Vidkunn Erlingsson

Vidkunn Erlingsson (* around 1255, † May 1, 1302 ) was a Norwegian knight, later probably a baron.

His father was the feudal man Erling Ivarsson (mentioned in documents in 1263 and 1264). The mother is unknown. After August 20, 1291, he married Gyrid Andresdatter († 1323), daughter of Baron Andres Gregoriusson (mentioned in a document in 1273).

Vidkunn came from the Bjarkø family, a family of large landowners. A number of Norway's most powerful personalities in the Middle Ages descended from him. Even if he was not as important as his brother Bjarne Erlingsson , he was a member of the highest imperial aristocracy in the latter part of the High Middle Ages. Her father took part in Håkon Håkonsson's military expedition to Scotland in 1263 .

His wife Gyrid belonged to the Ståreims family on the Nordfjord and thus related to the royal family. He needed a papal dispensation for the marriage because he had previously had "improper association" with a third cousin of Gyrid. The proposal to the Pope also states that marriage should end the enmity between its sexes.

The only known child from this marriage is Erling Vidkunson . But it is believed that he still had an illegitimate son; because in 1347 he referred to Ragna Jonsdatter as his relative, from which it was concluded that her father was a son of Vidkunn.

He is first mentioned in the sources in 1281, when he appeared as a witness in the Roxburgh marriage contract between King Erik and the Scottish Princess Margrete Aleksandersdotter. He remained hostage in Scotland until the marriage was consummated. This suggests that he was young and without a leadership position in government. But he was already a knight. In 1284 he went to Scotland with his brother Bjarne as King Erik's ambassador to renew the Perth Peace Treaty of 1269. In the following year, he was named as a member of the Royal Imperial Council in a power of attorney to Norwegian envoys to Norway and Denmark.

He took part in the offensive policy against Denmark, which was re-initiated in 1286. The aim was to enforce the inheritance claims of Ingeborg, widow of the late King Magnus lagabætir, which had been granted to her in Denmark. In 1295 Vidkunn was the sixth in a string of 20 guarantors of the armistice between Norway and Denmark. He also took part in the 1300 campaign of revenge against Denmark.

From the order of the document witnesses in later documents, where he was further promoted, it is concluded that he has acquired the title of baron. If that's correct, he was one of the last to hold that title. He was also one of the first to receive the title "Knight". As an adviser to King Erik and later to Konig Håkon, Vidkunn played a major political role at a time when the advisory body began to institutionalize itself as the “Royal Imperial Council”.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Opsahl writes that the date May 1, 1302 can be found in the Icelandic annals. But both the Flatey-annáll and Oddveria annáll only name the year. There is no source for the birthday and it should be appreciated by him.
2. ↑ Papal dispensation in Diplomatarium Norvegicum Vol. 1 No. 79. (Latin)
3. ^ Letter from King Erik in Diplomatarium Norvegicum, Vol. 19, No. 311. (Latin)

literature

• Erik Opsahl: Article “Vidkunn Erlingsson” in: Norsk biografisk leksinkon , accessed on April 25, 2011.