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68-677: Tønsberg ( pronounced [ˈtœ̂nsbær(ɡ)] ), historically Tunsberg , is a city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about 102 kilometres (63 miles) south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak . The city is the most populous metropolis in Vestfold county. Tønsberg also serves as

136-408: A bykommune (urban municipality) or herredskommune (rural municipality). This distinction was rescinded by The Local Government Act of 1992. Between 1960 and 1965 many Norwegian municipalities were merged. For instance when the urban municipality Brevik merged with the urban municipality Porsgrunn and the rural municipality Eidanger , the new municipality was called Porsgrunn and it kept

204-478: A chieftainship, and soon acquired more property and additional chieftainships. Snorri and Herdís were together for four years at Borg. They had at least two children, Hallbera and Jón. The marriage succumbed to Snorri's philandering, and in 1206, he settled without Herdís in Reykholt as the manager of an estate. He also made significant improvements to the estate, including an outdoor bath fed by hot springs . The bath

272-528: A knife—intending, she said, to make him like his one-eyed hero Odin . Before the knife could strike its target, though, bystanders deflected the blow so it hit his cheek instead. The resulting settlement would have beggared Páll, but Jón Loftsson intervened in the Althing to mitigate the judgment and, to compensate Sturla, offered to raise and educate Snorri. Thus Snorri received an excellent education and forged connections he might not otherwise have been able to. He

340-451: A meeting with them and Kolbein the Younger, Gissur brought out the letter. Orm refused. Shortly after, Snorri received a letter in cipher runes warning him of the plot, but he could not understand them. After Gissur led seventy men on a daring raid to his house, achieving complete surprise. Snorri Sturluson was assassinated in his house at Reykholt in autumn of 1241. It is not clear that he

408-613: A much larger Tønsberg Municipality . The city/urban area is no longer self-governing, but rather the entire municipality is governed by a mayor and municipal council. The whole urban area of the city of Tønsberg is the 9th most populous city/urban area in Norway and the largest city in Vestold County . The 26.31-square-kilometre (6,500-acre) city has a population (2023) of 55,387 and a population density of 2,105 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,450/sq mi). The city has actually grown to

476-502: A municipality number in which the third digit was a zero and rural municipalities were given other numbers. In 1952 the special classifications of for towns/cities (kjøpstad, bergstad, and ladested) were entirely rescinded from the law and replaced by the simple classification of by . Starting on 1 January 1965, the government's focus was moved from the individual towns/cities to their corresponding municipalities. All Norwegian towns/cities and rural municipalities were classified as either

544-517: A population (2023) of 55,387 and a population density of 2,105 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,450/sq mi). The city has actually grown to the south onto the island of Nøtterøy , so 10.37-square-kilometre (4.00 sq mi) of the city and 17,979 residents are actually located in Færder Municipality . The city of Tønsberg was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The rural Sem Municipality

612-459: A resolution of the Althing , where Snorri exerted much influence due to his political ties and legal acumen. In 1220, Snorri returned to Iceland and by 1222 was back as law speaker of the Althing, which he held this time until 1232. The basis of his election was entirely his fame as a poet. Politically he was the king's spokesman, supporting union with Norway, a platform that acquired him enemies among

680-678: A result of the discrimination of Earth's governments against otherworldly beings. The Tønsberg raid by Hydra is also recreated in the first episode of What If...? , albeit it occurs much later than in Captain America: The First Avenger . Tønsberg is also featured in the 2010 game Mount and Blade: Warband ' s Viking Conquest expansion as the capital of the Kingdom of Northvegr. The following cities are twinned with Tønsberg: List of towns and cities in Norway This

748-460: A round of the powerboating UIM F2 World Championship from 2014 to 2018. Perhaps the most important landmark in the town is Slottsfjellet , the tower standing on the hill. It was erected in 1888 as a memorial to Tønsberg Fortress ( Tunsberg festning ), the old fortress, of which just fragmentary ruins remain today. Below the mountain there is a museum dedicated to "Slottsfjellet" and Tønsberg. There are several exhibitions here about whaling and

