Vidkunn is slain by King Sverri's men.

75. The following spring. Vidkunn prepared for his voyage from the north. He owned a ship called the Gulbringa, which had twenty cabins for rowers, and there was room in it for more; it had belonged to Archbishop Eystein. Vidkunn furnished this ship fully with men and arms, and carried his provisions in another ship. Both his sisters accompanied him, and Jon Drumbi, his mother's brother. They made the voyage boldly, apprehending no danger; the shields all hung at the stems of the ship, and the mail-coats were below in chests under the deck. Intelligence of Vidkunn's proceedings reached King Sverri, and he dispatched Bard Guthormsson and Ivar Silki north, with seven cutters, to meet him. As the Birkibeins reached Ongul they beheld Vidkunn's ships coming from the north, past Ofoti, and they rowed their cutters close to the rocks under Steig, and waited there. This was early on the morning of Ascension-day. Vidkunn and his men saw nothing of them before they were close upon them, and the ships had almost run into one another. They speedily pulled down the sail; but the Birkibeins attacked the ship on both sides, and made a fierce assault. Vidkunn's men had only swords to defend themselves with, and the fight soon became a slaughter. They endeavoured to launch to boat and remove the women from the ship, but did not succeed, so quickly was the fight over. The Birkibeins were victorious, slaying Vidkunn and almost all his force. They seized the Gullbringa and all that was on board, took her south to Throndham, and presented her to King Sverri. He praised their exploit highly.

King Sverri plans a sudden attack on King Magnus in Bergen [1183]

76. In the spring, when Easter was past, King Sverri held many Assemblies with his men and the townsmen, and brought before them various designs. But he came to no determination, and at the end no one seemed to know what plan he would adopt. Sometimes he spoke of a march east to Vik or Gautland; sometimes he would go on board his cutters and sail west to the Orkney, or even to the Sudreys. Full intelligence of this reached King Magnus as he abode in Bergen, where a great host with a multitude of ships again gathered around him. And now King Sverri decided on his plan. He went on board his cutters, twenty ships, all small, and told his men that he would sail north to Halogaland. But when he came Agdaness, at the entrance of Throndham, there was a strong north wind blowing. He then summoned his troops together from the ships and held a council with them, and thus spoke: “I was not really earnest when I put out the report that we should make a voyage to Halogaland or ride up to Gautland. It is a wearisome thing to row a toilsome voyage north, in a storm, for little profit, and place ourselved well-nigh in a blind alley with those Heklungs in face. I see now that it will be easier to let the cutters glide south before the wind through the sounds. 'He wins who risks', so it is said, and we still have the choice whenever we will, of altering our course and sailing by the high seas east to Vik; 'It is good drive home with a sage wagon.' And there is the change of a voyage to Bergen if we should think there is something to be got there. The project is not very desirable, but I can promise the Birkibeins encouragement; however, I will not exhort you very much.” The Birkibeins all preferred to sail to Bergen, deeming it an excellent thing to capture something from the Heklungs. Then the King dispatched some cutters into Ulfa-sound, but himself sailed by the high seas to Aleyiar-sound. In Ulfa-sound the Birkibeins captured two cutters of the Heklungs that had been on the look-out, and slew nearly all on board; to some they gave quarter, and obtained information from them. They said that three cutters were lying in Aleyiar-sound on the look-out; that there was a fire-beacon south on Ha-ey, and a second farther in on Fenhring, visible both from the northern beacon and from the town. They told them also that the whole of King Magnus's host slept in the town, and in which house each great man passed the night. They said that the whole force had no thought of danger, and all the ships floated under awning in front of the quays. Then King Sverri's men came to him with these tidings. And as they sailed over the sounds from the north, King Sverri sent forward a force on the two cutters taken from the Heklungs; on their stems were bound shields that were the most easily recognized as having belonged to Heklungs. These cutters went south; and when they sailed towards the fiord south of the Drifeys, the Heklungs saw them, and immediately recognizing them and the shields, supposed their fellows to be there, and took no further heed. They only discovered them to be foes when they came on with the speed of fire in the sound. The Birkibeins hurled spears and missiles' the Heklungs sprang on shore, but some were slain. The Birkibeins now seized the cutters and everything on them, and waited there for the King. After that, the King's fleet rowed south along their route, and when they advanced into the sound he again sent forward the cutters taken form the Heklungs, and bade the men seize the beacon on the Ha-ey. But the Birkibeins were too eager, and rowed south faster than the King wished; and the watchman seeing them, set fire to his beacon. However, the fire was seen at the southern beacon, for the Birkibeins came up swiftly, seized the man, and broke down the beacon. The King's men rowed south quite close to the shore, so as to keep within the shadow of the fells on the sea.

