Sigurd II of Norway
| Sigurd Munn | |
|---|---|
| King of Norway | |
| Reign | 1136 – 6 February 1155 |
| Predecessor | Harald IV |
| Successor | Inge I and Eystein II |
| Born | 1133 |
| Died | 6 February 1155 Bergen |
| Burial | Old Cathedral, Bergen (destroyed in 1531) |
| Issue |
Haakon II of Norway Sigurd Markusfostre Harald Cecilia |
| Father | Harald IV of Norway |
| Mother | Tora Guttormsdotter (concubine) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Sigurd II Haraldsson (or Sigurd Munn) (Old Norse: Sigurðr Haraldsson) (1133–1155) was king of Norway from 1136 to 1155. He was son of Harald Gille, king of Norway and his mistress Tora Guttormsdotter (Þóra Guthormsdóttir). He served as co-ruler with his half-brothers, Inge Haraldsson and Eystein Haraldsson. His epithet Munn means "the Mouth" in Old Norse. He was killed in the power-struggle against his brother, Inge, in an early stage of the civil war era in Norway.
Sigurd was fostered by Guttorm (Guthormr) or Sådegyrd Bårdsson (Sáðagyrðr Bárðarson) in Trøndelag. When his father was murdered by the pretender Sigurd Slembe in 1136, Sigurd was made king at the thing of Eyrathing. At the same time, his brothers Inge and Magnus were also made kings and co-rulers. Their respective guardians joined forces against Sigurd Slembe and his ally, the former king Magnus the Blind. The battles against these pretenders dominated the early years of Sigurd's reign. In 1139, they were defeated and slain at the Battle of Holmengrå.
After this followed a period of peace. During the minority of the brothers, Sigurd, Inge and Magnus, the Norwegian nobility cooperated to rule the kingdom and advise the kings. In 1142, their brother Eystein came to Norway from Scotland. His parentage was accepted, since Harald Gille had acknowledged that he had a son overseas. Eystein thus became king and co-ruler together with Sigurd and Inge. Magnus, of whom little more is known, died of natural causes at some point in the 1140s.
...
Wikipedia