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816-548: A whole. Furthermore, Tønsberg has the highest urbanization rate in Vestfold. While 94.6 percent of residents in Tønsberg Municipality are residing in cities, the equivalent number for Vestfold County is 84.8 percent. As of 2018, the largest minority groups were Polish (1.68%), Lithuanians (1.11%), Iraqis (1.06%), Swedes (0.75%), and Syrians (0.64%). FK Tønsberg is the premier football team in Tønsberg, currently playing in

884-449: Is 5–10 minutes walking from the main square in the city centre, known as Torvet . From the main square is a few hundred meters along Rådhusgaten to the waterfront Tønsberg Wharf ("Tønsberg Brygge"), where most cafes, bars and restaurants are located. Just south of Tønsberg are the islands of Nøtterøy and Tjøme , which are tourist destinations. The highest point in the city of Tønsberg is the 75-metre (246 ft) tall Frodeåsen hill on

952-589: Is a list of towns and cities in Norway . The Norwegian language word by means a town or city –there is no distinction between the two words as there is in English. Historically, the designation of town/city was granted by the king, but since 1996 that authority was given to the local municipal councils for each municipality in Norway. In Norway today, there are 108 towns/cities, but they have no legal authority or powers and they are not an administrative body, it

1020-429: Is also home of Oseberg Mound , where the 9th-century Oseberg Ship was excavated. The Old Norse name of the town was Túnsberg . The first element is the genitive case of tún ( n ) which means "fenced area", "garden", or "field around a dwelling". The last element is berg ( n ) which means "mountain" or "rock". The name originally referred to the fortifications on Slottsfjellet . The old spelling of

1088-449: Is recognized as the pioneer of the modern whaling industry. One of the city's most prominent residents, Svend Foyn , was a pioneer who embarked on an 1847 expedition to the Arctic , which led to a catch of 6,000 seals. Soon Tønsberg Harbor was home to a large fleet of sealing vessels, and the sealing industry grew further after the 1849 repeal of Britain's Navigation Acts . The hunters turned

1156-430: Is simply a designation. All local government rests with the municipality which may or may not have a town/city located within it. Historically, the words kjøpstad ( market town ), ladested (small seaport), or bergstad were used for a town or city. Each of these were granted certain special rights based on their classification and they did hold administrative authority within their borders. A ladested

1224-570: The 2. divisjon as of 2017. Tønsberg Vikings is the local hockey team, who play at the Tønsberg Ishall . The club played in the GET-ligaen until 2014. The Maier Arena Tønsberg is an outdoor ice skating arena on the same site as the Tønsberg Ishall and is used for speed skating . It once hosted motorcycle speedway , being the venue for the 1950 Norwegian Championship . Tønsberg hosted

1292-631: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is first mentioned in the 2010 film Iron Man 2 as a location under surveillance by S.H.I.E.L.D. In the 2011 film Thor , it is established that centuries ago, Tønsberg was the invasion point of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim , who sought to conquer Earth before they were defeated by Odin and the forces of Asgard . It is then seen in Captain America: The First Avenger , where

1360-603: The Red Skull acquires the Tesseract from a church. In the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok , Odin chooses the town as the site of his death. In Avengers: Endgame , the town is renamed "New Asgard" and serves as a refuge for the Asgardians who survived Thanos's attack during the events of Infinity War , with Valkyrie as its leader. In Thor: Love and Thunder , New Asgard has become a tourist attraction but suffers political turmoil as

1428-617: The Tønsberg Cathedral . The diocese was created when the counties of Buskerud and Vestfold were separated from the Diocese of Oslo . Tønsberg is a city southeastern in Vestfold County , on the western shore of the Oslofjord . Tønsberg lies north of Færder , south of Horten , and north-east of Sandefjord . It is the ninth-largest city in Norway (by population). The city center lies just north of Nøtterøy Island . Tønsberg Station

