Everything about Magnus Barefoot totally explained
Magnus Barefoot (
1073,
Norway -
August 1103,
Ulster) son of
Olaf Kyrre, was King of
Norway from
1093 until
1103 and
King of Mann and the Isles from
1099 until
1102. His nickname
barfot or
berrføtt means
barefoot or
bareleg and is commonly understood to come from his habit of wearing Gaelic-style clothing, leaving lower legs bare - this Scottish style is a precursor of later
kilts. According to another theory, he got the nickname because he was forced to flee from an attack in his barefeet.
Reign
The period of peace during the reign of Magnus' father
Olaf III Kyrre came to an abrupt end when Magnus succeeded him in
1093. Magnus made war with
Sweden and
Denmark and sought to build a Norwegian empire around the
Irish Sea. In
1098, he conquered the
Orkney Islands, the
Hebrides and the
Isle of Man. Magnus returned to Norway in 1099 but in 1102 set out again, this time to conquer
Ireland. He captured
Dublin and the surrounding area.
Death
In the following year,
1103, he attempted to capture the whole of Ireland, but he was caught in an ambush and died in battle. There is no concrete evidence as to the exact location of his death but belief, folklore and conclusion point either to a location which is known locally as the 'war hollow' which is situated within the
Portrush Golf Course in
County Antrim in what is now
Northern Ireland. Or to another location just outside
Downpatrick,
County Down.
Magnus was married to Margareta (the daughter of his former enemy
Inge Stenkilsson, King of
Sweden), in
1101 at
Kungahälla. They didn't have surviving children. His extant sons at his death were
Olaf Magnusson,
Øystein Magnusson and
Sigurd Magnusson (later known as
Sigurd Jorsalfar or Crusader) who all together succeeded him. After his death,
Harald Gille and
Sigurd Slembedjakn later came forward and both claimed to be his illegitimate sons (and thus heirs to the throne). Harald Gille became king
Harald IV of Norway in
1130.
Magnus's death set the stage for a period of civil war that would last until
1240, with Magnus' illegitimate sons and their descendants fighting for the throne.
See also
Further Information
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