Almost 850 years ago, on June 15 in 1184 something big happened in Norwegian history.
Many people don't talk about this anymore, but an occurrence as big as this should definitely be highlighted and talked about more.
The Battle of Fimreite - was the decisive battle between Sverre Sigurdsson and Magnus Erlingsson.
According to Sverre's saga, Magnus had a larger fleet than Sverre, with twenty-six against fourteen ships. Magnus had his ships tied together, as was usually done in naval battles. They fought as they did on land, in formation side by side with the ships tied together. Sverre, on the other hand, chose to leave the ships loose, and this combined with his large ships made it difficult for Magnus' men to board them. Even though Magnus had a numerical superiority, Sverre through skillful maneuvering managed to knock out the ships one after the other. Sverre himself is said to have gone in a small boat to lead the battle. In the end, Magnus' men were gathered on so few ships that the weight caused them to sink.
Magnus Erlingson fell in the battle, and according to the traditions also over 2,000 of his men.
Using intelligence, military skills and a good portion of luck, Sverre became sole King of Norway
The big battle took place right outside our farm here at Fimreite, on the Sognefjord. There are probably quite a few old treasures at the bottom..
He who seeks will find.
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