Before they rowed to Holdhella the King conversed with his force, and said, “No part of our plan has yet failed; it is possible for us to run south past the town, and so spring beyond their horn's reach.” But his men all declared they were more eager to sail to the town. And the King answered that he would not prevent them. “It is likely,” he said, “that the Heklungs will be of little use in defense of their King if they are so roused up drowsy and drunk; and they will be terrified when we make a din at their doors. We shall thus arrange the attack. Eirik, my brother, shall row up to the rock with the ten largest cutters, and there land his men. They shall march with his standard beyond Kirstskirk yard, and forward into the King's court. I will row past Holm to the quays, and aim at the ships. We shall and straightway, some south of the Sang-bridge, some beyond Miklagarth and up in Mariukirk yard, some beyond Petrskirk yard, and so march up the street. Ulf of Laufness shall row to the head of the bay with two cutters, and land there with his standard. Thence he will march along the street to meet those who flee that way; and the sound the trumpets there.”

Flight of King Magnus from Bergen, and the victory of the Birkibeins.

77. King Sverri now began the attack as arranged. The men struck in their oars, and rowed with all their might to the quays, where the long-ships lay; they cut the cables, and pushed the ships away form the quays; and the ships floated out into the bay, for there were no watchmen on board. The Birkibeins now sprang on the quays, set up the King's standard and raised the war-cry. Then they rushed into the town to the houses where they knew they would find Heklungs; the whole multitude of whom took to flight, and many were slain. When King Sverri came up to Mariukirk he found there Jon Hallkesson, who begged for quarter; and the King granted quarter to him and his two sons, Rognvald and Hallkel. Then King Then turned along the street [towards Holm]; and some of his companies went [towards the head of the bay] along the quays, cutting the cables of merchant-ships and long-ships, so that the bay was full of them. Ulf and his company from the head of the bay turned along the street, they slew many, and met with no resistance. When Eirik and his detachment landed on [the northern side of] the Holm, they heard a loud war-cry in the town, and supposed that the Heklungs must have obtained intelligence, and were offering resistance. They knew that if King Magnus were prepared, it would be desperate task to fight with him, for he had a large host in the town. Nevertheless they hastened up, raised the war-cry, and ran beyond Kristskirk yard.

King Magnus was passing the night in the hall with all his body-guard and the King's company. He was out on the balcony when he heard the first war-cry from the town, and he ran forward along the balcony to Postolakirk. He heard here the second war-cry from Kristskirk yard, and sprang over the balcony into the [Postolakirk] yard, a leap of wonderful depth. Hence he proceeded past Bishops-court, and so above the Veisa, and above the Kopr, and inland above Nikolaskirk, where he was joined by his men. They passed along the upper road until they came to Olafskirk, where his force collected.

The Birkibeins had not ransacked the town, for they wished to get quickly to the Kings-court. As King Sverri's standard reached the Kings-court from the town, another standard came fast towards them along the court, and the tow bands exchanged shots. A fight was imminent when King Sverri's men recognized Eirik Kings-son's men, and all together turned to the hall and made a fierce onset. King Magnus's; men defended themselves with weapons and oven-stones. The fight was long, and many brave fellows were slain; but when they found that King Magnus was not there, King Sverri gave quarter to all that asked.

Archbishop Eystein was with his ship on the other side of the Bay at Jons-quays. His men sprang on shore with their weapons, and proceeded to Jons-fields, intending to assist King Magnus; but the Birkibeins met them, slew thirty men of them, and drove all the others back. Many of those who escaped were wounded. Two of the Archbishop's kinsmen were slain, Olaf Langi and Gudbrand Thorbergsson.

