Rise of the Bagals under Bishop Nikolas [1196]

129. The following Hreidar Sendiman asked of the King whether his errand there would succeed. The king answered thus: “There does not seem to be the promise of peace here in the land. I hear that the Danes are again feed wolves to prey on us if they can effect it; and within the land some abide in whom I should put little trust if a hostile band raised its head. I am not willing in these circumstances to send my troops away.” Then Hreidar asked if the King would give leave to yeomen's or merchant's sons to go if they were willing; and the King said that might be done. So Hreidar raised a company and set out form the land with it, in the summer south to Haleyr, where was a market and a trading town. Here came Bishop Nikolas and a great multitude of Northmen with him, mostly Vik-men. Bishop Nikolas and his followers had with them a boy whom they called Ingri, son of Magnus Erlingsson, but the Birkibeins asserted that he was a Dane, and his name Thorgils Thufuskit. At the Eyr they raised a band, which was joined by a great multitude, and Archbishop Eirik resolved to go with them. With this band they sailed north to Norway, where was Sigurd, son or Earl Erling, and many men of rank with him. This band was called Bagals.

King Sverri and the Bagals at Salteyiar-sound. Of King Sverri's son Lavard.

130. King Sverri was then east in the Vik. The Bagals sailed until they came into Salteyiar-sound,a nd King Sverri, who was in Seims-fiord, hear of them and went to meet them. The King himself went forth to observe them, with Nikolas of Vestness; he learnt what force the Bagals had, and their strength seemed to be great. The King spoke to Nikolas and Sigurd Lavard that they should lay the ships near the homestead called Sonaberg, and taunt the Bagals if they could manage it. He himself rowed to Hastein, where he found watchmen of the Bagals and chased them. Thence he rowed to his fleet. The two forces now shot missiles at one another, but there was small loss of life. The cutter which the King steered lay nearest the shore. The Bagals were on land at a place now called Muga-fields, and had beached their ships close by. They had five long-ships and a hundred small ships. King Sverri had thirty ships, mostly small. And when the King saw that he could do nothing against the multitude before him, he bade his men act warily and not let their ships be dragged to shore under them. He then placed them out of range on the other side of the sound, close to the island,²⁶ where he lay for a time.

On a rock over against the ships of the Bagals King Sverri had a catapult raised, and in the evening when it was ready for use, the Birkibeins shot with it for a while and injured the Bagals' ships. And when the evening grew dusk the King set his son Lavard and Eilif Raudi to keep watch over the catapult. The two had one ship, which was manned by nearly eighty men. And the King said to them, “Be on your guard lest the Bagals come here in the night,” and when then he went to the ships. The weather was piercing cold, and many of the men kept on foot and strove tow arm themselves; others laid huddled close to the catapult. The night was pitch-dark to the utmost. Between the land and island lay a reef, and in the night at low tide the Bagals walked over it and came up into the island. They had a hundred men, all wearing coats of mail, and the Birkibeins under the catapult saw nothing of them till they felt their spears; then they sprang up. Eilif Raudi said, “Drive them off; they are but a handful of men.” Then, with a few others, he faced them and defended himself; but they fell, almost all. Sigurd Lavard, the King's son, tumbled over a cliff, and with him the greater part of the men. They made their way to the ships, as also those who escaped from the fight. The Bagals pursued and overtook them; but the Birkibeins were much aided by the darkness. Foe being undistinguishable from friend. However, more than twenty Birkibeins were slain. The Bagals broke the catapult to pieces. When tidings of these things reached the ships, the Birkibeins summoned their men to land, Nikolas of Vestness being first of shore. The Bagals then gradually withdrew to their force. King Sverri soundly rated his son Lavard, telling him the truth when he said: “I kept another manner of watch when we strove fore the land against King Magnus. Woe betide the King's son who looks so badly after his men as thou hast done. Get thee on shore, and come not into my sight before day dawns.” Many then went on land and kept watch till day.

Interchange of Contemptuos language between Bishop Nikolas and the Birkibeins.

