House of Sverre
Norwegian royal dynasty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The House of Sverre (Norwegian: Sverreætten)[1] was a Norwegian royal dynasty founded by King Sverre Sigurdsson. Members of the dynasty occupied the Norwegian throne at various times between the late 12th century and 1319.
| House of Sverre Sverreætten | |
|---|---|
Parent house | Gille (claimed) |
| Country | Norway |
| Founded | 1184 |
| Founder | Sverre Sigurdsson |
| Final ruler | Haakon V |
| Titles | Chieftain of the Birkebeiner King of Norway |
| Cadet branches | House of Rosensverd |
History
The dynasty was founded by Sverre Sigurdsson, who claimed to be an illegitimate son of King Sigurd II Munn. Sverre's claimed paternity has been questioned by modern historians.[2]
Under Sverre's grandson Haakon IV, the civil war era in Norway came to an end, and the Norwegian kingdom reached the height of its power in the High Middle Ages.
Margaret, Maid of Norway, daughter of King Eric II, was also a member of the dynasty. She was recognized as heir to the Scottish throne and died in 1290 while travelling from Norway to Scotland.[3]
The male royal line of the dynasty ended with the death of Haakon V in 1319. He was succeeded by his daughter's son, Magnus VII, who belonged patrilineally to the House of Bjälbo. Through Haakon V's daughter Ingeborg, descendants of the House of Sverre also entered the ancestry of the House of Oldenburg. Her descendants included Christian I, who became king of Denmark in 1448 and of Norway in 1450.[4]
Coat of arms
The main arms of the kings belonging to the House of Sverre, was a golden crowned lion on a red field. The lion was later supplied with a silver axe symbolising Olaf the Holy. This became the coat of arms of Norway.
Seal of King Haakon V Magnusson, the last king belonging to the House of Sverre.
Seal of King Haakon V Magnusson's daughter, Duchess Ingeborg.
Arms of King Haakon V Magnusson's daughter's son, King Haakon VI Magnusson, who was of the House of Bjälbo. His coat of arms includes the Sverre arms and the Bjälbo arms.
_seal_1318_(1).jpg)
List of kings
The dynasty sometimes had a junior king reigning alongside a senior king. In such cases, three dates are given: the beginning of the junior kingship, the beginning of the senior kingship, and the end of the reign. The following is a list of rulers during the periods in which the dynasty held the Norwegian throne:
| Name | Reign |
|---|---|
| Sverre Sigurdsson | 1184–1202 |
| Haakon III Sverresson | 1202–1204 |
| Guttorm Sigurdsson | 1204 |
| Dynastic interruption: Inge II Baardson of the Gille branch (1204–1217) | |
| Haakon IV the Old | 1217–1263 |
| Haakon Haakonsson the Young | 1240–1257 |
| Magnus VI Lagabøte | 1257–1263–1280 |
| Eric II Magnusson | 1273–1280–1299 |
| Haakon V Magnusson | 1299–1319 |
Family tree
Members of the family are marked with red, and the monarchs of the family as bolded.
 Sverre King of Norway | Margaret of Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigurd Lavard | Haakon III King of Norway | Inga of Varteig | Christina of Norway | Philip Simonsson Bagler pretender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Guttorm King of Norway | Kanga the Young | Haakon IV King of Norway | Margaret Skulesdatter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigurd Haakonsson | Gregorius Andresson Lendmann | Cecilia Haakonsdotter | Harald Olafsson King of Mann and the Isles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olaf Haakonsson |  Haakon the Young Junior King of Norway | Rikissa Birgersdotter | Christina of Norway |  Philip Infante of Castile | Magnus VI King of Norway | Ingeborg of Denmark | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sverre Magnus Haakonsson Junker | Margaret of Scotland | Eric II King of Norway | Isabel Bruce | Isabelle de Joigny | Haakon V King of Norway | Euphemia of Rügen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Margaret Queen of Scotland |  Valdemar Magnusson Prince, Duke of Finland | Ingeborg of Norway |  Havtore Jonsson Baron |  Agnes Haakonsdotter Princesses of Norway | Eric Magnusson Prince, Duke of Svealand | Ingeborg of Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sudreim claim House of Rosensverd Princes and of Princesses of Norway | House of Bjälbo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||