Sigurd I Magnusson | Viking, Crusader & Conqueror | Britannica (original) (raw)

Quick Facts

Byname:

Sigurd Jerusalemfarer, or The Crusader

Norwegian:

Sigurd Jorsalfare

Also Known As:

Sigurd the Crusader

Sigurd Jerusalemfarer

Sigurd Jorsalfare

Sigurd I Magnusson (born c. 1090, Norway—died 1130, Oslo) was the king of Norway (1103–30) and the first Scandinavian king to participate in the Crusades. He strengthened the Norwegian church by building cathedrals and monasteries and by imposing tithes, which provided a reliable source of income for the clergy.

An illegitimate son of the Norwegian king Magnus III Barefoot, Sigurd succeeded to the throne with his elder and younger brothers, Eystein and Olaf Magnusson, in 1103. Olaf died in 1115 while still a youth and never actually ruled, leaving Sigurd and Eystein to reign jointly until Eystein’s death in 1122, the longest joint rule in Norwegian history.

In 1107 Sigurd sailed for Palestine with 60 ships, leaving Eystein to rule Norway. He visited England, France, Spain, and Sicily on the way, fighting against Moorish pirates off the Balearic Islands. He also bestowed the title of king on the Norman ruler Roger II of Sicily. Arriving in Palestine in 1110, he was warmly received by Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem, and assisted the Franks in their capture of Sidon (now Ṣaydā, Lebanon). Leaving men and his entire fleet in Constantinople (now Istanbul) as a gift to the Byzantine emperor Alexius I, Sigurd returned overland to Norway in 1111.

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As sole ruler after Eystein’s death Sigurd built several cathedrals, including one at Stavanger, where he also established a bishopric, greatly contributing to the city’s growth. In his later years he became mentally unbalanced.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.