131. It happened one day while King Sverri lay in Seims-fiord that his men were rowing him on a cutter, close under the land, and the Bagals came forward on a rock and shouted at them. And Sigurd Earlsson said, “Is my meat-giver Sverri, on the cutter?” Liot Haraldsson answered him: “King Sverri is here on board, and I may say with truth he never gave meat to a worse man, and you now show it.” Then Bishop Nikolas exclaimed, “Why don't you come on land, Sverri? Are you not willing to fight now, you renegade? You think no life equal to that of robbing and harrying. Now I will wait for you here. Behold my sleeve” (and with that he held up his shield; “the mitre and staff by which the Pope's command I bear against you are this helmet and sword; I will carry these weapons until your are slain or driven from your realm.” As he spoke the Birkibeins ever broke in with cries, and said, “We should find it no hard task to land, if there were only such opponents as you, dastard; you will carry those weapons till the day of doom.” Other spoke thus, “You will carry your weapons to your own hurt, as you have done in the past.” The King bade them cease, and not waste breath in talking to him. The Bishop again called out, “You ever question my courage, you Birkibeins. Now do you, Sverri, come on shore alone, and I will meet you alone. We shall then see whether the Apostle Petr and Saint Hallvard will afford me more aid than you will get from that Gautish Ogress²⁷ in whom you trust.” King Sverri reply was addressed to his men: “If Nikolas and I had a duel, men would call it a dog-fight, in which neither combatant showed pluck.” The King then rowed away to his force.

Birkieins and Bagals separate with a battle. King Sverri goes north to Throndham, the Bagals to Sarpsborg.

132. The Morning after the skirmish the King held a council, and inquired of his men what plan should be taken. Nikolas of Vestness answered, “It seems to us ill to lie here, Sire, our provisions being scanty; we wish not to attack them and fight, to conquer or fall valiantly; or else let us sail away where we can provisions.” The king replied, “In what you say, Nikolas, you utter the thought of many, and I know that the levies long to go hime. But however ill it seems to them to lie here, it willseem not better to any of those who lie within the Sound; if we abide patiently, they will break up their gathering. Yet as you wish now to go away, it shall be done.” The King Bade them make ready the ships for going away, and so it was done. The say was Sunday, and the King caused the bodies of the slain to be removed to the church in Salteyiar-sound. This done, he directed his course north will all the fleet, and had a fair wind to Bergen. He now permitted all the levies to depart, but he himself held on his northern course, and spent the winter in Throndham. The Bagals meanwhile advanced north into the Vik, and summoned an Assembly at Borg, at which King Magnus's son Ingi was chosen King. The whole of the Vik and Uplands now submitted to them, and they appointed me to all the bailiwicks. Bishop Nikolas was at his See in Oslo during the winter, and at times south in Denmark. Ivar Skialgi was now consecrated Bishop of Hamar-Kaupang. The Bagals were now joined by Hallvard of Sasteads, Kolbein Strinef, and many others. This winter Bishop Nikolas and Sigurd Earlsson took much money belonging to King Sverri out of the wall Of Mariukirk, in Hofudey, and carried it away with them.

King Sverri summonds a full levy, and sets sail with it from Bergen. His address to his men. [1197]

133. The next spring Bishop Nikolas and Sigurd Earlsson went up into Heidmork, whence they dispatched a force north over the fell. It came down to the fiord name Aldi above Rugsound, and there slew Thori Fari and Einar Laygra, King Sverri's bailiffs, and their company. The nearest bailiffs, Thori Krak and Thorgils, escaped to King Sverri, and the Bagals marched back to the Uplands.

In the winter, after Yule, King Sverri held an Assembly of the yeomen, and called out a levy over all the communities of the Thronds, Halogaland, North and South Mœri, and Raumsdale, and summoned all the troops to join him early in the spring. By Hallvard's mass-day he had come with all the force south to Bergen, thirty hundred men, all on shipboard. The King remained in Berge, a long time through the summer, until Margret's mass-day, waiting for the full levy which had been summoned from all the country south of Stad; and before he set sail from Bergen, troops had collected around him to the number of sixty hundred. He sailed south with the force into Grœninga-sound, and men thought it strange that he did not proceed on his voyage, but he gave no heed to what was said. The king held an Assembly of the yeomen, and made a long speech in presence of his troops, so that he was heard both by them and the yeomen. He had a great multitude of men in the levies, and they were in many ways a turbulent and unruly force. The King addressed them at this Assembly, and thus spoke:-

