| Sigurd III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Norway | |||||
 Titian's official portrait of Sigurd as king in 1520. The painting is located in the Grand Palace in Oslo; the original location. | |||||
| King of Norway | |||||
| Reign | 1515—1550 | ||||
| Coronation | 1515 | ||||
| Predecessor | Magnus V | ||||
| Successor | Kristina | ||||
| Born | 1 August 1495 Jämtland | ||||
| Died | 1 September 1550 Oslo | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Consort | Giulia of Milan | ||||
| Issue | Kristina | ||||
| |||||
| House | Gotha | ||||
| Father | Magnus | ||||
| Mother | Tora | ||||
| Religion | Protestantism | ||||
Sigurd III was the King of Norway from his ascension on 11 April 1515 until his death on 1 September 1550.[note 1] His nickname — the Warrior — symbolized his potency for warfare and was widely referred to as such during his lifetime. He was the third and last in line of the Three Great Kings in Europe and would eventually come to eclipse his counterparts — establishing Norwegian hegemony over much of Europe.[note 2] Well known for the sweeping and successful reforms in his kingdom, he invested considerable effort into reforming the kingdom's economy, military, nobility, and bureaucracy. His reign also witnessed royal, secular interference in religious matters. Despite this, he is better known for having invested most of his life campaigning in the six major wars that would come to dominate Europe in this period.[note 3]
Sigurd was born a simple peasant, but was educated in his youth by Biger the Monk at the nearby monastery. As the Norwegian Civil War dragged on and Swedish intervention in the war was at it greatest, his entire family were all killed — except his youngest sister — by marauding Swedish and Norwegian forces. This precipitated his entry into the civil war as an independent faction dedicated to the overthrow of the Norwegian royal family and the end of Danish and Swedish interference in the kingdom.[note 4]
Notes edit
- ^ His reign is counted from his coronation date and not the date of his actual assumption of power.
- ^ The Norwegian Hegemony in Europe was primarily, but not limited to, in Scandinavia, Germany, the Baltics, and Poland.
- ^ Between 1515 and 1540 the period was commonly called the Years of War.
- ^ Denmark and Sweden had for years been embroiled in the civil war and acquired significant territories.