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1496-513: The administrative centre for Vestfold county and the seat of the County Governor of Vestfold og Telemark. Tønsberg is generally regarded as the oldest city in Norway, founded in the 9th century. Snorri Sturluson mentions the town in Harald Hårfagre 's saga (written around 1220) before the battle at Hafrsfjord, which historians have traditionally dated to the year 872, therefore the town

1564-847: The city of Oslo , Oslo Municipality , and Oslo County are all one unified unit of government. Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson was born in Hvammur í Dölum  [ is ] (commonly transliterated as Hvamm or Hvammr) as a member of the wealthy and powerful Sturlungar clan of the Icelandic Commonwealth , in AD 1179. His parents were Sturla Þórðarson the Elder of Hvammur (also known as Hvamm-Sturla) and his second wife, Guðný Böðvarsdóttir . He had two older brothers, Þórðr ( b.  1165 ) and Sighvatr Sturluson ( b.  1170 ), two sisters, Helga and Vigdís, and nine half-siblings . Snorri

1632-544: The city status was awarded by the king and Government through the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development . Since then, the status of town/city is decided by each municipal council and then it is formally accepted by the state. Since 1997, a municipality must have a minimum of 5,000 inhabitants in order to declare city status for one of its settlements. In 1999, the municipal council of Bardu Municipality declared city status for Setermoen , only to be rejected because

1700-584: The 1892 publication "Handbook for Travellers in Norway" by John Murray , Tønsberg was described as "the centre of the Norwegian whaling and sealing industries in the Arctic Ocean." The first whaling ventures to Antarctica was led by engineer Henrik Henriksen of Tønsberg. Henrik Johan Bull was another noted whaler from the city, known for his expeditions to Antarctica. Bull traveled from Australia to Tønsberg in order to learn from local whaler Svend Foyn , who

1768-525: The 20th century and to date has been colored by the historical views adopted when Iceland sought to sever its ties with Denmark , any revision of which still has strong nationalistic sentiments to contend with. To serve such views, Snorri and other leading Icelanders of his time are sometimes judged with an element of presentism , drawing on concepts that came into vogue only centuries later, such as state , independence , sovereignty , and nation . Jorge Luis Borges and María Kodama studied and translated

1836-478: The Icelandic commonwealth and a position of high respect. In the summer of 1218, he left the lawspeaker position and sailed to Norway , by royal invitation. There he became well acquainted with the teenage King Hákon Hákonarson and his co-regent, Jarl Skúli . He spent the winter as house guest of the jarl. They showered gifts upon him, including the ship in which he sailed, and he in return wrote poetry about them. In

1904-581: The Viking Age. In addition to the Oseberg Ship, Oseberghaugen contained the Oseberg carriage, five intricately carved bed-posts shaped like animal heads, four sledges, beds, chests, weaving-frames, household utensils and much more. Scientific examinations in 1992 now date the burial to 834 AD, and indicate a probability that it was Queen Alvhild , the first wife of King Gudrød , who was buried here. When unearthed,

1972-540: The chiefs of Iceland. In 1262, the Althing ratified union with Norway and royal authority was instituted in Iceland. Each member swore an oath of personal loyalty to the king, a practice which continued as each new king came to the throne, until absolute and hereditary monarchy was formally accepted by the Icelanders in 1662. Snorri Sturluson's writings provide information and indications concerning persons and events influencing

2040-414: The chiefs. In 1224, Snorri married Hallveig Ormsdottir (c. 1199–1241), a granddaughter of Jón Loftsson, now a widow of great means with two young sons, and made a contract of joint property ownership (or helmingafélag ) with her. Their children did not survive to adulthood, but Hallveig's sons and seven of Snorri's children did live to adulthood. Snorri was the most powerful chieftain in Iceland during

