his father: ?unknown Baard - possible royal connection (see below)
his mother: unknown

This era is very confusing historically. There are very few records and the few remaining histories are written as poetry or completely invented.    The few things that seem to be backed up with historical records indicate that there was an Erik Baardsen who was a king in the region of Trondheim.  We have a mention of Inge Baardsen, a nephew of Sverre, who died in 1217 leaving to throne to Hakon IV, the son of Hakon III. I still don't have any documented evidence that Inge Baardsen is a related to anyone in my developed line.  There are multiple families for several generations with a Baard, Dyersen, Dyre Baardsen or Dyre for about four hundred years from 1212 to 1600 mostly in Oppland and Gausdal region.

To start the history of Norwegian royalty we'll start with the Olaf II,

"the eldest son of Harald Hardrada, then became King of Norway.  His reign was peaceful  and prosperous, and he won the affection of his subjects. He endeavored to introduce European civilization into his kingdom. Olaf II. died in 1093, and was succeeded on the throne of Norway by his son Magnus Barefoot, who invaded and conquered the isle of Man, the Hebrides, the Orkneys and the Shetlands. Magnus Barefoot also invaded Ireland, but was defeated and killed in battle with the Irish, A. D. 1103.
       Upon the death of Magnus Barefoot the Norwegians made his three sons, Ejsten I, Sigurd I and Olaf IV, joint Kings of Norway. Olaf IV died when a child, and Ejsten I. followed him in 1123, leaving Sigurd I sole sovereign. Sigurd I is one of the great heroes of Norway. He fought against the Moors made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and there joined his arms with those of King Baldwin, and captured and plundered Sidon.  
       After the death of Sigurd I, in 1130, Norway was afflicted with anarchy and civil war for fifty-four years, various princes contending for the Norwegian crown. Magnus IV and Harald IV, the sons of Sigurd I, first rent the kingdom with turmoil.  In 1136 Sigurd II, Inge I, Ejsten II, Hakon II, and Magnus V. claimed sovereignty.
       Sverre restored order and tranquility to Norway in 1184. He pretended to be a son of Sigurd II, but was generally believed to be the son of a brushmaker.  On Sverre's death, in 1202, his only son, Hakon II, became King of Norway. Hakon II died in 1204., and was suceeded on the Norwegian throne by Guthrum, a grandson of Sverre. Guthrum, a grandson of Sverre, was a mere child, and died after a reign of a few months; after which the Norwegian crown passed to Inge Baardsen, a nephew of Sverre.  Inge Baardsen's entire reign was passed in civil wars with rival claimants for the Norwegian crown.
     Upon Inge Baardsen's death, 1217, Hakon IV, the son of Hakon III, ascended the throne of Norway. Hakon IV was a wise and powerful monarch and conquered Iceland in 1261.   He made an effort to subdue Scotland in 1263, but was defeated in a battle at the mouth of the Clyde, and soon afterward died in the Orkneys. Magnus VI the son an successor of Hakon IV, sold the Hebrides to Scotland and his son Erik married the daughter of the Scottish king, Alexander III. Magnus VI, was a good king,, and greatly improved the laws of Norway. "
                           [The Scandinavian Kingdom p. 2413-2415]

There are still a few questions about the different children's birth dates and the possible mothers.  With the turmoil of the times children could have been left without parents.  There are a number of stories with children being left with friends or acquaintances in distant communities.  Some of these somewhat abandoned children grow to later take a role in the leadership of the country.  We may never know if our particular heirs were one of the lucky ones. 

1315 - 1318 Between these years Norway experience some of the wettest weather for a number of years.  Since rivers were flooding, and crops couldn't be grown successfully. "Europe's Great Famine of 1315-1317 is considered one of the worst population collapses in the continent's history. Historical records tell of unrelenting rain accompanied by mass crop failure, skyrocketing food prices, and even instances of cannibalism." [Frittis. phys.org/news/2019-12]]  Many families died and this period was known as the Little Ice Age. Some of this flooding started as early as 1314.  Cattle also contracted deadly diseases from wet weather and starved from lack of food. The famine may have caused the death of 10 to 20% of the population. When the plague arrives in Europe it found a weaken continent and took even more lives.

Earlier records are difficult to find unless they are associated with a royal line.   We presently have little idea what the origin of this family is but we know that Scandinavian settlements were made in this southern region of present day Norway.  Many did come from present day Denmark. According to researchers the Oseberg burial mound was created in the autumn of 834 and contained the bodies of two women, one in her eighties and another about the age of fifty. 

   

Oseberg Wagon figure, Viking Ship Museum
photos by Elroy Christenson 2016

Source:
        Christenson, Elroy - photo of Skate Creek, WA
        Frittis, Rachel.  American Geophysical Union, "One of Europe's worst famines likely caused by devastating floods",
                 Dec 13, 2019. Phys.org/news/2029-12 europe-worst-famines-devastating.html
        Thorstensen, Lief Erik. records Thorstensen Ancestry as presented on Ancestry.com and correspondence 2015.
        The Standard History of the World by Great Historians. "Scandinavian Kingdoms", p. 2415, vol. IV, Medieval History. The University Society Inc., New York 1914, google books.com
 

Brief History of Oppland || Elroy's Family Index || Select Nor. Farm Index || Ancestor Chart #24090

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web pages created by Elroy Christenson- elroy@next1000.com - last updated 12/05/2020