“It is unbecoming in you, esteemed sons of yeomen, to come from Throndham, or Haligaland, or Mœri, or maybe shorter distances, that you may make war on yeomen's farm implements, tubs, or other household utensils, hewing them and cutting them, just because you find them in your way. It shows neither skill nor prowess in you, and is a loss to the owners. I bid you do so no longer, and this language would not be heard from a King unless there were need. I cannot be called ruler of this land if I do not take measures to stop this disorder and prevent its growing. I bid you, in friendly words, to cease this unruliness, for I am very unwilling to punish you; but punishment will have to inflicted if there is no improvement. I deem that I have so fully attained to the rule and government of this land, though Bishop Nikolas denies it, that I do not proclaim it twice or thrice when there is no greater reason than what I have just mentioned. But I don't think I understand what Bishop Nikolas means when he says that I cannot be King over Norway. Many have borne the name of King who have only been sons of Handmaids; but I am a true son of King Sigurd and Gunnhild. Now many know of what family she is; but if there are some here who, as I suppose have not that knowledge, I cam able to tell them something of it.” Then the King set forth all her lineage to the whole Assembly, and many recognized their own relations to be akin to him, both on the father's side and the mother's side, who had no knowledge of it before. The King ended his speech by saying that he knew of no one at the time in Norway who had a better right, before God, or man, to bear the name of King than himself. “And though Bishop Nikolas would prefer another,” he said “we Birkibeins will care no more about that now than aforetime. The King who governs the realm needs to be both sever and upright and though Nikolas is glib of tongue, he seems to me to have the heart of a hare, and the falseness of a fox; such has always been my experience of him. Yea, though we reckon up all the progeny of Ingirid, none will be found faithful. Magnus was not true, nor was Buriz true, of whose faithlessness there were evident proofs.”²⁸ “But it is best to leave such matters in quiet, for it will be seen at last of every man what he is. In short time I expect we Birkibeins will go and seek a meeting with those Bagals, and we shall then see how faithful and true is Master Brushtail to those plotters against us Birkibeins.”

King Sverri plans an attack on the Bagals in Oslo

134. The Assembly broke up after this speech; the yeomen returned home, the Birkibeins and the levies went back to the ships. After a short delay a fair breeze blew, and the King gave the signal for departure; they hoisted sail and sailed eat coast-wise, not stopping till they came within the fiord to Oslo, where the Bagals confronted them with all their force, The afternoon of Jacob's mass0day, King Sverri anchored his fleet at Hofudey, and next morning he went on shore to attend service. On his return to the ships he held a council with his men, and thus spoke: “The Bagals are in the town with a very great force ready to receive us; listennow carefully to my arrangements for the attack. My son Hakon, with all his cutters, shall row to Leira, [the muddy shore] within Nunnusetr, where the men will land and thence march to the town; let them attack the men on the quays in the rear. My barons, Gregorius Jonsson, Sigurd of Modasteads, and Eystein Rognvaldsson, with the men of Mœri, shall direct their ships to Eyra, close by Mariukirk yard, land there and march up the southern street. All the rest of the force shall row with my standard to the quays, where the main strength will be posted. Go now to the ships and let bear in upon them.” The war blast was blown, the whole host rowed towards shore, and the ships fell into divisions, as the King had commanded.

Battle at Oslo between King Sverri and the Bagals; the Birkibeins are victorious.

135. Bishop Nikolas made a speech to the Bagals when arranging all their ranks, and thus spoke: “Sigurd Earlsson with his company, and Hallvard of Sasteads with the Uplanders, shall together draw up their line within Nunuester, and take care that the enemy do not land there. Onund Hlynn's sons and Kolbein Strinef, with a company the stoutest of all, shall be on the Eyra and watch the bridge, lest they come that way into town; the king's standard, my force,a nd the townsmen shall defend the quays. King Sverri has not so numerous a force as you suppose. His ships are thinly manned, only a single man at most to each half-cabin. Do you not see that they have set up their hammocks in the cabins; perhaps you think those are men? The Birkibeins are under ban, so that their swords will not bite, and they will not dare to begin the attack. Be good of courage, therefore; if Sverri attacks us, the hand of death us upon him. Possibly he may make such an attempt as at Seims-fiord.” Then the Bishop was on horseback, accompanied by several clerks, and was in the street near his Court when the attack began and both sides raised the war-cry. King Sverri's ships drove so hard forward that the merchant vessels which lay in their way were broken; for the Bagals had sunk some ships in front of the quays, so that the Birkibeins were unable to come close up, and the two hosts shot bolts and hurled missiles. The Birkibeins pressed to shore over the merchant ships, and the first to get on the quays were Bengier Langi and Botrolf Aufrusson. An Englishman at once struck at Bengeir, saying they should not land there. But Bengeir turned the blow aside-he was most skilled of men with sword and buckler-and struck the Englishman under his shield. The blow fell below the nose and truck off the lower jaw. Many Birkibeins now pressed forward to the quays; the Bagals met them valiantly, and there was a hard fight. A Man spoke to the Bishop: “Ride forward, Sire and hard,” he said, “our men need you to strengthen them; the Birkibeins swords seem to us to be biting now.” But the Bishop replied: “Let us ride off as fast as we can, the devil has got loose.” After this, they ran out of the town, and stopped not before they came to the Giolluras, where they waited for their force.