2108-637: The cities of Tønsberg and neighboring Sandefjord and Larvik , all of which were the dominant whaling towns in Norway. While whalers from Sandefjord established the first whaling station in the Faroe Islands , whalers from Tønsberg initiated whaling in Iceland and the Hebrides . During the 1850s, Tønsberg turned into a base of operation and source of expertise for whalers in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans . Tønsberg has been called "the cradle of modern whaling". In

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2176-408: The cities of today which got this status before 1996, Tvedestrand with 1,983 inhabitants is the smallest. On another note, the laws of 1996 allowed some settlements which lost their city status in the 1960s to regain it. Oslo , founded in the 11th century, is the largest city and also the capital of Norway. Oslo is the only city in Norway that is consolidated with its municipality and county, thus

2244-481: The discovery of Vinland . To an extent, the legacy of Snorri Sturluson also played a role in politics long after his death. His writings could be used in support of the claims of later Norwegian kings concerning the venerability and extent of their rule. Later, Heimskringla factored in establishing a national identity during the Norwegian romantic nationalism in mid-19th century. Icelandic perception of Snorri in

2312-435: The eve of battle he dismissed those forces and offered terms to his brother. Sighvatur and Sturla drove Snorri into the countryside with a force of 1000 men, where he sought refuge among other goðar. Órækja undertook guerrilla operations in the fjords of western Iceland and fighting carried on. Haakon IV made an effort to intervene from afar, inviting all of Iceland's cheiftains to a peace conference in Norway. This maneuver

2380-555: The fortress, Tønsberg Fortress. Several streets in the town are named after old kings of Norway. Other notable tourist sites include: Tønsberg is the site of Oseberg Mound , a Viking era burial mound. The Oseberg Ship was found in the Oseberg burial mound in 1904. This Viking era longship is now in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo . Archaeological excavations in 1904 uncovered history's largest and richest example of craftsmanship from

2448-490: The fortress. Around the seal are the Latin words SIGILLVM BVRGENSIVM D'TVNESBER which means "This is the seal of Tunsberg". The seal was also used for Tønsberg Municipality until 2020. Tønsberg is the oldest city in Norway, founded by Harald Fairhair in the 9th century. It was also an ancient capital of Norway. The first time the town was mentioned by a contemporary writer was in 1130. According to Snorri Sturluson , Tønsberg

2516-523: The king and questions of loyalty but he nevertheless managed to build up the Norwegian state from what it had been. When Snorri arrived in Norway for the second time, it was clear to the king that he was no longer a reliable agent. The conflict between Haakon and Skúli was beginning to escalate into civil war. Snorri stayed with the jarl and his son, and the jarl gave him the jarl title, hoping to command his allegiance. In August 1238, Sighvatur and four of his sons (Sturla, Markús, Kolbeinn, and Þórður Krókur,

2584-509: The latter two executed after the battle), were killed at the Battle of Örlygsstaðir in Iceland against Gissur Þorvaldsson and Kolbein the Young, chiefs whom they had provoked. Snorri, Órækja, and Þorleifur requested permission to return home. As the king now could not predict Snorri's behavior, permission was denied. He was explicitly ordered to remain in Norway on the basis of his honorary rank. Skúli on

2652-537: The monastery ruins revealed several Viking graves which have served to confirm the earlier age of the original settlement. The King or his ombudsman resided in the old Royal Court at Sæheimr , today the Jarlsberg Manor ( Norwegian : Jarlsberg Hovedgård ), and on the farm Haugar , (from the Old Norse word haugr meaning hill or burial mound), which can be assumed to have been Tønsberg's birthplace. Haugar became

2720-574: The municipality fell short of the population limit. One exception is Honningsvåg in Nordkapp Municipality , where the municipality actually has less than 5,000 inhabitants but declared city status before the limit was implemented by law in 1997. Because of the new laws in 1996-1997, Norway witnessed a rapid rise in the number of cities after that time. A number of relatively small settlements are now called by , such as Brekstad with 1,828 inhabitants and Kolvereid with 1,448 inhabitants. Among

