Earls of Lade
9th-11th century Norse dynasty in Norway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Earls of Lade (Norwegian: ladejarler) were a dynasty of Norse jarls who ruled what is now Trøndelag and Hålogaland from the 9th century to the 11th century.[1]
The seat of the Earls of Lade was at Lade Gaard (Old Norse: Hlaðir), now located in the eastern parts of the city of Trondheim. The site is near the seaside of the Trondheimsfjord, which was an important waterway in the Viking Age.[2][3]
According to Snorri, King Harald I of Norway was a great commander but lacked a fleet. For that he was assisted by Håkon Grjotgardsson. In gratitude Harald made him the first earl of Lade.[4]
Notable Earls of Lade
- Hákon Grjótgarðsson (c. 860–870 – c. 900–920), an ally and father-in-law of Harald Fairhair
- Sigurðr Hákonarson (died 962), friend and advisor of Hákon the Good
- Hákon Sigurðarson (c. 937–995), ruler of Norway from about 975 to 995
- Eiríkr Hákonarson (960s – 1020s), governor of the majority of Norway under Svein Forkbeard
- Sveinn Hákonarson (died c. 1016), governor of a part of Norway under Olaf the Swede
- Hákon Eiríksson (died c. 1029–1030), governor of Norway under Canute the Great, last of the Earls of Lade