Kings and their demesnes · The Bagler and King Inge · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Inge Magnusson

A youth of about 17 or 18 whom Bishop Nicholas and the Bagler chiefs made king in 1196 as Magnus Erlingsson's son.

For his first years he was a figurehead in the keeping of Uplands chieftains: in 1197 Hallvard of Såstad held him on the Uplands, probably at Såstad in Stange (snl.no). He is first named as a war leader in the Bagler attack on Nidaros in summer 1199 and lost the fleet at Strindsjøen on 18 June 1199. On 1 January 1200 he is with the chiefs coming back from Denmark: from January 1200 he leads the fleet with Reidar Sendemann (snl.no).

The marker stands at Hamar, the party's seat, not where he is that morning.

Who he is

Name
Inge Magnusson (called the Bagler king)
Title
king of the Bagler, claiming Norway
Since
1196 (Haløre, Scania; acclaimed at the Borgarting); given the royal name at the Øreting at Nidaros in early 1198
Born
about 1182 (snl.no)
Family
Claimed son of King Magnus Erlingsson; mother unknown. The Birkebeiner said he was a Dane named Torgils Tuveskitt (snl.no). Unmarried.
Confidence
medium

snl.no Inge Magnusson; en.wikipedia Inge Magnusson

Overlord

None (the party's own king).

What it holds

  • No land of his own on 1 January 1200; the party's ground is in the Bagler realm record (Hedmark, Østerdal).
  • The fleet, with Reidar Sendemann, from January 1200.

How it was acquired

Chosen in Danish Scania in 1196; acclaimed at the Borgarting at Borg in 1196; given the royal name at the Øreting in 1198 (snl.no).

Allies and rivals

Kept and led by Bishop Nicholas (in Denmark), Reidar Sendemann, Sigurd Jarlsson (his supposed uncle) and Hallvard of Såstad. Enemy: King Sverre.

How things stand that morning

In Denmark or at sea with the Bagler fleet returning about the turn of the year; his exact whereabouts on the morning of 1 January are not pinned.

Wealth

None of his own known.

Military

Nominal head of the Bagler fleet and war bands; lost at Strindsjøen (1199).

Threats

  • Sverre's fleet and host.
  • Doubts about his birth.
  • The Church dropping him, which happens in 1202.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

In 1200

  1. January 1200Leads the fleet from Denmark with Reidar Sendemann (snl.no).Depends on: Danish shelter; the chiefs' will to go back at once. Stopped by: Sverre's ships; the Danish king.
  2. spring and summer 1200 (not pinned)With the fleet, retakes Nidaros, beats off a farmers' army of 1,500 (saga figure), is driven from Bergen and returns to Viken (snl.no). From then on he is mostly with the main force on the Uplands and in Viken.Depends on: Sverre being in Viken or at Bergen. Stopped by: A sea battle lost to the Birkebeiner.

Later, on the likely course

  1. winter 1201-1202On a campaign west he is acclaimed king again at Lusakaupangen in Sogn (snl.no).Depends on: The Bagler keeping the field in 1201. Stopped by: Defeat on the Uplands.
  2. 1202After Sverre's death (9 March 1202) the Church makes peace with Haakon Sverresson and Inge is killed on Helgøya in Lake Mjøsa (snl.no; en.wikipedia says Storøya by Fagernes).Depends on: Sverre's death; the bishops' return. Stopped by: Sverre living on.

Places of note

  • Borgarting at Borg: Acclaimed king, 1196.
  • Såstad in Stange: Probably kept here by Hallvard of Såstad, 1197.
  • Helgøya: Killed here in 1202 (snl.no).

Where the sources disagree

  • Haløre is dated 1196 by snl.no and 1197 by en.wikipedia (Inge Magnusson). Place of his death in 1202 differs: Helgøya in Mjøsa (snl.no) or Storøya by Fagernes (en.wikipedia).

Evidence: Known only through Sverris saga and later sagas; his own deeds before 1199 are not recorded (snl.no).

On the map: No ground of his own; shown as a marker at Hamar, the party's seat in 1196-99.

Primary sources for Bagler

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

  • The saga of King Sverre of Norway, Karl Jónsson and a continuator (begun about 1185 under Sverre's own supervision, completed about 1210 to 1220). The king's own authorised saga. Read online
  • The sagas of the Baglers (about 1210 to 1220, in a shorter and a longer version). Begins with Sverre's death in March 1202 and the reigns of Hákon Sverrisson, Guttorm and Inge Bårdsson against the Bagler kings Erling Steinvegg and Philippus, so it has nothing for 1200 itself. Read online
  • The Norwegian diplomatarium and the Norwegian regesta (documents of 1050 to 1590; Regesta vol. 1 covers 991 to 1263 and was published 1898). The Norwegian documents of the year are few and mostly papal: Innocent III's letters on Sverre's excommunication and the interdict, the correspondence of the exiled Archbishop Eirik and the bishops, and a handful of church grants. Read online

Sources and studies

  1. Store norske leksikon (Norsk biografisk leksikon): Inge Magnusson
  2. Wikipedia: Inge Magnusson
  3. Store norske leksikon: baglere

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.