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386:. As early as 1177, Sverre was proclaimed king by his followers, but in reality his power did not extend beyond the borders of Trøndelag and it took two decisive battles in 1179 and 1184 before he could be formally elected king. By then, both the main opponents were dead, i.e., earl Erling (1179) and King Magnus Erlingsson (1184), and the opposition was greatly reduced.
414:, died only two years later, leaving his son Haakon Haakonsson as the ultimate target for the Baglers to get rid of the pretender to the throne. In 1206, the Birkebeiners set off on a dangerous journey through treacherous mountains and forests, taking the now one-year-old Haakon Haakonsson to safety in
303:(meaning "border men"), who settled along the Swedish border and made their living by pillaging the rich old settlements. It was this lawless population that became the foremost basis of the Birkebeiner, even though it is questionable whether their leaders were paupers wearing shoes made of birch bark.
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The
Birkebeiner's political program was a continuation of earl Erling's centralization which underscores the geographical motivations behind the movement. Their leadership did not seek a social revolution, only to move the centre of power back to Trøndelag. The opposition around
260:) is a term used for the period between 1130 and 1240 in the history of Norway. During this period there were several interlocked conflicts of varying scale and intensity. Although weak in the beginning, the Birkebeiners had the upper hand for most of the conflict's duration.
507:, a road bicycle race. Common for the bike and ski events is the requirement of carrying a backpack weighing 3.5 kg as a remembrance of the child the Birkebeiners had to carry on their journey. The bike and ski events start in
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Under Sverre's leadership, the
Birkebeiner movement was re-organized and pruned and the most criminal elements were brutally purged from the party. The army consisted more and more of mercenaries from Sweden and
279:, social conditions and the struggle between Church and King. There were then two main parties, firstly known by varying names or no names at all, but finally condensing into the parties of
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and
Birkebeiners. The rallying point was regularly a royal son, who was set up as the figurehead of the party in question, to oppose the rule of the king from the contesting party.
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Around the year 1200, the rival groups shared the goal of controlling the entire country. In 1202, when King Sverre died, he had managed to acquire most of Norway, but in
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The
Birkebeins managed to hold some power, despite short reigns of their monarchs. In 1209, a resolution was made between Bagler and Birkebeiner. Bagler pretender
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was the ultimate victor for the
Birkebeiners in 1217. In the earlier part of the reign of King Haakon, much of the royal power was in the hands of
318:. The powerful Trønder families were simply being left behind by their peers in the south, who had acquired a strong leader in the Vestland earl
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310:, a region where the social tensions were not as marked, and their motive was rather to stop the transition of power from Trøndelag to
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410:, the Baglers were still very powerful. Sverre's death meant some decrease in the power of the Birkebeins. His successor, King
201:. The name has its origins in propaganda from the established party that the rebels were so poor that they made their shoes of
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Today, the historic event of the rescue of Haakon
Haakonsson is honoured in Norway by three annual sporting events, a run,
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who sent him
Swedish forces after some hesitation. One of Birger Brosa's sons, Philippus Birgersson, became Sverre's earl.
299:. From a socio-historical perspective, scholars have interpreted the party as the result of the rapid increase in landless
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334:) during their time, but only later. The rival forces against the Birkebeins were dubbed several names, successively
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418:. Norwegian history credits the Birkebeiners' bravery with preserving the life of the boy who later became King
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are depicted as
Birkebeiner children, bearing the names of the son and daughter of king Sverre. Near
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in the mid-12th century. In the early 1160s, Erling had taken control of Viken and the bishopric of
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show a
Birkebeiner skiing in honour of the historic rescue. The mascots Håkon and Kristin of the
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The
Birkebein party was formed of some earlier groups with the original goal of deposing king
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the king of Norway. The party that was behind their rule was not called the Bagli party (
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Today, the Birkebeins are popularly celebrated for having escorted the one-year-old
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Norwegian political faction during the Civil War era, active from 1174 to the 1210s
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was recognized to be King of Norway. They both died in 1217 and Birkebeiner-born
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name for themselves, and continued using it after they came to power in 1184.
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After some initial victories for the Viken party, the tables turned when
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This article is about the Norwegian political movement that produced the
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entered the political scene claiming to be the illegitimate son of king
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ascended the throne, relatively unopposed, under the regency of Duke
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cross-country ski race. For the American race equivalent, see
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was recognized as ruler of the eastern third of the country,
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The background for these conflicts was the unclear Norwegian
272:. The rebellion ended in 1240 when Skule was put to death.
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Skiing Birchlegs Crossing the Mountain with the Royal Child
515:. There are also sister cross-country ski races held in
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422:, ended the civil wars in 1240 and forever changing
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602:"Magnus 5 Erlingsson – Norsk biografisk leksikon"
394:organized in 1196 into a new faction called the
626:"Håkon 4 Håkonsson – Norsk biografisk leksikon"
220:, an heir to the Norwegian throne, safely from
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766:(Norges historie) fra de eldste tider til 1660
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577:"Skule Bårdsson – Store norske leksikon"
295:(Magnus Erlingsson) and his father Earl
797:Sverre: Norges største middelalderkonge
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651:(Forslagsbureauet i Kjøbenhavn, 1884)
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713:"Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival"
785:Norge under Sverreætten, 1177-1319
778:(Princeton University Press. 1948)
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553:"Håkon Håkonsson 1217-1263"
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776:A History of Norway
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751:Helle, Knut
669:Aldaver.com
533:Falls Creek
513:Lillehammer
473:Lillehammer
368:Sigurd Munn
222:Lillehammer
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165:Birkibeinar
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539:References
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316:Vestlandet
248:Background
226:Østerdalen
207:pejorative
203:birch bark
110:April 2019
80:newspapers
801:Norwegian
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449:Haakon IV
441:Østlandet
416:Trondheim
348:Øyskjeggs
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308:Trøndelag
301:markamenn
287:Formation
230:Trondheim
191:pretender
169:Norwegian
161:Old Norse
810:Category
525:Edmonton
344:Kuvlungs
340:Heklungs
517:Hayward
481:Drammen
384:England
372:Swedish
324:Nidaros
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193:to the
177:nynorsk
94:scholar
693:Ibk.no
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396:Bagler
364:Sverre
352:Bagler
332:Bagler
281:Bagler
187:bokmål
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665:(GIF)
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392:Viken
374:earl
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179:) or
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