2788-472: The municipality number for Porsgrunn. As a result, Brevik was no longer considered an urban municipality/town. On another note, when the urban municipality Hønefoss was merged with the rural municipalities Hole , Norderhov , Tyristrand , and Ådal to form the new municipality of Ringerike , Ringerike retained the old municipality number of Hønefoss meaning that it retained its town/city status. The same thing happened to Egersund and Florø . Before 1996,

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2856-464: The name has been retained in the name of the local diocese , Tunsberg bispedømme . For a long time, the city did not have a formal coat of arms , but instead an old medieval seal dating back to 1349 was used in its place. The blue and white circular seal shows the Tønsberg Fortress surrounded by a ring wall on a mountain with the sea in front. There is also a longship in the water in front of

2924-406: The necessity to confront Skúli, who declared himself king in 1239. Skúli was defeated militarily and killed in 1240. Meanwhile, Snorri resumed his chieftainship and made a bid to crush Gissur by prosecuting him in court for the deaths of his brother Sighvatr and nephew Sturla. After the jarl's defeat, Haakon sent two agents to Gissur bearing a secret letter with orders to kill or capture Snorri. Gissur

2992-410: The north side of the city. Tønsberg and its immediate surroundings is home to five nature preserves: There is also a plant preserve at Karlsvika where the goal is the preservation of the threatened species fineleaf waterdropwort ( Oenanthe aquatica ), a rare species in Norway. From 1838 until 1988, the city of Tønsberg was a self-governing city within Norway. Since 1988, the city has been part of

3060-411: The other hand gave permission and helped them book passage. Snorri must have had his own ideas about the king's position and the validity of his orders, but at any rate he chose to disobey them; his words according to Sturlunga saga , 'út vil ek' (literally 'out want I', but idiomatically 'I will go home'), have become proverbial in Icelandic. He returned to Iceland in 1239. The king was distracted by

3128-506: The peoples inhabiting North Europe during periods for which relevant information is scarce: thus, for example, he can be used to illuminate relations between England and Scandinavia during the 10th and 11th centuries. Snorri is considered a figure of enduring importance in this regard, Halvdan Koht describing his work as "surpassing anything else that the Middle Ages have left us of historical literature". He also provided an early account of

3196-459: The same spot. Slottsfjellet ( Castle Mountain ), north of the city centre, made for a near impregnable natural fortress. During the civil war era of the 12th century, it was fortified by the Baglers . The Birkebeiners besieged it for 20 weeks in the winter of 1201 before the Baglers surrendered. In the 13th century, King Haakon Haakonson set up a castle in Tønsberg, Tønsberg Fortress . The town

3264-518: The seals to near extinction in the Arctic Ocean , and therefore turned to Bottle-nosed whales during the 1870s. Norway maintained a monopoly on European whaling until 1883, first and foremost due to Svend Foyn's patent rights to whaling techniques and inventions. Over-hunting in the Arctic eventually drove the whalers to Antarctica. By the beginning of the 20th century, Tønsberg had lost its preeminence in

3332-586: The seat for the Haugating , the Thing for Vestfold and Norway's second most important place for the proclamation of kings. The site had probably been named after two Viking Age mounds, which tradition links to two sons of King Harald I , Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf , who was king in Vestfold , and his half-brother, Sigrød Haraldsson, King of Trondheim . Both are presumed to have fallen in battle at Haugar against their half-brother Eric Bloodaxe and to have been buried on

3400-445: The ship was buried in blue clay and covered with stones beneath the 6-metre (20 ft) high Oseberg Mound. Tønsberg is mostly a shopping town and an administrative centre. It is also noted especially for its silverware . The city is served by the railway line Vestfoldbanen , which runs in a loop through the city before reaching Tønsberg Station . Tønsberg has been featured as a location in several films, most notably those set in

