Håkon Håkonsson (1204 - 1263)

Born 1204 in Bergen, Hordaland, Norway

Ancestors

Husband of Margrete Skulesdatter — married 25 May 1225 in Bergen, Hordaland, Norway

Descendants

Died 16 Dec 1263 at about age 59 in Orkney Islands, Ireland

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Biography

Håkon IV Håkonsson was a member of the aristocracy in Europe.

Håkon IV Håkonsson, (Old Norse: Hákon Hákonarson; Norwegian: Håkon Håkonsson) king from 1217 to 1263. He was allegedly illegitimate son of King Håkon Sverresson and Inga from Varteig. After his father's death in 1204, he was recognized by the Birkebeiner king Inge Bårdsson as prince and nurtured by his court. By Inge's death Håkon was king of the Øreting assembly in 1217. The earl Skule Bårdsson, half-brother of King Inge, also had the right to inherit the throne and was Håkon's guardian.

His reign lasted for 46 years, longer than any Norwegian king since Harald I. Håkon was born into the troubled civil war era in Norway, but his reign eventually managed to put an end to the internal conflicts. At the start of his reign, during his youth, his later rival Earl Skule Bårdsson served as regent. As a king of the birkebeiner faction, Håkon defeated the uprising of the final bagler royal pretender, Sigurd Ribbung, in 1227. He put a definitive end to the civil war era when he had Skule Bårdsson killed in 1240, a year after he (Skule) had himself proclaimed king in opposition to Håkon. Håkon thereafter formally appointed his own son as his co-regent.

That same year Bagler King Filip died, most baglerhøvdingene "followers" recognized Håkon as king, but some malcontents left the country (see Ribbung) and created turmoil at Uplands for several years, until their chief Knut earl surrendered in 1227.

Håkon is depicted in a extensive saga of his own, Hákonar saga gamla, penned by Icelander Sturla Þórðarson, nephew of the great saga writer Snorre Sturlusson.

Håkon had two illegitimate children with his mistress Kanga the Young (who is only known by name) before 1225. They were:

• Sigurd (died 1252).
• Cecilia (died 1248). Married lendmann Gregorius Andresson, a nephew of the last bagler king Filip Simonsson in 1241. Widowed in 1246, she married Harald Olafsson, King of Man and the Isles, in 1248. They both drowned the same year on the return voyage to Great Britain.

Håkon married Margrete Skulesdatter, the daughter of Skule Bårdsson, on 25 May 1225. Their children were:

• Olav (born 1226). Died in infancy.
• Håkon the Young (1232–1257). Married Rikissa Birgersdotter, daughter of the Swedish statesman Earl Birger in 1251. He was appointed king and co-ruler by his father in 1240, but predeceased his father.
• Kristin (1234–1262). Married Infante Philip of Castile, brother of Alfonso X of Castile in 1258. She died childless.
• Magnus VI of Norway (1238–1280). Married Ingeborg, daughter of Eric IV of Denmark in 1261. Was appointed king and co-ruler following the death of Håkon the Young. Succeeded his father as King of Norway following his father's death.

During his reign, king Håkon had erected Håkonshallen, a royal hall in Bergen, and Avaldsnes church (with an associated royal hall, discovered in 2017) on Karmøy in Rogaland.

Note

Baglers is the name of the members of one of the groups that fought in the civil wars in Norway. They were King Sverre's most dangerous opponents. The name is related to Old Norse bagall (Irish bachall from Latin baculus) which means bispestav. Baglerflokken was organized in 1196 and was led by Bishop Nicholas Arnesson in Oslo together with archbishop Eirik Ivarsson who was exiled in Denmark . They had several other bishops among his followers, but much also suggests that many priests remained loyal to King Sverre. The reason that Baglers got such power was partly because they gathered a lot of King Sverre's local opponents, particularly the people of Viken.

Sources

• Hákonar saga hákonarsonar
• Soga about BIRKEBEINER and Baglar, ed. H. Magerøy, Norse texts 5, 2 bd., 1988
• sturlunga saga
• Matthaei Parisiensis chronica majora, ed. HR Luard, Rerum Britannicarum medii *AEVI Scriptor 57, 7 vol., London 1872-1883 (retrained. 1964)
• NGL, Vol. 1
• RN, Vol. 1-2
• NFH, part 3-4, 1857-1858
• HE Kinch: heyday, 1922
• H. Koht: "Earl Skule", in HT, rk. 5, vol. 5, 1924
• ds: "Um source because creating for soga um Hakon Håkonsson" in HT, rk. 5, vol. 6, 1927
• E. Bull they: biography in NBL1, Vol. 5, 1931
• N. Bjørgo: "About font physician sources Hakone saga", in HT, Vol. 46, 1967
• ds: "Hakon Håkonssøn legacy", in Soga 1968, pp. 240-249
• K. Helle: kings and great men in Norwegian national control approximately 1150-1319, 1972
• ds: Norway is a state 1130-1319, Handbook in Norwegian history, Vol. 3, 1974
• ds: During church and monarchy 1130-1350, Vol. 3 in ANH, 1995
• N. Bjørgo: "800-1536. Power - and powerlessness "in Norwegian foreign policy history, Vol. 1, 1995
• S. Bagge: From Gang Leader to the Lord's anointed. Kingship in Sverris saga and Hakone saga Hákonarson, Odense 1996
• https://snl.no/H%C3%A5kon_4_H%C3%A5konsson%2Fden_gamle
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haakon_IV_of_Norway