Hallvard Marar-drap and Pal Eiriksson of Updale fell at the King's Hall.

When King Magnus arrived above the Nunnusetr a large body of his troop came about him, and the King asked if they thought good to turn back to the town and fight; he was told, he said, that the Birkibeins' force was small. But many answered him that it was not good for weaponless men to go to battle, there was scarcely a man of them fully armed, and many were thinly clad, for they had sprung out their beds in haste; moreover, the King had no standard and no trumpet. Such being their condition, they thought they were unfit for flight. They then turned south to String, and thence into Hardangr. Here they obtained a few cutters and Ferry-boats. Many afterwards sailed south coast-wise day and night, and thus the King was followed by a large part of his force; some who were slow in leaving the town, turned up past Alreksteads, thence north over the fell to Ostrarfiord, and up into Vors; then they marched by the land road north through Sogn to Valdres, and all the way by the road east to Vik.

King Sverri recovers the ships. Reconciliation with Archbishop Eystein. King Magnus goes to Denmark.

78. King Sverri took in Bergen all King Magnus's fleet, and all his most famous treasures; the crown and gold wand which he carried when anointed King, and all his coronation robes. His men shared much booty among themselves. Archbishop Eystein had arrived from England early in the summer, having been there fro three years, absent from his see. He now made peace with King Sverri, and sailed north in the summer to his see. When Jon Hallkelsson and his sons came before King Sverri, he bade them depart in peace wherever they would; north to their homesteads, or east after King Magnus. They begged that they might join king Sverri, but he objected “Twice already,” he said, “you have sworn fealty to me, and neither time have you kept your oaths.” Nevertheless they swore the third time to be loyal to King Sverri and shortly afterwards they sailed away east to King Magnus. King Sverri sailed after King Magnus as far east as Agdi, but they did not meet this time, so he turned back to Bergen and abode there for a while. King Magnus sailed south to Denmark in the summer to visit King Valdamar, and thus fled out of the country the second time from the face of King Sverri.

The Yeomen of Sogn slay King Sverri's bailiffs.

79. King Sverri appointed his men to bailiwicks over all Rogaland and Hordaland, and sent Ivar Dapi as bailiff to Inner Sogn. The following autumn he sailed north to Throndham with all his force, and abode there during the winter. When King Sverri was gone away north, the men of Sogn showed no liking for his bailiffs. Shortly before Yule the bailiffs demanded contributions for the Yule feast which they intended to keep in Lusa-Kaupang. But the townsmen were indignant at this; and when the men Soknadale and the Eid gathered together and marched to the market-town, arriving in an attack upon the King's bailiffs. The leaders in this evil design were Arnthor of Haval, Isak Throgilsson, and the sons of Priest Algier, Gaut and Karlshofud. Ivud Dapi sued for quarter, and offered to leave the place with all his men. The yeomen refused, and fell upon them, slaying the bailiffs and well-nigh all their company. Some saved their lives by flight, and went north overland to King Sverri. They told him these tidings, and that the men of Sogn claimed to have slain thieves and evil-doers, and reckoned them among those for whom no weregild need be paid.

Launch of the Mariusud.

