House of Sverre
| House of Sverre | |
|---|---|
| Parent house | Gille dynasty (claimed) |
| Country | Kingdom of Norway and Kingdom of Scotland |
| Founded | 1184 |
| Founder | Sverre Sigurdsson |
| Final ruler | Haakon V (Norway) Margaret (Scotland, disputed) |
| Titles | Chieftain of the Birkebeins King of Norway Queen of Scots (disputed) |
| Cadet branches | House of Rosensverd |
The House of Sverre (Norwegian: Sverreætten)[1] was a royal house or dynasty which ruled, at various times in history, the Kingdom of Norway, hereunder the kingdom's realms, and the Kingdom of Scotland. The house was founded with King Sverre Sigurdsson. It provided the rulers of Norway from 1184 to 1319.
History
The house was founded with King Sverre Sigurdsson, who claimed to be an illegitimate son of King Sigurd Munn, when he was made King of Norway. After Sverre's death, his descendants would expand the influence, wealth, and power of the dynasty. Under his grandson Haakon IV's rule, the Kingdom of Norway reached its peak, the civil war era ended, and it was the start of a golden age in Norway.
Margaret, Maid of Norway, a queen-designate of the Kingdom of Scotland, was also a member of this family.
Their descendants consist of the House of Rosensverd (Norway)[2]
The house replaced the Gille dynasty, and was again replaced by the House of Bjälbo, which inherited Norway's throne. They were the last reigning family that claimed patrilineal descent from Harald Fairhair.
Coat of arms
The main arms of the kings belonging to the House of Sverre, was a golden crowned lion on a red field. The lion was later supplied with a silver axe symbolising Olaf the Holy. This became the coat of arms of Norway.
Seal of King Haakon V Magnusson, the last king belonging to the House of Sverre.
Seal of King Haakon V Magnusson's daughter, Duchess Ingeborg.
Arms of King Haakon V Magnusson's daughter's son, King Haakon VI Magnusson, who was of the House of Bjälbo. His coat of arms includes the Sverre arms and the Bjälbo arms.
List of kings
The rulers within the royal house or dynasty would often have a "junior king" along with a "senior king" (three dates show the reign as junior king to the start of reign as senior to the end of their reign). Here is a list of the rulers when the house held the power in Norway:
| Name | Reign |
|---|---|
| Sverre Sigurdsson | 1184–1202 |
| Haakon III Sverresson | 1202–1204 |
| Guttorm Sigurdsson | 1204 |
| Rule of Inge Baardson of the Gille branch | 1204–1217 |
| Haakon IV the Old | 1217–1263 |
| Haakon Haakonsson the Young | 1240–1257 |
| Magnus VI Lagabøte | 1257–1263–1280 |
| Eric II Magnusson | 1273–1280–1299 |
| Haakon V Magnusson | 1299–1319 |
Family tree
Members of the family are marked with red, and the monarchs of the family as bolded.
 Sverre King of Norway | Margaret of Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigurd Lavard | Haakon III King of Norway | Inga of Varteig | Christina of Norway | Philip Simonsson Bagler pretender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Guttorm King of Norway | Kanga the Young | Haakon IV King of Norway | Margaret Skulesdatter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sigurd Haakonsson | Gregorius Andresson Lendmann | Cecilia Haakonsdotter | Harald Olafsson King of Mann and the Isles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olaf Haakonsson |  Haakon the Young Junior King of Norway | Rikissa Birgersdotter | Christina of Norway |  Philip Infante of Castile | Magnus VI King of Norway | Ingeborg of Denmark | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sverre Magnus Haakonsson Junker | Margaret of Scotland | Eric II King of Norway | Isabel Bruce | Isabelle de Joigny | Haakon V King of Norway | Euphemia of Rügen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Margaret Queen of Scotland |  Valdemar Magnusson Prince, Duke of Finland | Ingeborg of Norway |  Havtore Jonsson Baron | Agnes Haakonsdotter | Eric Magnusson Prince, Duke of Svealand | Ingeborg of Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sudreim claim | House of Bjälbo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||