3468-446: The south onto the island of Nøtterøy , so 10.37-square-kilometre (4.00 sq mi) of the city and 17,979 residents are actually located in Færder Municipality . The urban area of the city of Tønsberg extends from Eik in the north, to Tolvsrød , Vallø and Ringshaug in the east and Borgheim on Nøtterøy in the south. The city experienced a 20.8% population growth between 2000 and 2015, compared to 14.0% for Vestfold County as

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3536-570: The summer of 1219, he met his Swedish colleague, the lawspeaker Eskil Magnusson , and his wife, Kristina Nilsdotter Blake , in Skara . They were both related to royalty and probably gave Snorri an insight into the history of Sweden . Snorri was mainly interested in history and culture. The Norwegian regents, however, cultivated Snorri, made him a skutilsvein , a senior title roughly equivalent to knight , and received an oath of loyalty. The king hoped to extend his realm to Iceland, which he could do by

3604-560: The whaling industry to the neighboring city of Sandefjord . Sandefjord, which lies just southwest of Tønsberg, later became known as the world's whaling capital. During the German occupation of Norway in World War II , the Berg concentration camp was constructed near Tønsberg. In 1948, Tønsberg became the cathedral city of the Diocese of Tunsberg ( Norwegian : Tunsberg bispedømme ), based at

3672-533: The year before Snorri married Hallveig. A period of clan feuding followed. Snorri raised an armed party under his nephew Böðvar Þórðarson, and another under his son Órækja, with the intent of executing a first strike against his brother Sighvatur and Sturla Sighvatsson. It is possible that Snorri perceived that only resolute, saga -like actions could achieve his objective, but if so he proved unwilling or incapable of carrying them out. Alternatively, he might have done this as military posturing or performance of power. On

3740-557: The years 1224–1230. Many of the other chiefs found his position as royal office-holder contrary to their interests, especially the other Sturlungar . Snorri's strategy seems to have been to consolidate power over them, at which point he could offer Iceland to the king. His first moves were civic. On the death in 1222 of Sæmundur, son of Jón Loftsson, he became a suitor for the hand of his daughter, Sólveig . Herdís' silent vote did nothing for his suit. His nephew, Sturla Sighvatsson, Snorri's political opponent, stepped in to marry her in 1223,

3808-423: Was actually 2 towns: Bragernes and Strømsø). All of the ladested places on this list were later upgraded to kjøpstads . During the 1800s, urbanization took hold in Norway and many new towns/cities were added. The special trading rights for towns/cities were abolished in 1857. In 1946, Norwegian municipalities were each assigned a municipality number , a four-digit codes based on ISO 3166-2:NO . Towns/cities got

3876-428: Was being invited now to join the unionist movement. A meeting at the Althing was arranged for the summer of 1241 but Gissur and Kolbein arrived with several hundred men. Snorri and 120 men formed around a church. Gissur chose to pay fines rather than to attack. Hallveig died of natural causes. When the family bickered over the inheritance, Hallveig's sons, Klaeing and Orm, asked assistance from their uncle Gissur. Holding

3944-400: Was deserted by Snorri on the battlefield in a flare-up over the chain of command. In 1237, Snorri thought it best to travel to Norway and join the king. The reign of Haakon IV (Hákon Hákonarson), King of Norway , was troubled by civil war relating to questions of succession and was at various times divided into quasi-independent regions under rival contenders. There were always plots against

4012-414: Was destroyed by fire in 1536, but Tønsberg remained one of the most important harbour towns in Norway. James VI of Scotland stopped in Tønsberg on his way to meet Anne of Denmark in Oslo, and David Lindsay gave a sermon on 16 November 1589. The event was recorded by a painted inscription in the church, which survives in the museum. The center of the world's modern whaling industry was concentrated in

