The House of Sverre () was a Norwegian royal dynasty founded by King Sverre Sigurdsson. Members of the dynasty occupied the Norwegian throne at various times between the late 12th century and 1319.
History The dynasty was founded by Sverre Sigurdsson, who claimed to be an illegitimate son of King Sigurd II Munn. Sverre's claimed paternity has been questioned by modern historians.
Under Sverre's grandson Haakon IV, the civil war era in Norway came to an end, and the Norwegian kingdom reached the height of its power in the High Middle Ages.
Margaret, Maid of Norway, daughter of King Eric II, was also a member of the dynasty. She was recognized as heir to the Scottish throne and died in 1290 while travelling from Norway to Scotland.
The male royal line of the dynasty ended with the death of Haakon V in 1319. He was succeeded by his daughter's son, Magnus VII, who belonged patrilineally to the House of Bjälbo. Through Haakon V's daughter Ingeborg, descendants of the House of Sverre also entered the ancestry of the House of Oldenburg. Her descendants included Christian I, who became king of Denmark in 1448 and of Norway in 1450.
Coat of arms
The main arms of the kings belonging to the House of Sverre, was a golden crowned lion on a red field. The lion was later supplied with a silver axe symbolising Olaf the Holy. This became the coat of arms of Norway.
List of kings
The dynasty sometimes had a junior king reigning alongside a senior king. In such cases, three dates are given: the beginning of the junior kingship, the beginning of the senior kingship, and the end of the reign. The following is a list of rulers during the periods in which the dynasty held the Norwegian throne:
Name Reign Sverre Sigurdsson 1184–1202 Haakon III Sverresson 1202–1204 Guttorm Sigurdsson 1204 Dynastic interruption: Inge II Baardson of the Gille branch (1204–1217) Haakon IV the Old 1217–1263 Haakon Haakonsson the Young 1240–1257 Magnus VI Lagabøte 1257–1263–1280 Eric II Magnusson 1273–1280–1299 Haakon V Magnusson 1299–1319
Family tree Members of the family are marked with red, and the monarchs of the family as bolded.
See also List of Norwegian monarchs Norwegian royal family Norwegian nobility
References