Haakon Sigurdsson

Haakon Sigurdsson (

Old Norse: Hákon Sigurðarson [ˈhɑːˌkon ˈsiɣˌurðɑz̠ˌson], Norwegian: Håkon Sigurdsson; c. 937–995), known as Haakon Jarl (Old Norse: Hákon jarl), was the de facto ruler of Norway from about 975 to 995. Sometimes he is styled as Haakon the Powerful (Old Norse: Hákon jarl hinn ríki), though the Ágrip and Historia Norwegiæ

give the less flattering name Hákon Illi, that is, Haakon the Bad.

Background

Haakon was the son of

Hakon Jarl Runestones

in Sweden may refer to him.

Reign

Haakon became

jarl after his father was killed by King Harald Greycloak's men in 961. Haakon Jarl warred with King Harald for some time, until he was forced to flee to Denmark, where he conspired with Harald Bluetooth

against Harald Greycloak.

The two arranged the death of Harald Greycloak around 971, after which Harald Bluetooth invited his foster-son to be invested with new Danish fiefs. Civil war broke out between Haakon Jarl and the surviving brothers of Harald Greycloak, but Haakon proved victorious.[2] After this, Haakon Jarl ruled Norway as a vassal of Harald Bluetooth, but he was in reality an independent ruler. For Harald, he attacked Götaland and killed its ruler Ottar Jarl.

Around 973–974, he went to Denmark to help Harald Bluetooth of Denmark in his defense against the Holy Roman Emperor

Otto II

. Otto's forces successfully opposed an attempt by Harald to throw off the German yoke. After that Haakon paid no taxes to Denmark.

In 980 he assisted his Ruthenian cousin Vladimir the Great in reclaiming Novgorod from Yaropolk I of Kiev.^[3]

Haakon was a strong believer in the old

Novgorod, and on his return the next year marched against Yaropolk I of Kiev. In 986, a Danish invasion fleet led by the fabled Jomsvikings was defeated at the Battle of Hjörungavágr

.

In 995, a quarrel broke out between Haakon and the

Eirik Håkonson and Sveinn Hákonarson fled for protection to the king of Sweden, Olof Skötkonung

.

A number of (textually related) sources also recount Earl Haakon's predilection for raping women, whether the daughters of nobles or of commoners.[5]

Children

Eric Haakonsson (960s – 1020s), would avenge his father at the Battle of Svolder
and then govern Norway with his half-brother, Sveinn Hákonarson

Sweyn Haakonsson (died c. 1016), co-ruler of Norway
Aud Haakonsdottir, married the Swedish king Eric the Victorious, according to Yngvars saga víðförla
Einar Tambarskjelvar
Sigrid Haakonsdottir, mother of Ivar Hvide, Jarl of Oppland
Sigurd Haakonsson
Ragnhild Haakonsdatter
Erling Haakonsson
Erland Haakonsson
Hemming Haakonsson
Ramvieg Haakonsdatter

Source: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy

Poets

According to Skáldatal, Haakon had the following poets at his court:

Eyvindr Finnsson
Einarr skálaglamm
Tindr Hallkelsson
Skafti Þóroddsson
Þórólfr munnr
Eilífr Guðrúnarson
Vigfúss Víga-Glúmsson
Þorleifr jarlsskáld
Hvannár-Kálfr

Korsvikaspillet

Haakon Jarl is a central figure in Håkon og Kark which is performed annually at the Korsvikaspillet festival in

Sagas by Snorri Sturluson. The first play was a poetic tableau that was made in connection with the 800-year anniversary of the Lade Church (Lade kirke) in 1989 and repeated two years later. In 1995, Idar Lind wrote a new script. The music is composed by Frode Fjellheim

.

Primary sources

Source bases for Haakon Jarl are considerable. He was given coverage in several sagas, including by

drápa on the jarl. Several disjoint stanzas by Hallfreðr in Skáldskaparmál

are often thought to belong to this otherwise lost poem.

Oehlenschläger tragedy

Haakon Jarl's life also received literary treatment by Danish poet

Smetana's symphonic poem Hakon Jarl.^[7]

References

^ Adam of Bremen, Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum II xxv (§ 22), tr. Francis J. Tschan, History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen. New York, 1959.
^ [1] Sturluson, Snorri ; Eiríkr Magnúson (trans.) ; Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar, chapters 12 to 14, in Heimskringla. History of the Kings of Norway, 1905
^ Den hellige Vladimir av Kiev (~956–1015)
^ Haakon Sigurdsson, Jarl of Lade (The Unification of Norway ca. 820 to ca. 1020 AD) Archived 2010-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
^ See John McKinnell, ‘On Heiðr’, Saga-Book of the Viking Society, 25 (2001), 394-417, www.vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Saga-Book XXV.pdf#page=420.
^ Gisle Bothne (1920). "Hakon Jarl" . In Rines, George Edwin (ed.). Encyclopedia Americana.
^ DeLong, Kenneth (1998). "Hearing His Master's Voice: Smetana's 'Swedish' Symphonic Poems and their Lisztian Models" in Michael Saffle (ed.), Liszt and His World, pp. 295–334. Pendragon Press.