4080-424: Was educated by Sæmundr fróði , grandfather of Jón Loftsson, at Oddi, and never returned to his parents' home. His father died in 1183 and his mother, as his guardian, soon squandered Snorri's share of the inheritance. Jón Loftsson died in 1197. The two families then arranged a marriage in 1199 between Snorri and Herdís, the daughter of Bersi Vermundarson. From her father, Snorri inherited an estate at Borg, as well as

4148-457: Was founded before the Battle of Hafrsfjord , which, according to Snorri, took place in 871. The year of the battle is disputed and most current historians believe it was closer to 900. If it took place in 871, this makes Tønsberg one of the oldest present Scandinavian cities. It was based upon this that the city's 1000 years jubilee was celebrated in 1871, and 1100 years jubilee in 1971. The archaeological excavations conducted in 1987–88 underneath

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4216-628: Was given the option of surrender. He fled to the cellar. There, Símon knútur asked Arni the Bitter to strike him. Then Snorri said: Eigi skal höggva! —"Do not strike!" Símon answered: "Högg þú!" — "You strike now!" Snorri replied: Eigi skal höggva! —"Do not strike!" and these were his last words. This act was not popular in either Iceland or Norway. To diminish the odium, the king insisted that if Snorri had submitted, he would have been spared. The fact that he could make such an argument reveals how far his influence in Iceland had come. Haakon went on suborning

4284-448: Was in existence by 871 at the latest. This dating is again based on Are Frode 's book, Íslendingabók . Using this information, Tønsberg celebrated its one-thousandth anniversary in 1871 and its 1100th anniversary in 1971. Archaeological findings confirm that there was a farm settlement in Tønsberg at the end of the 8th century, which likely developed into a town during the early 9th century. The 26.31-square-kilometre (6,500-acre) city has

4352-410: Was known as Snorralaug  [ is ] , and the buildings have been preserved to some extent. During his initial years at Reykholt he fathered another five children, with three different women: Guðrún Hreinsdóttir, Oddný, and Þuríður Hallsdóttir. Snorri quickly became known as a poet, and also functioned as a lawyer. In 1215, he became lawspeaker of the Althing , the only public office of

4420-430: Was merged with the city of Tønsberg on 1 January 1988, creating a much larger Tønsberg Municipality . The neighboring Re Municipality was merged into Tønsberg on 1 January 2020. The city is home to Tønsberg Fortress on Slottsfjellet ("Castle Mountain"), which includes ruins from Castrum Tunsbergis , Norway's largest castle in the 13th century. An outdoor music festival is held at Tønsberg Fortress every July. Tønsberg

4488-484: Was raised from the age of three or four by Jón Loftsson , a relative of the Norwegian royal family, in Oddi , Iceland. Key to his political and cultural education was his fosterage at Oddi, which resulted from a settlement regarding his father's legal dealings. As Hvamm-Sturla was trying to settle a lawsuit with the priest and chieftain ( Goðorðsmaðr ) Páll Sölvason, Páll's wife Þorbjörg Bjarnardóttir lunged suddenly at him with

4556-508: Was subordinate to a kjøpstad and over time some of the ladesteds were "upgraded" to the status of kjøpstad in order to gain more trading rights. In 1665, Norway had 20 towns. There were 9 full market towns ( kjøpstad ): Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim, Tønsberg, Stavanger, Skien, Fredrikstad, Halden, and Kristiansand. There were two mountain towns { bergstad ): Kongsberg and Røros. There were 9 market seaports ( ladested ): Larvik, Moss, Porsgrunn, Molde, Kragerø, Risør, Holmestrand, Mandal, and Drammen (which

4624-503: Was transparent to Sighvatur, who suspected, as apparently Snorri did not, that the king was planning a maneuver against the goðar in Norway. Instead of killing his opponents he began to insist that they take the king up on his offer. Órækja's fate was capture by his cousin Sturla during an ostensible peace negotiation at Reykjaholt. Þorleifur Þórðarson, a cousin of Snorri's, was also captured. Þorleifur had come to his assistance with 800 men, but

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