Åsulv Eiriksson

Who is Åsulv Eiriksson?

Åsulv Eriksson was a Norwegian nobleman who resided at Austrått and who played an important role in the closure of the civil war era in Norway.

Åsulv was the son of Eirik Gryvel and Torbjørg Åsulvsdatter. Torbjørg was a granddaughter of Guttorm Åsulvsson, who held Rein Abbey, from his marriage to Bergljot, who was a descendant of King Magnus the Good. Åsulv Eriksson was married to Baugeid Jonsdatter, daughter of Jon Sigurdsson at Austrått.

Åsulv Eriksson was married to Baugeid Jonsdatter. She was the only child of Jon Sigurdsson, who was married to Sigrid Baardsdatter, Duke Skule Bårdsson's sister and the first abbess of Rein Abbey.

When Duke Skule had founded Rein abbey he intended that Austrått should go to his sister, who had inherited and added to the monastic estate. However, consistent with the practice of the time, the land was property of the crown, so after a lengthy legal process in 1238 Austrått was awarded instead to Åsulv, in return for which he compensated the abbey with other lands. This led to a bitter enmity between the two men, which, when combined with Duke Skule's rivalry for kingship of Norway, played an important role the last phase of the civil war.