Medieval Secular Aristocracy
The medieval secular aristocracy was originally known as the hird and since the 16th century under the term adel (English: nobility). The group of persons and families who constituted the medieval aristocracy, alias the old nobility, may be traced back to the time of the formation of the Norwegian state in the 13th century. Not later than during King Magnus VI’s reign, the secular aristocracy can be said to be identical with the members of the King’s hird. Some of these families had their origin in the ancient aristocracy. Others were recruited based on their ability to provide services to the King.
The hird was divided into three classes, of which the first had three ranks. The first class was hirdmann with lendmann as the 1st rank, skutilsvein as the 2nd rank, and ordinary hirdmann as the 3rd rank. Below them were the classes gjest and kjertesvein.
The lendmen, having the first rank in the group of hirdmen, had the right to hold 40 armed housecarls, to advise the King, and to receive an annual payment from the King. They normally also held the highest offices in the state. The foundation for their rights was the military duty which their title imposed.
The kjertesveins were young men of good family who served as pages at the court, and the gjests constituted a guard and police corps. In addition, there was a fourth group known as housecarls, but it remains uncertain whether they were considered a part of or rather served the hird.
The hird’s organisation is described in the King’s Mirror and the Codex of the Hird.
The system of hirdmen—regional and local representatives for the King—was stronger and lasted longer in the Norwegian tributary lands Shetland, Orkney, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, and also in Jemtland, originally an independent farmer republic which Norwegian kings used much time and efforts to gain control over.
During the second half of the 13th century, the continental European court culture began to gain influence in Norway. In 1277, the King introduced continental titles in the hird: the lendmen were now called barons, and the skutilsveins were called ridder. Both were then styled Herr (English: Lord). In 1308, King Håkon V abolished the lendman/baron institution, and it was probably also during his reign that the aristocracy seems to have been restructured into two classes: ridder (English: knight) and væpner (English: squire).
It is difficult to determinate exactly how many knights and squires there were in the 14th and the early 15th century. When King Håkon V in 1309 signed a peace treaty with the Danish king, it was sealed by 29 Norwegian knights and squires. King Håkon promised in addition that 270 knights and squires would give their written recognition. This were perhaps the approximate number of knights and squires at this time.
Read more about this topic: Norwegian Nobility
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