Erling Vidkunsson

Who was Erling Vidkunsson?

Erling Vidkunsson was Lord High Justiciar of Norway, Lord of Bjarkoy and Giske and the Norwegian regent. Erling received the position of drottsete of the country and was probably the most important and wealthy Norwegian noble of his era.

Erling Vidkunsson was born into a noble family of Bjarkøy which held lands principally in northern Norway. The ancestral seat was in Hålogaland, in the region of Tromsø. Erling Vidkunsson became the largest holder of noble estate in Norway. From his father, Vidkun Erlingsson, Erling inherited Bjarkøy and from his mother Gyrid Andresdottir, a descendant of the son of King Inge Stenkilsson of Sweden, he inherited land in Stodreim. He inherited Giske from his uncle Bjarne Erlingsson upon the death of that man's childless daughter Kristin who died young.

In 1319 Magnus IV of Sweden, a child three years old, succeeded to the Norwegian throne. A regency was set up for the young king, with Erling's regency extending from 1323-32. The regency-like system continued also because Magnus primarily resided not in Norway, but in neighboring Sweden.