Sverresborg

Historie

Sverresborg or Sverre Sigurdsson's castle was a former fort built in the medieval city of Nidaros by Sverre Sigurdsson. The fortification was built in support of Sverre Sigurdsson's struggle against his rival King Magnus Erlingsson to claim the throne of Norway. The site now forms part of the Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum, an open-air museum for the region of Trøndelag, comprising the counties of Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndelag.LocationDefense of the city of Trondheim and the location of Sverresborg was based on three key topographical features: The city lay on a peninsula bordered on the east and south by the River Nidelva and on the north by Trondheimsfjord The neck connecting the peninsula to the mainland was quite narrow and could be easily fortified A glacially-carved-rock hill just to the south dominates the city and provides an easily fortified site (location of Sverresborg)Heklungs WarIn 1177, Sverre Sigurdsson, who would later rule as king of Norway from 1184-1202, led the rebel Birkebeiner (Birkebeinerne) forces to Trøndelag where, Sverre was hailed as king at Øretinget, the Thing (assembly) for Trøndelag. This was an important symbolic event, since traditionally new Norwegian kings were chosen there. After this, the Birkebeins moved south and wintered in Østerdalen. The next spring, the Birkebeins went back to Trøndelag, attacking the city of Nidaros (now Trondheim). Defeated, they fled south until they met and beat the army of reigning King Magnus Erlingsson in Ringerike. Encouraged, the Birkebeins moved north to Trøndelag again and remained in Nidaros during the winter of 1178.