petty kingdom

Västergötland ▶ (help·info) is one of the historical provinces of Sweden (landskap), situated in the southwest of Sweden. "Västergötland" literally means Western Götaland, where Götaland refers to the land of the Geats (a.k.a Goths). In older English literature one may also encounter the similar Vestergot ...

Including:

• Västergötland - Counties
• Västergötland - Population
• Västergötland - Geography
• Västergötland - Cities
• Västergötland - History
• Västergötland - Prehistory and middle ages
• Västergötland - 16th century and after
• Västergötland - Heraldry
• Västergötland - Dukes of Västergötland
• Västergötland - Culture
• Västergötland - Tongue
• Västergötland - Sights
• Västergötland - Hundreds
• Västergötland - Notes

Read more here: » Västergötland: Encyclopedia - Västergötland

Sogn is a landscape in the western part of Norway, in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding Sognefjorden. It consists of the municipalities Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik and Årdal. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Sogn was a petty kingdom. The kings of Sogn are: Harald Gulskeg (Goldbeard), father of Ragnhild, first wife of Halfdan the Black Halfdan the Black Harald Fairhair

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Vingulmark was the name of a Viking Age petty kingdom around Oslofjorden. It seems that it once extended to the county of Østfold in addition to the areas of the current municipalities Oslo, Bærum, Asker, Røyken, Hurum, Lier and Eiker in south-eastern Norway. Snorri Sturluson relates in the Heimskringla that it was conquered from the Swedish king Erik Emundsson by king Harald Fairhair when he united Norway. Some known kings of Vingulmark are: Gudrød the Hunter, half of Vingulmark Alfgeir (Old No ...

Read more here: » Vingulmark: Encyclopedia - Vingulmark

Vestfold is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg. Vestfold is located west of the Oslo Fjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs through the district. Many islands are located at the coast. Vestfold is known for shipping and sailing. Formerly a headquarters for whaling fleets, the coastal towns of Vestfold now engage in fishing and shipbuilding. Some lumbering is carried on in the interior. The district als ...

Including:

• Vestfold - History
• Vestfold - Municipalities

Read more here: » Vestfold: Encyclopedia - Vestfold

The Wulfings or Wylfings (the name means the "wolf clan") was a prominent family/clan in Beowulf and Widsith. According to one theory (Newton 1993), the East Anglian Wuffing dynasty was derived from the Wulfings, and it was at their court that Beowulf was first composed. The Old Norse form of this name is Ylfing 1, and a powerful Scandinavian clan by that name figures prominently in the Heimskringla and in Sögubrot, where ...

Including:

• Wulfing - Norse sagas
• Wulfing - Beowulf
• Wulfing - Known Wulfings
• Wulfing - Footnotes
• Wulfing - Primary sources
• Wulfing - Secondary sources

Read more here: » Wulfing: Encyclopedia - Wulfing

Beowulf is the hero of the Anglo-Saxon poem titled after him (see Beowulf). Beowulf was the son of Ecgþeow, a banished warrior of the apparently Swedish Wægmundings. His father had slain Heaðolaf, a man from another clan named the Wulfings (according to Scandinavian sources, they were the ruling dynasty of the Geatish petty kingdom of Östergötland). Apparently, due to the fact that the victim was from a prominent family, the weregild was set too high, and so Ecgþeow was banished and had to seek refuge among the Danes. The Danish king Hroðgar generously paid ...

Read more here: » Beowulf hero: Encyclopedia - Beowulf hero

In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Voss was a petty kingdom. According to legend, the people of Voss were forcibly converted to christianity by king Olav, who later became St. Olav. A stone cross situated in the town of Vossevangen is said to have been erected at this time. The town contains a stone church from 1277, and just outside the town is Finnesloftet, a wooden guild-hall believed to be the oldest profane woo ...

See also:

Voss, Voss - History, Voss - Skiing and tourism, Voss - Famous people from Voss, Voss - Brand of water

Read more here: » Voss: Encyclopedia II - Voss - History

In the late Iron Age, Oppland was a petty kingdom. Some kings of Oppland: Eystein, father of Åsa who married Halfdan Hvitbeinn (see Ynglinga Saga, paragraph 49) Halfdan "the Aged" Sveidasson (c. 750) Ivar Halfdansson (c. 770) Eystein "Glumra (the Noisy)" Ivarsson, son-in-law of Ragnvald the Mountain-High and father of Ragnvald Eysteinsson (788) ...

