Rögnvaldr Kali Kolsson
| St. Rögnvald | |
|---|---|
St. Rögnvald
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| Born | c. 1103 Norway |
| Died | 20 August 1158 Caithness, Scotland |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | Late 12th-century by Pope Celestine III |
| Major shrine | St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Scotland |
| Feast | 20 August |
Rognvald Kale Kolsson (also known as St. Ronald or St. Ronald of Orkney) (c. 1103 - 1158) was an Earl of Orkney and a Norwegian saint.
Rognvald's parents were lendmann Kol Kalisson and Gunnhild Erlendsdotter, the sister of Magnus Erlendsson. It was through his mother, Gunnhild that Rognvald had a claim on the Orkney earldom. Rognvald Kali Kolsson may have been born in Jæren, Norway. That is not most likely, since his family resided in Agder and Jæren is in Rogaland. Some researchers think that he may have been born in Fjære, a part of Grimstad. The kings estate at Lista is also estimated as birth- and childhoodplace. Rognvald's family owned several farms in Agder where the boy could have spent his childhood.
Rognvald grew up in Norway where he was known as Kali Kolsson. He also had a sister, Ingirid. Kali was a fine poet and in one of his poem claims to possess nine exceptional skills; having mastered board games, runes, reading and writing, handicrafts such as metal work, carving and carpentry, skiing, archery, rowing, music and poetry. The sagas support this view of Kali as able and skilled: “Kali Kolsson was of average height, well proportioned and strong limbed, and had light chestnut hair. He was very popular and a man of more than average ability.”
King Sigurd I of Norway appointed him Earl of Orkney and Shetland in 1129. When he became Earl, Kali was given the name Rognvald, after Earl Rognvald Brusason, who Rognvalds mother Gunnhild thought of as the most able of all the Earls of Orkney. It was thought this name would bring Rognvald luck. Rognvald should have had one half of Orkney as his uncle Magnus Erlendsson had, but his second cousin Paul Haakonsson had just made himself sole ruler of the islands and would not cede any of them.
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