1238

1238 - The Battle of Iceland

This was the reason for our spontaneous vacation in the north – a friend was traveling with her son in northern Iceland this summer. She loves making quilts and was eager to visit the Textile Museum in Blönduós. Apparently, her son wasn't quite as enthusiastic about it, so he was allowed to request that they also visit the 1238 Museum in Sauðárkrókur. Indeed, not only was her son (an avid Viking fan) thrilled with the museum, but her friend herself was also blown away.

For us, it was a great opportunity to say, let’s go there sometime!

I actually hadn't heard of it before. The Museum 1238 (Orrustan - The Battle of Iceland) has been located here in the heart of Sauðárkrókur, at Aðalgata 21, since 2019.

The museum is an interactive experience, taking visitors directly to the Vikings and the battle of 1238. Through virtual reality, visitors can travel back in time and participate in the battle.

In the first room, you learn about the background and conditions in Iceland surrounding the Battle of Örlygsstaðir in 1238. Who fought against whom, why, how did it come about, and what happened next? The display boards and interactive areas in the first room attempt to answer these questions.

In the second room, newly made garments are used to learn about the clothing that the Vikings probably wore at that time.

Finally, in the third room, you were greeted by a friendly employee, taken to your VR cabin, equipped with glasses, a vest, and control devices, and finally sent into a virtual battle.

After some initial technical issues, my husband was quite enthusiastic about the experience; he thought it was fun. Personally, I - well, it was an experience. Even though I almost fell over when I was supposed to bend down to throw the stones, and then I just wanted to hide behind my shield and wait for the battle to end...

However, virtual reality is sometimes quite idiosyncratic – some things just don't work. At the end, you have to grab a specific spear and hand it over to the victorious leader. My friend tried to pet the horse instead of handing it over, but that didn't work. And my husband tried to hit the horse with a spear during the battle – following the motto, if he hurls stones, he'll never hit anything. The horse was so big and so close, he thought, maybe he'd at least hit that – but that didn't work; the spear always disintegrated in flight. Reality just wouldn't listen...

After the victorious battle, we didn't immediately return to the present, but first we could help ourselves to the museum's relatively large collection in a corner and even transform ourselves into a Viking. Dressing up was fun! Even though I was told afterward that I looked like a forest gnome with a mead horn... well then, cheers!

Finally, we briefly visited Gránabúð, the museum's souvenir and gift shop . The shop specializes in handmade products, Icelandic design, and Viking memorabilia, and I could have been tempted by one or two of the items...

Overall, we spent much longer in the museum than we expected - about two hours. And it was definitely an experience.

Digression: What was the shaft of 1238 about?

The battle of 1238 is arguably the largest battle ever fought on Icelandic soil. A total of around 3,000 men are said to have fought in the battle, and 49 were killed . It was a battle between three rival clans that ultimately marked the end of Iceland's independence.

The continued feuding between the Icelandic family clans eventually led to the intervention of the Norwegian King Haakon IV (1204-1263). Weakened by the constant fighting and facing the threat of a trade boycott by Norway, the Icelandic chieftains submitted to the Norwegian king in 1262 and swore allegiance to him.

Örlygsstaðabardagi - The Battle of Örlygsstaðir

The Battle of Örlygsstaðir took place on August 21, 1238 at the Örlygsstaðir farm, in Skagafjörður, on the east side of the Héraðsvötn, about 35 km south of the present town of Sauðárkrókur.

Here the Sturlungar family clan from the north of Snæfellsnes fought against the Ásbirningar family, the descendants of Öndóttur kráka Erlingsson, one of the first settlers in Skagafjörður, and his great-grandson Ásbjörn Arnórsson, as well as against the Haukdælir family, descended from Ketilbjörn the Old, who lived in Haukadalur in Biskupstungur.

The battle is considered to be the largest battle ever fought in Iceland - it is said that about 1,300 men fought on the Sturlungsvík side, and about 1,700 men fought on the Ásbirningsvík and Haukdalir sides.

In the battle, 42 men from the Sturlungar side are said to have been killed, including the two leaders, as well as 7 men from the opposing side.

The Sturlungar

The "founding father" of the Sturlungs is considered to be Sturla Þórðarson (1115-1183), also called "Hvamm-Sturla" after his residence in Hvammur. He inherited the local goddom from his father. He was known for his stubbornness and was at odds with many men. Sturla was married at least twice and had at least five legitimate and seven illegitimate children.

From his second marriage, he had sons Þórður Sturluson (1165-1237), Sighvatur Sturluson (1170-1238), and Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241). Snorri is still famous today as a historian, politician, and poet, including as the author of the Snorra Edda .

Their leaders in the battle of 1238 were Sighvatur Sturluson and his son Sturla Sighvatsson (1199 - 1238).