80. The same summer in which King Sverri captured the ships in Bergen the Mariusud was all finished; and in the autumn he had the ship launched. The ship was built above the town, and people said it could not possibly be launched without the destruction of houses. The king, they said, had displayed much self-will and arrogance in the building of the ship, and many foretold evil of it. But when the launch took place the King's foresight and judgment were proved, for the ship glided down, and there was no need to demolish houses or buildings. As the ship moved forward from the stocks into the river some of its joints opened. In the winter, while ship was building in Kaupang, it happened that King Sverri sailed south to Mœri, and on his return he found nine strakes finished on each side, and when he saw the work he said, “This ship is much less spacious than I wish to see; it must be cut in two and a length of twelve ells laid in the keel.” The shipbuilder objected, but the King's will prevailed; thus there were many joints in the boards near the bottom of the ship, and when it was launched some of them opened. King Sverri was on board when the ship came into the water, and he stood up and thus spoke: “Praised be God, and Holy Virgin Maria, and King Olaf the Saint, that this ship has reached the water in safety, doing damage to none. Many thought and uttered unfriendly things of us about it m which God may forgive them. It is my firm opinion that there are not many here who have seen a long-ship afloat on the water so large as this one. It will be a strong defence to the land from our foes, if good fortune attend it. I commit this ship to the care and keeping of the Holy Maria and name it Mariusud; and I pray that the Holy Virgin Maria will keep watch and guard over it. And in token hereof, I devote to Maria precious gifts better suited to God's service; mass-robes, in which the Archbishop will be gloriously arrayed on festivals, if he will wear them. And I hope, in return, that she will look these gifts with favour, and grant her help and good fortune to the ship and the crew, and to all who sail upon it.” In the carved beaks of the ship, both fore and aft, the King caused holy relics to be placed; also he divided the mass-robes, sending the cope to Mariukirk, the gown to Helgasetr, and all the other robes to Nunnusetr, in Bakki. The Mariusud was not a graceful ship, the prow and the stern being short in comparison with the middle; this was chiefly because of the part that had been added. The damage done at the launch the King ordered to be repaired.

During the winter the King caused several long-ships to be built, and others to be repaired. The Hialp, Thorolf Rympil's ship, was now built; it had twenty-six cabins for rowers. Also the Vidsia, which in the number of cabins was almost as large; this ship was commanded by Ulf of Laufness.

King Sverri sets out form Nidaros on a voyage to Song [1184]

81. In the spring, when Easter was past, King Sverri prepared to sail south from Kaupang, with twenty-three ships, mostly of great size. He was accompanied by his brother Eirik, Ulf of Laufness, Ulf fly, Bard Guthormsson, Ivar Silki, Havard Earlsson, and they had with them a fine and numerous force. King Sverri commanded the Mariusud, and two hundred and eighty men were counted on board of her. Three chests were sent on board by the King, each requiring four men to carry them and no one knew exactly what was in them. Eirik Kings-son commanded the Oskmey, a ship with twenty-five cabins for rowers, or there-abouts. King Sverris ailed south with his force, keeping close to land; and in Steinavoe the King Held a council and spoke in these terms; that he had no intelligence of King Magnus which would lead them to expect immediate hostilities; and he bade his men be gentle and peaceful, to listen carefully to what those near them said, whether they were of high or low degree, that they might be able to tell him all strange news, though it should appear to them of small import. The speech was short and eloquent. Among the Hereys the King held a second council, and spoke in quite the same terms as before. Thence they sailed south past Stad, where they met with a fresh wind with rough weather ahead, which greatly strained the Mariusud and made her joints give way. The King turned into Ufasound; and while they lay there his men discovered what he had in the large chests, for he took spike-nails out to distribute among the ships. He also placed nails in each half-cabin, and bade the men in to be on the watch and make use of them whenever there was need. King Sverri now proceeded on his voyage south and arrived at Sogn-Sea; here he informed his men that he would turn into Sogn, and claim weregild for his bailiffs, slain by the men of Sogn. Some of his men requested they might go on to Bergen, having business there; and as the King had no expectation of a hostile attack, he permitted all to go who asked. Three ships sailed south, over which Svina-Petr was put in command. The men now changed from ship to ship; those sailed south who had business to do, and others took their places in the cabins.

King Sverri fires the homesteads of the men of Sogn, in Soknadale.

