre	King of Norway 1093–1103	Sigurd Jorsalfare Øystein Magnusson Olaf Magnusson
Gottfried IV.	King of the Isle of Man 1095–1102	Lagman