Sighvatur's eldest son, Tumi (1198-1222), had clashed with Guðmundur Arason (1161-1237), Bishop of Hólar, also known as Guðmundur the Good. Tumi had driven the bishop from Hólar. As a result, one night the bishop's men ambushed Tumi and his men and killed him—apparently to the bishop's displeasure. The bishop fled with his men to Grímsey to escape the Sturlungs' revenge. But this did not help him much, for Sighvatur and his son Sturla pursued them and avenged Tumi's death in the spring of 1222 by slaying many of the bishop's followers and exiling the bishop himself to Norway for several years.

Finally, in 1233, a reconciliation was reached between the bishop, father Sighvatur, and son Sturla. However, Sturla was forced to undertake a pilgrimage to Rome and do penance for his father's and his deeds. Sturla then traveled first to Norway and then, on behalf of King Hakon IV Hakonsson (1204-1263), set out for Iceland with the mission of bringing Iceland under the rule of the Norwegian king.

With his father, Sighvatur, Sturla wanted to expand their domain and thus the sphere of influence of the Norwegian king. The two apparently planned to attack Kolbeinn the Young, a member of the Ásbirningar family, at his farm in Flugumýri. (Incidentally, Kolbeinn the Young had married Hallbera Snorradóttir, the daughter of Snorri Sturluson, in 1224, but the marriage was unsuccessful and ended in divorce after a few years.)

However, the Sturlungar probably took too much time.

Before they began their attack, Kolbeinn's ally, Gissur Þorvaldsson, from the Haukdælir family, arrived with his men after Easter via Héraðsvötn. (Incidentally, Gissur had also married Ingibjörg, a daughter of Snorri Sturluson, in 1224, but the marriage failed relatively soon after the death of their son.)

Together, Kolbeinn, Gissur, and their men managed to surprise the Sturlungar, who were seeking refuge at Örlygsstaðir. It wasn't a good refuge, however; most of the men apparently didn't even make it to their horses or weapons, and it is said that the battle didn't last long.

In the following period, Gissur Þorvaldsson became one of the most powerful chieftains in the country, especially after he had Snorri Sturluson, his former son-in-law, killed on the orders of the Norwegian king in 1241.

In the Battle of Haugsnes in 1246, the bloodiest battle in Icelandic history with a total of around 110 deaths, Gissur and the Ásbirningar were defeated by the leader of the Sturlungar, Þórður Sighvatsson (a son of Sighvatur Sturluson, who had been killed in the Battle of Örlygsstaðir in 1238).

After losing the battle, Gissur fled to Norway, where he initially encountered difficulties with the Norwegian king, but was able to regain his favor and finally returned to Iceland in 1252 to attempt to bring the country under the rule of the King of Norway. In 1253, he settled in Flugumýri in Skagafjörður, the former estate of Ketill the Young, who had died in 1245.

To end the conflict between the Sturlungar and Haukdælir families, Gissur sought reconciliation.

Part of this agreement was the wedding on October 18, 1253, between Gissur's 18-year-old son Hallur Gissurarson and Sturla Þórðarson's 13-year-old daughter Ingibjörg Sturludóttir from the Sturlungar family.

Flugumýrarbrenna - The fire of Flugumýri in 1253

However, not all members of the Sturlungar agreed with this planned reconciliation.

For example, Þuríður, an illegitimate daughter of Sturla Sighvatsson, called on her husband Eyjólfur Þorsteinsson in front of witnesses to avenge her father's death.

And when Hallur and Ingibjörg's wedding feast in Flugumýri was over and most of the guests had left, Eyjólfur and his men attacked the farm and burned it down on October 22, 1253. Many people died in the fire, including the groom, his two brothers, and their mother. Gissur himself survived by hiding in a barrel of skyr. The bride also survived; she was carried from the burning house by one of the arsonists, her cousin Kolbeinn Dufgusson, and taken to safety in the farm's church. (Inibjörg remarried a few years later and lived with her husband and children in Eyjafjörður.)

Gissur swore revenge, but could not capture Eyjólfur.

But Eyjólfur eventually fell out with Þorgils Böðvarsson, a member of the Sturlungs family, who, however, was descended from the Ásbirnings on his mother's side, and disagreed with Eyjólfur's claim to supremacy in Skagafjörður. Eyjólfur was killed in a battle against Porgils and his men in 1255.

In 1262, the Icelandic chieftains finally agreed to the Old Treaty (Gamli sáttmáli), which had also been mediated by Gissur. Under this treaty, the Icelandic chieftains submitted to the Norwegian King Haakon IV and recognized him as King of Iceland, also paying the corresponding tribute to the king. In return, the king pledged to maintain trade with Iceland and to supply the country with the essentials every year.

Gissur finally killed one of the treaty's opponents in 1264, but little is known about Gissur's final years. He is said to have died in early 1268, before he could carry out his final plan of entering a monastery.

With the Old Treaty and the death of Gissur, the Sturlungar era and the period of Icelandic independence finally came to an end.

[Translated from here.]