See also:

Oppland, Oppland - Districts, Oppland - History, Oppland - Municipalities

Read more here: » Oppland: Encyclopedia II - Oppland - History

Rogaland is mainly a coastal region with fjords, beaches and islands, the principal island being Karmøy. Boknafjorden is the largest bay, with many fjords branching off from it. The third largest urban area of Norway is located in Rogaland. Stavanger, along with Sandnes, Randaberg and Sola, is ranked above Trondheim when it comes to population. Cities/towns: Stavanger, Sandnes, Haugesund, Egersund, ...

See also:

Rogaland, Rogaland - Geography, Rogaland - Districts, Rogaland - History, Rogaland - Places to visit, Rogaland - Municipalities

Read more here: » Rogaland: Encyclopedia II - Rogaland - Geography

Some old historians used to believe that in the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Telemark was a petty kingdom. This is, however, unfounded. The film The heroes of Telemark is loosely based on the raid on a heavy water plant at Rjukan during World War II. Ray Mears made a documentary The real heroes of Telemark as a response to the inaccuracies of the film, giving an account more focused on the outdoor skills that were required for the operation (spending months in remote cabins). Until 1919 the c ...

See also:

Telemark, Telemark - Districts, Telemark - Notable people from Telemark, Telemark - History, Telemark - Municipalities

Read more here: » Telemark: Encyclopedia II - Telemark - History

The family of Harald Fairhair, who is said to be the first king of the whole Norway, was from this area. At that time Vestfold, including Lier and Eiker, was a petty kingdom. Kings of Vestfold include: Erik Agnarsson Halfdan Hvitbeinn (part of Vestfold) Eystein Halfdansson Halfdan the Mild Gudrød the Hunter Halfdan the Black, together with his brother, Olaf Gudrødsson Ragnvald the Mountain-High Harald Fairhair Bjørn Farmann Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, brother of Bjørn Harald ...

See also:

Vestfold, Vestfold - History, Vestfold - Municipalities

Read more here: » Vestfold: Encyclopedia II - Vestfold - History

Närke was renowned for its warlike peasants and when coat-of-arms for the province was granted for the funeral of King Gustav Vasa in 1560 two crossbow darts was the central symbol - the crossbow being the favourite weapon of the peasants. In Närke there are also a number of ancient castles. The most important and best preserved one is located in Tarsta at Sköllersta. ...

See also:

History of Närke, History of Närke - Prehistory, History of Närke - History

Read more here: » History of Närke: Encyclopedia II - History of Närke - History

Troms has a very rugged and indented coastline facing the Norwegian Sea. However, the large and mountaineous islands along the coast provides an excellent sheltered waterway on the inside. Starting in the south, the largest islands are: northeastern part of Hinnøya (the southern part is in Nordland), Grytøy, Senja, Kvaløya, Ringvassøya, Reinøy, Vannøy and Arnøy. There are several large fjords that stretches quite far inland. Starting in the south, the largest fjords are Vågsfjorden, Malangen, Balsfjorden, Ullsfjorden, Lyngen (the municipality has it's name from the fjord) and Kvænangen (fjord). The largest lake is Alteva ...

See also:

Troms, Troms - Geography, Troms - Economy, Troms - History, Troms - Municipalities

Read more here: » Troms: Encyclopedia II - Troms - Geography

The Romsdal Valley, through which the Rauma river passes to the Romsdalfjord, has been described as a worthy rival for Yosemite. The 1550 meter tall Romsdalhorn has been compared to the Matterhorn, while the Trolltindane peaks, according to legend a bridal procession of trolls turned to stone by the morning light, stands opposite across the Rauma. The North Face of Trollryggen peak (1740 m), Trollveggen (Troll Wall), is the tallest vertical cliff in Europe. Norway's most famous switch-backed road (in a country with many switch-backs) is the ...

