Sverre of Norway
king of Norway
Sverre Sigurdsson (Old Norse: Sverrir Sigurðarson; c. 1145/1151 – 9 March 1202) was the king of Norway from 1184 to 1202. Many consider him one of the most important rulers in Norwegian history. He assumed power as the leader of the rebel party known as the Birkebeiner in 1177, during their struggle against King Magnus Erlingsson. After Magnus fell at the Battle of Fimreite in 1184, Sverre ruled as sole king of Norway. Differences with the Church, however, led to his excommunication in 1194. Another civil war began against the church-supported Baglers, which lasted beyond Sverre's death in 1202.
The most important historical source on Sverre's life is his biography, the Sverris saga, in part written while Sverre was alive. This saga is likely biased, since the foreword states that part of it was written under Sverre's direct sponsorship. Correspondence between the Pope and the Norwegian bishops can be used as an alternate source when it comes to church affairs.
“Sverre of Norway” enters the record as king of Norway. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Sverre, Norway and king can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Sverre of Norway” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Sverre, Norway and king provides the most credible route into that argument.
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 Aug 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q331755. VIAF identifies the subject as 50336591. The Library of Congress control number is nr97018890. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1145, 1151, 1202 and 1184.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. 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.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
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Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sverre of Norway”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sverre of Norway primary sources, Sverre of Norway archive and Sverre research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Sverre of Norway” 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.