Battle of Fimreite

Battle of Fimreite
Part of the Civil war era in Norway
Norwegian naval battle
Date 15 June 1184 Location Fimreite, Sogn Result Birkebeiner victory Throne usurped by Sverre
Belligerents
Kingdom of Norway	Birkebeiner party
Commanders and leaders
Magnus Erlingsson  †	Sverre Sigurdsson
Strength
26 ships[1]	14 ships[1]
Casualties and losses
Heavy (2,000 claimed)[1]	Low

The Battle of Fimreite (Norwegian: Slaget ved Fimreite) was a naval battle fought on June 15, 1184, between King Magnus Erlingsson and the Birkebeiner supported Sverre Sigurdsson. At this time in Norwegian history it was extremely common for there to be changes in leadership, and political coups were often conducted to establish a new ruler. This inevitably led to the naval battle between Sverre Sigurdsson and Magnus Erlingsson that resulted in Magnus being defeated and killed in the battle, and Sverre usurping the Norwegian throne.^[2] Similarly, this battle also had long-lasting effects on Norway as a whole. As stated previously, Norway was very volatile during this time, however, the result of this battle led to the installation of Sverre and a lasting effect on Norway's leadership. Sverre would go on to rule from 1184 to 1202, making him one of the longest standing sovereign kings in Norway's twelfth and thirteenth century. His leadership along with Norway's recent conversion to Christianity that spread the Administrative apparatus of the papacy would have long lasting effects on Norway's culture, economy, and society.^[3]