See also:

Romsdal, Romsdal - Geography, Romsdal - History, Romsdal - The 12th Century, Romsdal - The 17th Century, Romsdal - The 20th Century

Read more here: » Romsdal: Encyclopedia II - Romsdal - Geography

Nordland extends about 500 km from Nord-Trøndelag to Troms. The distance by road from Bindal in the far south of the county to Andenes on the northern tip is roughly 800 km. Nordland has a rugged coastline, with many fjords. From south to north, the main fjords are Bindalsfjord, Vefsnfjord, Ranafjorden, Saltfjord-Skjerstadfjord, Folda, Tysfjord, Ofotfjord (the longest) and Andfjord, which is shared with Troms county. The most well known is perhaps Vestfjord, which is not really a fjord, but an open stretch of sea between the Lofoten island ...

See also:

Nordland, Nordland - Districts, Nordland - Geography, Nordland - Climate, Nordland - Light, Nordland - Nature, Nordland - Economy, Nordland - History, Nordland - Municipalities

Read more here: » Nordland: Encyclopedia II - Nordland - Geography

A number of Stone Age sites have been discovered around the Randsfjord and over 200 artefacts - including jewellery, tools, and weapons - have been unearthed. During this period the people here, as in most of southern Norway, lived as hunter-gatherers, exploiting the resources of the large forests. By the end of the Bronze Age, agriculture had evolved and archaeological evidence points to the division of land into family or clan-based farms. Several Bronze Age burial moun ...

See also:

Hadeland, Hadeland - History, Hadeland - What to see

Read more here: » Hadeland: Encyclopedia II - Hadeland - History

Västergötland - Prehistory and middle ages. There are many ancient remains in Västergötland, and most prominent are probably the dolmens from the Funnelbeaker culture, in the Falköping area south of lake Vänern. The population of Västergötland, the Geats appear in the writings of the Greek Ptolemaios (as Goutai). The province of Västergötland represents the heartland of Götaland, and it is believed that it was once an independent petty kingdom with a long line of Geatish kings. The ...

See also:

Västergötland, Västergötland - Counties, Västergötland - Population, Västergötland - Geography, Västergötland - Cities, Västergötland - History, Västergötland - Prehistory and middle ages, Västergötland - 16th century and after, Västergötland - Heraldry, Västergötland - Dukes of Västergötland, Västergötland - Culture, Västergötland - Tongue, Västergötland - Sights, Västergötland - Hundreds, Västergötland - Notes

Read more here: » Västergötland: Encyclopedia II - Västergötland - History

In the first poem (Helgakviða Hundingsbana I), Sinfjotli has his residence on the Bravellir (in East Götaland, see Battle of Bråvalla). Stanza 42: Sinfiotli qvaþ: «Þv vart brvþr Grana a Bravelli, gvllbitlvþ vart gor til rasar; hafda ec þer moþri mart sceiþ riþit, svangri vnd sa/þli, simvl! forbergis.»[1] Sinfjotli quoth: "You were the bride ...

See also:

Wulfing, Wulfing - Norse sagas, Wulfing - Beowulf, Wulfing - Known Wulfings, Wulfing - Footnotes, Wulfing - Primary sources, Wulfing - Secondary sources

Read more here: » Wulfing: Encyclopedia II - Wulfing - Norse sagas

The family of Harald Fairhair, who is said to be the first king of the whole Norway, was from this area. At that time Vestfold, including Lier and Eiker, was a petty kingdom. Erik Agnarsson Halfdan Hvitbeinn (part of Vestfold) Eystein Halfdansson Halfdan the Mild Gudrød the Hunter Halfdan the Black, together with his brother, Olaf Gudrødsson Ragnvald the Mountain-High Harald Fairhair Bjørn Farmann Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, brother of Bjørn Harald ...

See also:

Vestfold, Vestfold - History, Vestfold - Municipalities

Read more here: » Vestfold: Encyclopedia II - Vestfold - History

In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hedmark was a petty kingdom. Kings of Hedmark includes: Halfdan Hvitbeinn Sigtryg Eysteinsson Eystein Eysteinsson, brother of Sigtryg Halfdan the Black, King Haralds father, was king of half of Hedmark after defeating rulers Sigtryg and his brother, Eystein. Before 1781, the county was part of Opp ...

See also:

Hedmark, Hedmark - Districts, Hedmark - History, Hedmark - Municipalities

Read more here: » Hedmark: Encyclopedia II - Hedmark - History