Journal Articles by Sverrir Jakobsson
Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 2022
This article focuses on the writing of Þórðar saga kakala by an unnamed author in c. 1275 and its... more This article focuses on the writing of Þórðar saga kakala by an unnamed author in c. 1275 and its connections to its literary- and political-historical contexts. In extant form Þórðar saga kakala covers the years of Icelandic history between 1242– 1249/50 and 1254–1256, with a special focus on the figure of Þórðr kakali Sighvatsson (c. 1210–1256) who — for a short period during the Sturlunga Age — controlled all Iceland unopposed. Because of the subject matter of Þórðar saga kakala, including the characters featured therein, the origins of Þórðar saga kakala cannot be discussed apart from the high political history of 1270s Iceland. At this time, royal office was being shared between two old rivals, the southern bishop was attempting to wrest control of church estates from their lay owners, and the Norwegian king was implementing legislative reform on Iceland. In addition to political history, literary history must also be covered: it is essential for understanding the reception of Þórðar saga kakala, and serves to illuminate its origins further. Chief, in this regard, is the saga’s relationships with the writings of Sturla Þórðarson (d. 1284) about contemporary political history: Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar (covers 1204–1263; written c. 1264–1265) and Íslendinga saga (covers 1183–1264; written c. 1277–1284). By closely reading Þórðar saga kakala through historical-critical and intertextual lenses, this article nuances the picture of the political history of 1270s Iceland provided in the sources (chiefly Árna saga biskups and the annals), whilst also detailing an instrumental episode in the formative history of the Sturlunga saga compilation through which Þórðar saga kakala comes down to us today.
VTU Review: Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, 2022
The aim of this article is to analyse the discourse about the people known as Rus and Varangians ... more The aim of this article is to analyse the discourse about the people known as Rus and Varangians which was prevalent among the erudite minority of the medieval Roman Empire. The earliest image of the Rus in Eastern Roman sources, found in the sermons of Patriarch Photios from 860, is one of inhumanity in the most basic sense of the word: the Rus are likened to a hailstorm and a roaring sea, they are wild boars and merciless barbarians. In a later letter, however, Photios adopts a different view: the Rus are no longer inhuman insofar as they are on their way to becoming members of the community of Christian nations. The images of the Rus in works from the time of Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 945-959) are very different from their representations in the writings of Photios as the Rus had become subjects of diplomatic efforts by the imperial court. The Rus are still very different from the Romans, but they are identified as people with their own government, their own hierarchy, and their own interests. The texts De ceremoniis and De Administrando Imperio offer both peaceful and aggressive models of coexistence , each characterized with a different gender aspect. In the eleventh century, a group of Scandinavians known as Varangians became separated from the Rus. Although not mentioned in works earlier than from the 1070s, they are referred to in connection with events happening as early as in the 1030s. Unlike the Rus, the identity of the Varangians was tied to their service to the Romans, as members of the Roman army, or even an independent group of soldiers. Loyalty was regarded as an important characteristic of the Varangians. The picture of the Varangians as supremely loyal subjects, yet with a clearly demarcated identity of their own, is the one that entered posterity as the archetype of the Varangian.
Scandinavian Journal of History, 2021
It is a common supposition that Iceland became a part of Norway over a period of few years follow... more It is a common supposition that Iceland became a part of Norway over a period of few years following 1262, that this was done through the adoption of a document known as The Old Covenant (ON. Gamli sattmali) and that the most important part of this transition was that the Icelanders now accepted the Norwegian king as their own king. Some of these statements must be subject to qualification. In fact, different parts of Iceland became subject to the Norwegian king at various times, the Old Covenant had no legal status neither in Iceland nor the Norwegian kingdom at large, and the Norwegian king had already been accepted as the ruler of most of Iceland before 1262.
This article will demonstrate that the incorporation of Iceland into the Norwegian realm involved three distinct but interconnected issues: The introduction of government into Iceland, the introduction of regular taxation and, finally, the adjustment of Icelandic laws to reflect the laws of the Norwegian kingdom. The focus will not be on the events of a single year or a period of few years, but on a longer period of transition, from 1220 to 1281, of which the adaption of Jónsbok was the final act.
