Erling Steinvegg

Erling Magnusson Steinvegg ("Stonewall") or Erlingr Magnússon Steinveggr was the candidate of the Bagler to the Norwegian throne from 1204 to 1207. They believed him to be a son of king Magnus V of Norway Erlingsson. The Bagler received support from the Danish king Valdemar II Sejr. King Valdemar came to Tunsberg with a big war fleet. Erling Steinvegg made the iron test to show that he was of royal descent. The Bagler settled to hold Viken region around Oslo, and made expeditions against Nidaros in North. Erling Steinvegg died in March 1207, and Philip Simonsson was made the next pretender by the Bagler.

In Norwegian civil war era it was usual that several royal sons fought against each other over power in Norway. 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.