Sigurd Slembe

Sigurd Magnusson Slembe, or Slembedjakn (died 1139) was a Norwegian pretender to the throne. "slembi" in old Norse meant something like "noisy", "slembidjákn" = "the noisy priest".

Sigurd, an unknown person, appeared in Norway claiming that he was a son of the late king Magnus III of Norway the Barefoot, and demanded his putative half-brother king Harald Gille (whose origin actually was quite similar) to share power with him, as co-kings.

Sigurd had himself proclaimed king in 1135. In 1136 he arranged for Harald Gille to be killed in his sleep. As soon as Harald was dead, Sigurd (apparently in order to secure his own position) had the blinded previous king Magnus IV of Norway, his putative nephew, reinstated as co-king (Magnus had been imprisoned and mutilated by Harald). As Magnus was rather incapacitated, Sigurd claimed royal power in Magnus' name.

In battle of Holmengrå in 1139 Magnus and Sigurd were put against supporters of the child Inge I of Norway, Harald's son. Magnus was killed in battle; Sigurd was imprisoned and executed.

The main sources for Sigurd and his era are the kings' sagas Heimskringla, Fagrskinna and Morkinskinna. They in turn base their accounts on the now lost Hryggjarstykki whose author, Eiríkr Oddsson, either witnessed the events himself, or spoke to people who had.

"Sigurd Slembe" is the name of a historical drama written by the Norwegian playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson 1863.

Historical context

The civil wars period of Norwegian history lasted from 1130 to 1217. During this period there were several interlocked conflicts of varying scale and intensity. The background for these conflicts were the unclear Norwegian succession laws, 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 condensed into parties of Bagler and Birkebeiner. The rallying point regularly was a royal son, who was set up as the head figure of the party in question, to oppose the rule of king from the contesting party.