Petty kingdoms of Norway

Long ago, Norway was not one big land.

It was split into many small parts. Each part had its own leader. Some parts were just a few homes. Other parts were very large.

Some leaders were called kings. In one place, they were called earls. Many years later, one man joined them. Harald Fairhair became the first great ruler. This made Norway one single land. It is fun to learn about the past!

Long ago, Norway was not one single country.

Instead, it was split into many small pieces. These were called petty kingdoms. Some were tiny, like a few villages. Others were much larger.

An expert named Bergljot Solberg thinks there were at least 20 of these small lands.

Each small land had its own leader. Most leaders were called kings. In a place called Hålogaland, they were called earls. We do not know the exact names of all the borders. We also do not know every title they used. Much of what we know comes from old stories called sagas. These stories were written down long after the Viking Age ended.

Some stories about these leaders are legends.

In the year 872, things began to change. A man named Harald Fairhair joined the small lands together. He became the first great ruler of all Norway. After he died, the land split apart again for a while. Some old kingdoms even tried to become free once more.

Long ago, Norway was not one single nation. It was made of many small pieces called petty kingdoms.

Some of these lands were tiny clusters of villages. Other kingdoms were much larger and covered several modern counties. Historians do not know the exact number of these small realms. They likely changed over time as people moved or fought. Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg estimates there were at least 20 such areas in the whole country. Some estimates suggest there were nine petty realms just in Western Norway during the early Viking Age.

Each small land had its own leader to rule the people. Most of these rulers were called kings, or konungr. However, titles could change depending on the specific area or the story being told. In the place called Hålogaland, the leaders were called earls, or jarl. Other sources might call these rulers herser or subkings. We do not have written records from the leaders themselves. Most of our information comes from the kings' sagas. These stories were written in the 12th and 13th centuries, much later than the Viking Age.

Because the sagas were written so long after the events, they can be hard to prove. Some parts of the stories are based on old poems or spoken traditions. Historians still debate how much of these stories are true. Many of the names in the sagas are legendary or semi-legendary. This means they might be based on real people, but the details are not certain. We also do not know exactly where the borders between these small kingdoms were. The sagas give us names like Agder, Hordaland, and Rogaland.

Specific rulers lived in these different lands at different times. In the kingdom of Agder, a ruler named Harald the Agder-King is mentioned in legends. Later, a man named Halfdan the Black ruled there starting in 838. Halfdan was the father of the famous Harald Fairhair. In the kingdom of Sogn, King Harald Gullskjegg ruled from 770 to 850. The area called Vingulmark was another important place. Archaeologists found rich burials and a ship called the Tune ship there. This shows that Vingulmark was a center of power in the late 9th century.

Everything changed in the year AD 872. A leader named Harald Fairhair unified these many small lands. He became the first supreme ruler of a single Norway.

After Harald Fairhair died, the country broke apart into pieces again for a time. Some of the old kingdoms tried to break free from the high king. Many of these former kingdoms eventually became earldoms under the new Norwegian kings. This history shows how a large country can grow from many small, separate parts.

The petty kingdoms of Norway were small, independent political entities. These realms existed before Norway became a single, unified nation. They provided the foundation from which the later Kingdom of Norway was built. Some of these kingdoms were very small, perhaps only a few villages. Other realms were much larger, covering several modern-day Norwegian counties.

The exact number of these kingdoms is unknown. They likely fluctuated throughout history as borders shifted. Archaeologist Bergljot Solberg estimates there were at least 20 such realms in the country. Other estimates suggest nine petty realms existed in Western Norway during the early Viking Age.

Because these kingdoms existed before widespread literacy, we lack direct written records from the rulers themselves. Most of our knowledge comes from the kings' sagas. These sagas, such as the famous Heimskringla, were written in the 12th and 13th centuries. This was hundreds of years after the Viking Age ended. The sagas were based on skaldic poems and oral traditions. Consequently, historians debate their reliability for specific historical details. We cannot be certain of the exact borders or the specific titles these rulers held.

Titles for these leaders varied depending on the region and the source. In many areas, rulers were called konungr, which means king. This applied to places like Agder, Hordaland, and Rogaland. However, in Hålogaland, the leaders held the title of jarl, or earl. This title is similar to a Count in other European traditions. Other sources might refer to these leaders as herser or subkings. This variety shows how different local traditions shaped political identity. The terminology often reflects the specific social structure of each small realm.

Many of these kingdoms were distinct and had their own lineages. In the kingdom of Agder, legendary figures like Harald the Agder-King appear in old sagas. Later, historical figures like Halfdan the Black ruled there starting in 838. Halfdan was the father of Harald Fairhair, the man who would later unify Norway. In Sogn, King Harald Gullskjegg ruled from 770 to 850. Other regions like Hedmark and Oppland also had specific lines of rulers. These leaders managed their own territories through local power bases.

Archaeology provides physical evidence of power in some of these regions. In Vingulmark, which included parts of modern Oslo, archaeologists found rich burials. One notable discovery was the Tune ship. These findings indicate that Vingulmark was a significant center of power. In the late 9th century, some parts of this area may have been under Danish rule. An account by Ottar mentions sailing south from Skiringssal and seeing Denmark on the port side for three days. This suggests that the petty kingdoms were part of a larger, complex network of maritime influence.

In AD 872, a major political shift occurred when Harald Fairhair unified the realm. He became the first supreme ruler of a unified Norway. This process transformed many independent kingdoms into parts of a larger state. Many former kingdoms eventually became earldoms under the Norwegian high king. For example, the Earldom of Lade became a powerful base for rulers like Hákon Grjótgarðsson. However, unification was not always permanent. After Harald Fairhair died, the country experienced a period of fragmentation. Some former kingdoms attempted to break away and regain their independence.

Understanding the petty kingdoms helps us see how large nations form. These small entities were not just random groups; they were organized political systems. They eventually merged through conquest, alliance, and shifting loyalties. The transition from many small realms to one kingdom changed the political landscape of Scandinavia. This evolution connects the early Viking Age to the established medieval kingdoms of Europe. The history of these petty kingdoms is the history of Norway's beginnings.