Age of the Sturlungs

TheAge of the Sturlungsor theSturlung Era(Icelandic:Sturlungaöld[ˈstʏ(r)tluŋkaˌœlt]) was a 42–44 year period of violent internal strife in mid-13th centuryIceland.It is documented in theSturlunga saga.This period is marked by the conflicts of local chieftains,goðar,who amassed followers and fought wars, and is named for theSturlungs,the most powerful family clan in Iceland at the time. The era led to the signing of theOld Covenant,which brought Iceland under the Norwegian crown.

Goðar[edit]

In theIcelandic Commonwealth,power was mostly in the hands of thegoðar(local chieftains). Iceland was effectively divided intofarthings(quarters). Within each farthing were nineGoði-dominions ("Goðorð"). The North farthing had an additional three dominions because of its size. All in all there were 39Goðorð.

TheGoði-chieftains protected the farmers in their territory and exacted compensation or vengeance if their followers' rights were violated. In exchange, the farmers pledged their support to theGoði,both by voting in his favor in theAlþingiparliament and (if needed) by taking up arms against his enemies. The powers of theGoði-chieftains, however, were neither permanent nor inherited. This status came about by a combination of respect, honour, influence and wealth. The chieftains had to demonstrate their qualities as leaders, either by giving gifts to their followers or by holding great feasts. If the chieftain was seen as failing in any respect, his followers could simply choose another, more qualifiedGoðito support.

The greatest chieftains of the 12th and 13th century started amassing great wealth and subsuming lesser dominions. Power in the country had consolidated within the grasp of a few family clans. They were:

At this time,Hákon the Old,King of Norway, was trying to extend his influence in Iceland. Many Icelandic chieftains became hisvassalsand were obliged to do his bidding. In exchange they received gifts, followers and a status of respect. Consequently, the greatest Icelandic chieftains were soon affiliated with the King of Norway in one way or the other.

History[edit]

Rise of the Sturlungs[edit]

The Age of the Sturlungs began in 1220, whenSnorri Sturluson,chieftain of theSturlungar family clanand one of the greatIcelandic sagawriters, became a vassal ofHaakon IV of Norway.^[1]The king insisted that Snorri help him bring Iceland under the sovereignty of Norway. Snorri returned home, and although he soon became the country's most powerful chieftain, he did little to enforce the king's will. According to one historian, "we do not know whether [Snorri's] inactivity was due to lack of will or his conviction that the case was hopeless".^[2]

In 1235, Snorri's nephewSturla Sighvatssonalso accepted vassalage under the king. Sturla was more aggressive: he sent his uncle back to Norway and started warring with the chieftains who refused to accept the king's demands. However, Sturla and his father Sighvatur were soundly defeated byGissur Þorvaldsson,the chief of the Haukdælir, andKolbeinn the young,chief of the Ásbirnings, inÖrlygsstaðirinSkagafjörður.TheBattle of Örlygsstaðirwas the largest armed conflict in the history of Iceland— Sturla had 1,000 armed men, and Gissur and Kolbeinn the young had 1,200 armed men. More than 50 people were killed. After this victory, Gissur and Kolbeinn became the most powerful chieftains in the country.

Snorri Sturluson returned home to Iceland, having fallen out of favor with the king because of his support for Earl Skúli in an attempted coup. Gissur Þorvaldsson, also a vassal of the Norwegian king, received instructions to assassinate Snorri. In 1241, Gissur went with many men to Snorri's home and murdered him. Snorri's last words are said to have been "Eigi skal höggva!"(English:"Do not strike!").

An illustration of Hákon, King of Norway, andSkule Bårdsson,fromFlateyjarbók

In 1236,Þórður kakali Sighvatsson(the nicknamekakaliprobably means "The Stutterer" ), Snorri's brother, returned home to Iceland from abroad. He had cause for vengeance, for his brothers and father had fallen in the Battle of Örlygsstaðir. He soon showed himself to be a formidable tactician and leader. Four years later, the rule of the Ásbirnings was effectively over, after fierce battles with Þórður. TheBattle of the Gulf(1244 – the only naval battle in Icelandic history with Icelanders on both sides) and theBattle of Haugsnes(1246 – the bloodiest battle in Icelandic history with about 110 fatalities) both took place during this period.

Þórður kakali and Gissur Þorvaldsson, however, did not fight each other. Both were vassals of the king of Norway, and they appealed to him as dispute mediator. The king decided in favor of Þórður and from 1247 to 1250 Þórður ruled Iceland almost alone. He died in Norway in 1256.

End of the commonwealth[edit]

In 1252, the king sent Gissur to Iceland. The followers of Þórður kakali were displeased and tried to kill him byburning his residenceinSkagafjörður.Despite his influence and power, Gissur was unable to find the leader of the arsonists and was forced to return to Norway in 1254 to bear the censure of the king, who was displeased with his failure in bringing Iceland under the Norwegian throne.

Minor conflicts continued throughout Iceland. Meanwhile, Gissur was given the title ofJarland sent home to negotiate. Only when the king had sent his special emissary, Hallvarður gullskór ( "Goldenshoes" ), did the Icelanders agree on Norwegian kingship. The commonwealth came to an end with the signing of theGamli sáttmáli( "Old Covenant" ) agreement in 1264.

References[edit]

^Note, however, Sverrir Jakobsson's hesitancy in referring to the Sturlungar as an outright kinsgroup (Sverrir Jakobsson,Auðnaróðal,p. 122).
^Karlsson, Gunnar (2000).The History of Iceland.p.80.

Björn Þorsteinsson:Íslensk miðaldasaga,2. útg., Sögufélagið, Rvk. 1980.
Byock, Jesse L.:Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power,University of California Press, USA 1990.
Gunnar Karlsson: “Frá þjóðveldi til konungsríkis",Saga Íslands II,ed. Sigurður Líndal, Hið íslenzka bókmenntafélag, Sögufélagið, Reykjavík 1975.
”Goðar og bændur”, s. 5–57,Saga X,Sögufélagið, Reykjavík 1972.
Sverrir Jakobsson:Auðnaróðal. Baráttan um Ísland 1096-1281,Reykjavík: Sögufélag, 1980.
Vísindavefurinn: Hvað var Sturlungaöld?Archived2012-02-07 at theWayback Machine

[1] Note, however, Sverrir Jakobsson's hesitancy in referring to the Sturlungar as an outright kinsgroup (Sverrir Jakobsson,Auðnaróðal,p. 122).

[2] Karlsson, Gunnar (2000).The History of Iceland.p.80.

[1]

[2]

v t e Age of the Sturlungs
Family clans	Sturlungar Ásbirningar Oddaverjar Haukdælir Vatnsfirðingar Svínfellingar
Goði chieftains	Snorri Sturluson Sighvatr Sturluson Sturla Sighvatsson Þórður kakali Sighvatsson Sturla Þórðarson Gissur Þorvaldsson Kolbeinn ungi Arnórsson Brandur Kolbeinsson Eyjólfur ofsi Þorsteinsson
Battles and conflicts	Battle of Víðines(1208) Battle of Örlygsstaðir(1238) Battle of the Gulf(1244) Battle of Haugsnes(1246) Flugumýri Arson(1253)
Politics	Haakon IV of Norway Hallvarður gullskór Vassalage Old Covenant Icelandic Commonwealth Jarldom Alþingi Goðorð

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Goðar[edit]

History[edit]

Rise of the Sturlungs[edit]

End of the commonwealth[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]