Gregorius Johnsson and those with him drove their ships to the mouth of the stream at the Eyra. The water was shallow, and when the ships touched ground the men leapt overboard, waded ashore, and then marched boldly up. The Bagals' company had stayed near the Geita-bridge; but when they saw the Birkibeins had landed, they set on them so fiercely that the Birkibeins gave way and turned to their ships; some were slain, some plunged into the water. When they came on board they rowed farther out to Thrælaberg, where they landed, and then marched along the fields towards the town. The Bagals, seeing them, hastened over the Geita-bridge to meet them, and a fierce fight occurred a second time with them.

Hakon, the king's son, frove his ships to the Leira, so that all the cutter at once ran to dry land. The men leapt on shore quickly, drew up in battle array and marched against the Bagals. At first they threw missiles, then they thrust with their spears. The Bagals did not wait where they stood for the blows, but fled north of the town. The Birkibeins followed, slaying every man they overtook; but some of them turned into the town, to the rear of the men on the quays, and smote them on the neck. King Sverri's standard, the Sigrfluga, had come on the quays, and at this moment the Bagals and townsmen took to flight; some fled out of the town, others into the houses. King Sverri walked up the long street, and when he was come into the lanes, he beheld his men out on the fields fighting. He turned, therefore, over the river above the town and went along the fields. His men attacked the Bagals in the rear, and almost the whole of that company was slain. The Birkibeins ransacked the town, broke into the houses, and slew many Bagals; but many ran out and fled from the town. There were companies of the Birkibeins on the fields and companies up at Mortustokka, and they ever fell on the Bagals as they were escaping. There was a very great slaughter, especially of the Bagals, but almost all their chiefs escaped at this time.

Division of the spoil. Bishop Nikolas sues for peace.

136. After this, King Sverri summoned his whole force, to Morustokka, and there had speech with them, and said: “God be thanked that He has not been less favourable to us Birkibeins now than hereto fore, in giving us the victory; and I should expect that Nikolas Brushtail will scarcely have taken himself off with undaunted heart. Yet I would say to all that I will have the ships moved out to Hofudey; I don't wish to suffer a reverse, and we must guard against surprises, if there are those among them who think of returning to the town as soon as they suppose our men to be careless or steeped in drink. I will not allow them to get windward of my force.” Then men therefore went to the ships and did as the King bade. But before they departed they laid hands on all goods in the town, because the yeomen and merchants had borne arms against the King. They seized the long-ships there, and burnt the greater part of them, but took with them Bikaskreppa, which had belonged to Bishop Nikolas, and the Gullsud, which had been built by Hidi. Hidi now took the Bokaskreppa, and burnt the Vidsia, his former ship; but he saved the nails and the sail, for the tackle belonged to the yeomen. The King now lay close to Hofudey, and the booty to be shared was carried to a field on the south of the island, where it was placed in four divisions. A council was now called, at which the King talked with his men. He then caused them to pass under the pole and the force was numbered to see how many he had; there were five tens of hundreds.

At this time a priest arrived from Bishop Nikolas, and he bore a letter to King Sverri, which the Bishop had caused to be written. There stood in the letter that the Bishop desired to be reconciled to the King. The King answered that the Bishop had done the same before, and that nothing had come of it. “I know not,” said he, “if this reconciliation will prove any better, but I would grant Nikolas pardon if he came himself to see me. You may tell him also that I have more ways of winning renown than by slaying him if he falls into my power. He is his own master; let him come if it seems good to him.”

The King now demanded of his Guardsmen and the levies the ships that had been seized and all the tackle with them, for fifteen marks of gold. But the men thought the sum would not be a third of the value of what he took; so Sigvaldi Karl, Sigurd of Modasteads, and Eystein Rognvaldsson, with many others, went up and dragged the tackle and sails into the four divisions, like the other booty. The King informed of this, sprang from the ship; he had a switch in his hand, and used it. Most of the men took to flight, throwing to the ground what they held when they saw the King was angry. Sigvaldi waited and stood his ground, and the King struck him twice across the shoulders. Sigvaldi made no resistance. The King stopped, and said that they acted badly to break his commands; the means to defend the land he would have for himself and ships also. And so it was; the King paid the price just as he wished. On the third day the force was summoned to the sharing. Lots were cased for the four divisions; then the owners of each quarter divided their shares into twelfths. And so the property was divided, till the last single shares were reached. The booty was so large that each man's share was not less in value than two marks of silver by weight.

The King stayed here little short of half a month.