Inge I of Norway - Adulthood and Reign

Adulthood and Reign

The division of the kingdom does not seem to have been territorial, all brothers seem to have held equal regal status over all parts of the country. According to the sagas, relations between the brothers were peaceful as long as their guardians were alive. This period of their reign saw the establishment of an independent Norwegian Archiepiscopacy in Nidaros (Trondheim) in 1152. As their guardians died, and the brothers grew up, conflict broke out.

In 1155, a meeting between the brothers in Bergen resulted in fighting breaking out between the men of king Inge and king Sigurd, in which king Sigurd was killed. King Eystein was late in arriving for the meeting, and only approached the city after Sigurd was already dead. An uneasy settlement was reached between Inge and Eystein. The reasons for the fighting in Bergen remain disputed. According to the sagas, Eystein and Sigurd had plotted to strip Inge of his royal title and divide his share of the kingdom between them. Some modern historians doubt this version, seeing it as Inge’s excuse for his own aggressive actions. In any event, peace between Inge and Eystein did not hold for long after the events of 1155. In 1157, both sides gathered their forces for a confrontation. Inge’s forces outnumbered Eystein’s, and when they met, on the west coast near Moster, Eystein’s forces melted away. Eystein was forced to flee, he was caught and killed in Bohuslän later the same year.

Inge was now the last remaining brother. However, the supporters of Sigurd and Eystein united behind a son of Sigurd, Haakon the Broadshouldered. They renewed the fight against Inge. Heimskringla notes that Inge was popular among the “chieftains” – the lendmenn – because he allowed them a great say in the running of the kingdom. Foremost among his advisors was the lendmann Gregorius Dagsson, another prominent supporter was Erling Skakke. The king’s mother, who survived her son, also appears to have remained influential throughout his reign. 7 January 1161, Gregorius was killed in a skirmish with king Haakon’s forces. On 3 February the same year, Inge was defeated and killed, leading his men into battle against King Haakon near Oslo, after many of his men, led by his vassal Godred, King of Mann and the Isles defected to King Haakon’s side. He was buried in St. Hallvard’s church in Oslo.