82. King Sverri turned into Sogn, having with him twenty ships. He lay first at Rusli, whence he sent into Soknadale bidding the yeomen to come to him if they wished to be at peace with him, and he fixed Hvamsey as the place of meeting. Thither the King then sailed; and the yeomen met him and pledged themselves to pay compensation to the King. He condemned them to pay fifteen marks of hold, and summoned a meeting in three days' time, when the money should be paid. The yeomen sailed home and told how they had sped on their journey. And being ill-pleased, the yeomen all together formed a plan, and agreed to use the time which the King had given them, to remove all their property to the fells and woods, leaving all their homesteads deserted. When The appointed time was past, and the King found that the yeomen would disregard the summons, he weighed anchor and sailed up the fiord. Having reached the point where the fiord divides, he sent forward Ulf of Laufness and Thorolf Rympil with six ships to Lusa-Kaupang, bidding them “warm the bath-rooms there, and take such wage as they wished.” And this is the story of their voyage: they came to Lusa-Kaupang, stripped it of all the property they found, and burnt the market-town; but not a man did they take. King Sverri, with fourteen sips, turned into Norafiord and anchored close to Soknadale; this was on Wednesday, in the evening. On Thursday, in the morning, he summoned his force by trumpet to a conference, and told them his purpose. He bade the men arm themselves and march up the dale; two from each half-cabin should go, and on remain to guard the ships, and thus spoke: “You that go, go warily whenever you approach the woods or where there are hiding-places, lest you suffer injury from their arrows. Slay only those that lie in ambush to attack you, and lay hands on property wherever you find it/ If the yeomen avoid meeting us, and will not come to terms, they must expect, when we go away hence to find fires to warms their back, and smith's coals where now their homesteads lie. Let not a cottage stand anywhere; take care only of the churches wherever you can. Act like war-men, since you are bidden; for many at such times behave with violence, which I forbid under penalty of life or limb.” The standard was now set up and the Guards began their march, the whole crowd eagerly following. The King then looked round and saw there was scarcely a man left behind at the ships; and he called out saying “Let not the troops go on shore and leave the ships bare, to give our foes the opportunity of capturing them from us, for with much labour and danger we acquired them.” But the people were so impetuous that scarcely one behaved as if he heard what the King said. Then the King himself went down to the ships and caused them to lie out at anchor, as there were few men on them. When the Birkibeins marched up the dale the perceived neither man nor cattle; wherever they came the buildings were all deserted. They marched up the dale on Thursday, and the following night they found a man who gave them the information that all the folk had fled with their cattle to the fells and moors. On Friday, just before sunrise, the Birkibeins turned back to go down the dale, and when some them came to the homestead that lay highest up the dale they set fire to it and burnt it. Seeing this, those who were marching lower down did just the same; and so one after another they set fire to the buildings near them. The wind was light, and their was so much smoke when the whole village began to burn nearly at the same time, that it stretched from house to house all over the dale, Thus the Birkibeins passed right down the whole dale, and last of all the burnt Stedia. Here the remained a long time , because the church was in danger from the fire, and they stretched sails in front which they moistened; but when the buildings had fallen in, the troops all returned to the ships. Then Tens of homesteads that formed a very pleasant village were there burnt. Then King then caused the ships to be moved away to Hauastrand, on the other side, and they anchored at a place called Fimreiti.

King Magnus leaves Denmark, and Visits Kongunga-hella and Tunsberg.

82. We must now speak of King Magnus. After passing the winter in Denmark, he sailed in the spring to the Vik from the south. Wednesday in Easter week, Asbiorn Jonsson, of the King's body-guard, arrived at Kongunga-hella. A meeting was summoned, and he spoke, saying that the town might expect a visit from King Magnus; he urged the necessity of receiving heartily, for the King wished to make friends of all the folk of the land that were willing to show him honour or any reverence. He said also that the Danish King had greatly strengthened him with a numerous force, and had promised him yet more support; and that King Magnus expected friendly help from all the chiefs in the east of the land. “In return, he promises you a large grant,” said Asbiorn, “and his protection, if his rule grows in strength.” He delivered his message, eloquently, and there was loud applause at his speech.

The Lord's day after Easter week, King Magnus arrived at the town with twenty-four ships; a procession was formed to meet him, and he was received with much joy. Afterwards he went into the town and was entertained at the house of the lady named Ragnhild. There were with him, many barons: Orm Kings-brother, Munan Gautsson, Hallkel Jonsson, Asbiron Jonsson, Harald, son of King Ingi, and many other great men. The King held frequent councils and spoke; he was a good speaker, and his speeches were usually short. They all listened to his speeches with pleasure; and after he had stayed three weeks in the town he set sail for Tunsberg. From Konunga-hella the King obtained two Icelandic trading ships, one was called Keipa, the other Vallbuza.