Norwegian political faction during the Civil War era, active from 1174 to the 1210s
This article is about the Norwegian political movement that produced the Birkebeinerrennet cross-country ski race. For the American race equivalent, see American Birkebeiner.
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Skiing Birchlegs Crossing the Mountain with the Royal Child, painted by Knud Bergslien. Painting located at The Ski Museum. Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway.
The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar (Old Norse: Birkibeinar; Norwegian: Birkebeinarane (nynorsk) or Birkebeinerne (bokmål)) was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla. The name has its origins in propaganda from the established party that the rebels were so poor that they made their shoes of birch bark. Although originally a pejorative, the opposition adopted the Birkebeiner name for themselves, and continued using it after they came to power in 1184.
Today, the Birkebeins are popularly celebrated for having escorted the one-year-old Haakon Haakonsson, an heir to the Norwegian throne, safely from Lillehammer to Østerdalen to Trondheim, a long and perilous journey through treacherous mountains and forests. This is commemorated through cross-country ski races, Birkebeinerrennet and Birkebeinerrittet.
beginning, the Birkebeiners had the upper hand for most of the conflict's duration. King Haakon IV was the ultimate victor for the Birkebeiners in 1217. In...
The American Birkebeiner, or Birkie, is the largest cross-country skiing race in North America. It debuted in 1973 and is a founding member of the Worldloppet...
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...
Gaup. The story, inspired by true events, centers on the efforts of the Birkebeiner loyalists to protect the infant, Haakon Haakonsson, the heir to the Norwegian...
war era. As a grandson of King Sverre, he was proclaimed king by the Birkebeiner faction when he was just four years old. Although obviously not in control...
Canadian Birkebeiner is the largest classic style cross-country ski event in Western Canada. Founded in 1985, it is one of three Birkebeiner Loppets held...
However, towards the end of the 12th century, two rival parties, the Birkebeiner and the Bagler, emerged. In their competition for power, the legitimacy...
no names at all, but finally condensed into the parties of Bagler and Birkebeiner. The rallying point regularly was a royal son, who was set up as the...
his minority, Earl Skule Bårdsson served as regent. As a king of the Birkebeiner faction, Haakon defeated the uprising of the final Bagler royal pretender...
Birkebeinerrennet (lit. The Birkebeiner race) is a long-distance cross-country ski marathon held annually in Norway. It debuted in 1932 and has been a...
Baglar-King) to depose King Sverre Sigurdsson. It contested with the Birkebeiners, essentially a faction of peasants, led by the pretender King Sverre...
battle fought on June 15, 1184, between King Magnus Erlingsson and the Birkebeiner supported Sverre Sigurdsson. At this time in Norwegian history it was...
Norse: Hákon galinn, Norwegian: Håkon Galen) was a Norwegian jarl and Birkebeiner chieftain during the civil war era in Norway. Håkon Galen was born no...
concert series, Super Bowl Live featured a 200-foot (61 m) American Birkebeiner International Bridge on Nicollet Mall to showcase cross-country skiing...
location of the American Birkebeiner. After years of neglect it was demolished in 2021. Telemark is home to the American Birkebeiner cross-country skiing...
brokered a peace deal between the Baglers and the Birkebeiners. At the settlement of Kvitsøy, the Birkebeiner candidate for king, Inge II of Norway, recognized...
or no names at all, but finally condensed into parties of Bagler and Birkebeiner. The rallying point regularly was a royal son, who was set up as the...
Birkebeinerrittet (lit. The Birkebeiner cycling race) is a long-distance mountain bike cycling race held annually in Norway. It is the world's largest...
bishop of Oslo and another prominent opponent of King Sverre and the Birkebeiner. In 1196, Bishop Nikolas and other opponents of King Sverre raised the...
or no names at all, but finally condensed into parties of Bagler and Birkebeiner. The rallying point regularly was a royal son, who was set up as the...
faction set fire to the city in connection with a battle against the Birkebeiner faction during the civil war. In 1248, Holmen and Sverresborg burned...
winter of 1204–05. Eric and his brothers had kin ties with the Norwegian Birkebeiner party since Jarl Håkon Galen was married to their cousin, and sought...
but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a birkebeiner, carrying a spear and a shield, who is skiing down the mountainside under...
Haakon's Birkebeiner followers. However, her claim placed both her and her son in a dangerous position. Consequently, a group of Birkebeiner loyalists...
or no names at all, but finally condensed into parties of Bagler and Birkebeiner. The rallying point regularly was a royal son, who was set up as the...
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