Sigurd II (Norway)

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Sigurd II. Haraldsson (* 1133 ; † June 10, 1155 ), called "Sigurd munn" because of his disfigured mouth, was King of Norway from 1136 to 1155 alongside his brother Inge Krogrygg . From 1142 his brother Øystein joined them. He was the illegitimate son of Harald Gille and his concubine Þora Guttormsdottir.

He grew up in Trøndelag and was proclaimed king at the age of four after his father was killed in bed in 1136. It was the time of the Norwegian Civil War.

At the beginning of his time as king, he had to defend himself against his rivals Sigurd Slembe and Magnus the Blind , who in turn claimed the royal dignity. Sigurd Slembe claimed to be the illegitimate son of Magnus berføtt . Magnus, whom Harald Gille had mutilated, was the illegitimate son of Sigurd Jorsalfari . The two were then killed in 1139 in the Battle of Holmengrå. The three brothers got along well as children. Tensions arose even during the guardianship of the Reichsrat. They were probably due to the respective advisors who pursued their domestic power interests through their respective kings. In 1153 the Archdiocese of Nidaros was created by Cardinal Breakspeare .

After Cardinal Breakspeare left for Sweden, tensions between the kings increased dramatically. King Inge Krogrygg learned of a plan by his fellow kings to depose him in the winter of 1154/1155 on the occasion of settlement negotiations. This led him to a preemptive strike against Sigurd in the summer of 1155 in Bergen. Sigurd was ambushed and slain.

literature

See also

predecessor Office successor
Harald IV. Gille King of Norway
1136–1155
Inge Krogrygg
Øystein Haraldsson