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Magnus Haraldsson (son of Harald Gille)

King of Norway from 1142 until his death around 1145

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 13, 2025
Entity authorityQ29881 ↗
Source-derived summary

Magnus Haraldsson (Old Norse: Magnús Haraldsson; c. 1135 – c. 1145) was a king of Norway from 1142 until his death around 1145, reigning together with three of his brothers. He was a son of King Harald Gille by an unknown concubine.

Magnus was born sometime after 1130, when his father arrived in Norway. He was raised by the chieftain Kyrpinga-Orm at Støle in Sunnhordland. He does not appear to have been taken as king after his father's death together with his brothers Sigurd and

Inge. He first appears in the sagas in 1142, when Harald's oldest son, Eystein, came from Scotland and became king, together with Magnus. In a poem by the skald Einar Skuleson, all the four are counted as kings at the same time. In contrast to his three brothers who are praised for deeds as warriors, Magnus is said to "make peace between the men".

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Magnus Haraldsson (son of Harald Gille)” as king of Norway from 1142 until his death around 1145. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1135, 1145, 1142, 1130—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1135-01-01. The account is most persuasive where Magnus, Haraldsson and Harald can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as king of Norway from 1142 until his death around 1145. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 13, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q29881. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1135, 1145, 1142 and 1130.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Magnus Haraldsson (son of Harald Gille)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Magnus Haraldsson (son of Harald Gille) primary sources, Magnus Haraldsson (son of Harald Gille) archive and Magnus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Magnus Haraldsson (son of Harald Gille)”?
  2. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
  3. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Magnus Haraldsson (son of Harald Gille)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.