Viator, Jan 1, 2009
In this article the process of Iceland becoming a part of the kingdom in Norway is analyzed in vi... more In this article the process of Iceland becoming a part of the kingdom in Norway is analyzed in view of internal factors which lead to the consolidation of power and the creation of territorial states in the early thirteenth century. The church brought to Iceland a new agenda through its campaign for peace and social stability, but an unintentional consequence of the separation of secular and ecclesiastical power was that some families and regional networks became stronger at the expense of others. A new elite sought territorial power but the new system was inherently unstable as the preeminent chieftains each sought to become sole ruler of the country. The nature of warfare changed, with the introduction of pitched battles and the constant harassing of farmers on a regional basis. As a result, the rule of a monarch began to seem the only guarantee for peace and stability.
Scandinavian Journal of History , 2013
Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, Jan 1, 2007
Church History, 2019
An article in Church History 88:1 (2019), 1-26.
Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 2018
Canadian Journal of History, 2012
analytique Vínland and Wishful Thinking: Medieval and Modern Fantasies Sverrir Jakobsson
Arkiv för nordisk filologi , 2017
A draft version of an article in Arkiv för nordisk filologi 132 (2017), 75-99.
A draft version of the published paper „The Early Kings of Norway, the Issue of Agnatic Successi... more A draft version of the published paper „The Early Kings of Norway, the Issue of Agnatic Succession and the Settlement of Iceland“, Viator. Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 47:3 (Autumn 2016), 171-88.
The early Norwegian kings are scarcely attested in sources earlier than the twelfth century, in contrast to the rich and varied descriptions of them from twelfth-and thirteenth-century sources. It will be argued that the historical narrative of their reign had direct relevance for at least two contemporary issues during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. One was the precedence of sons of kings in the order of succession to the Norwegian throne. This claim was strengthened by the genealogical lines of the Norwegian kings which existed from the 1120s or 1130s onwards and demonstrated that the Norwegian monarchy had always passed to heirs in the direct male line. Another important issue was the aspiration of the Norwegian kings to extend their rule to Iceland in the thirteenth century. Paradoxically, at this very time the view gained ground in saga narratives that Icelandic settlers had been opponents of the earliest Norwegian kings.
Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 2017
An article in Byzantinische Zeitschrift 110:3 (2017), 649-672.
Byzantinoslavica, Jan 1, 2008
VTU Review, 2020
An article in VTU Review 4:1 (2020), 55-67.
Published in Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 115:2 (2016), 213-238.
Scandinavian journal of history, Jan 1, 1999
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Journal Articles by Sverrir Jakobsson
This article will demonstrate that the incorporation of Iceland into the Norwegian realm involved three distinct but interconnected issues: The introduction of government into Iceland, the introduction of regular taxation and, finally, the adjustment of Icelandic laws to reflect the laws of the Norwegian kingdom. The focus will not be on the events of a single year or a period of few years, but on a longer period of transition, from 1220 to 1281, of which the adaption of Jónsbok was the final act.
See https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03468755.2013.803498
See https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/abs/10.1484/J.VMS.5.116395
The early Norwegian kings are scarcely attested in sources earlier than the twelfth century, in contrast to the rich and varied descriptions of them from twelfth-and thirteenth-century sources. It will be argued that the historical narrative of their reign had direct relevance for at least two contemporary issues during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. One was the precedence of sons of kings in the order of succession to the Norwegian throne. This claim was strengthened by the genealogical lines of the Norwegian kings which existed from the 1120s or 1130s onwards and demonstrated that the Norwegian monarchy had always passed to heirs in the direct male line. Another important issue was the aspiration of the Norwegian kings to extend their rule to Iceland in the thirteenth century. Paradoxically, at this very time the view gained ground in saga narratives that Icelandic settlers had been opponents of the earliest Norwegian kings.