Battle of Fitjar

Battle of Fitjar
	Part of War between King Haakon the Good and the sons of Eirik Bloodaxe.
Date	961
Location	Fitjar, Norway
Result	Norwegian victory King Haakon is wounded and dies; Harald Greycloak becomes king of Norway;
Belligerents
Norway	Sons of Eirik Bloodaxe; Denmark
Commanders and leaders
King Haakon the Good †; Thoralf Skolmsson the Strong	Harald Greycloak; Eyvind skreyja (‘the wretch’) †
Strength
Consists of the king's court as well as a contingent of Håløygers and Holmrygers from the north with farmers in and around Stord.	Unknown, although it is said they outnumbered the Norwegians "six to one."
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Battle of Fitjar (Slaget ved Fitjar på Stord) took place in 961 in Fitjar at Stord in the county of Hordaland, Norway.^[1]

Battle and aftermath

The Battle of Fitjar at Stord was the last battle in a war between the sons of Eric Bloodaxe and their uncle King Haakon the Good for power over Norway. It also formed part of a contest between Norway and Denmark to control the area of Oslofjord.^{[citation needed]}

Erling Eiriksson, Sigurd Sleva and Harald Greycloak, three of the sons of Eric Bloodaxe (Eirikssønnene) landed unnoticed on Hordaland in 961 and surprised the king at Fitjar. The battle was won by the forces of King Haakon, but he was wounded in the battle and died soon after it. According to Fagrskinna and Heimskringla, the dying king, wishing to end the conflict, handed over his kingship and retinue (hird) to Harald Greycloak, sending a letter to that effect.^{[citation needed]}

After Haakon's death, Harald Greycloak and his brothers became kings of Norway, but they had little authority outside western Norway. The third son of Eric Bloodaxe, Harald was the most powerful of the brothers by right of being the eldest surviving son. The succession issue was finally settled after Harald ascended the throne as Harald II of Norway. However, the Norwegians were severely tormented by years of war, and many were dissatisfied by the destruction of pagan shrines by the hands of the Christian sons of Eric. After the assassination of Harald II, Harald Bluetooth (Harald I of Denmark) managed to force the people of Norway into temporary subjection.^[2]

Legacy

Fitjar coat-of-arms featuring a golden helmet

In memory of Haakon, his follower the skald Eyvindr skáldaspillir composed the poem Hákonarmál. The poem tells of the battle, the king’s death, and how he is greeted by the gods in Valhall.

At Håkonarparken in Fitjar, a statue of King Haakon serves as a memorial to the Battle of Fitjar.^{[citation needed]} The coat-of-arms of the municipality of Fitjar show a golden helmet. This is derived from the fact that King Haakon wore a golden helmet at the Battle of Fitjar.^[3]

References

^ Norwegian kings (Christine Juul)
^ Norway - The First Kingdom (All Empires History Forum)
^ The North Sea Trail (Hordaland County Council) Archived September 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

Other sources

Enstad, Nils-Petter Sverd eller kors? Kristningen av Norge som politisk prosess fra Håkon den gode til Olav Kyrre (Kolofon forlag, 2008)
Krag, Claus (1995) Vikingtid og rikssamling 800-1130 (Aschehoug's History of Norway, 2.)