Kolbeinn Tumason of the Ásbirningar is the strongest man in the north: from Víðimýri in Skagafjörður he holds every chieftaincy west of the Öxnadalsheiði, in Skagafjörður and Húnaþing, save two, and he stands over the see of Hólar, whose next bishop he will choose.
His household priest is the holy and stubborn Guðmundur Arason, his wife's kinsman. He is bound by oath, with his brother-in-law Sighvatur Sturluson, to back his stepfather Sigurður Ormsson against Sæmundur of Oddi in the Glæðir dispute.
Who he is
- Name
- Kolbeinn Tumason
- Title
- Chieftain and head of the Ásbirningar
- Since
- Head of the kindred after his father Tumi Kolbeinsson (died 1184), from his coming of age
- Born
- 1173 (the usual date); killed at Víðines on 9 September 1208
- Family
- Son of Tumi Kolbeinsson and Þuríður (Þórdís) Gissurardóttir, so grandson of the lawspeaker; his mother is now the wife of Sigurður Ormsson of Svínafell. Married to Gyríður, a close kinswoman of the priest Guðmundur Arason. Brother of Arnór Tumason (about eighteen in 1200) and of Halldóra, Sighvatur Sturluson's wife. A poet.
- Confidence
- high
Íslendinga saga: "Kolbeinn then held the most power in the north of the land and held all the chieftaincies west of Öxnadalsheiði except the Ávellingagoðorð", which Þorsteinn Ívarsson owned and later gave to Snorri Sturluson, "and the Melamenn held their own share of a chieftaincy". Prestssaga Guðmundar: Guðmundur Arason came to Kolbeinn at Víðimýri by St Nicholas' day (6 December) 1198 and wintered there, "and Kolbeinn was very glad".
What it holds
- Víðimýri in Skagafjörður, his seat
- All the chieftaincies of Hegranesþing (Skagafjörður)
- The chieftaincies of Húnavatnsþing except the Ávellingagoðorð (Þorsteinn Ívarsson) and the Melamenn's share (the Melar kindred of Hrútafjörður)
- Protection of the see of Hólar and its tenants
- The harbour at Kolbeinsárós
How it was acquired
The Ásbirningar's ancestral power in Skagafjörður, extended into Húnaþing by his grandfather's and father's generations (not pinned in detail).
Allies and rivals
Allies: Sighvatur Sturluson, Sigurður Ormsson, his Haukdælir kin; at the 1196 Althing fight he led the side of the Haukdælir, the Svínfellingar and Guðmundur dýri against the Oddaverjar and the Sturlungar. Rival this winter: Sæmundur Jónsson.
How things stand that morning
The dominant power of the north. Bound with Sighvatur to back Sigurður Ormsson in the Glæðir dispute; the priest Guðmundur Arason is (probably) wintering with him at Víðimýri, as he did in 1198-99 and as he is when chosen bishop in 1201.
Wealth
Farms of Skagafjörður and Húnaþing; the Norway trade through Kolbeinsárós.
Military
The largest following in the north (the saga gives him hundreds of men in 1208: saga numbers).
Threats
- Defeat of his side in the Glæðir dispute (the 1200 award goes against Sigurður)
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.
- Late June 1200Bishop Páll's award in the Glæðir case goes to Sæmundur; Kolbeinn dislikes the terms.Depends on: The spring musters and arbitration. Stopped by: Kolbeinn coming south in force before the spring assembly.
- 1201 (beyond 1200)After Bishop Brandur's death (6 August 1201) Kolbeinn, now ruling the north alone, has Guðmundur Arason chosen bishop of Hólar.Depends on: Brandur's natural death. Stopped by: Another candidate pushed by the archbishop or the other chieftains.
Places of note
- Víðimýri: Kolbeinn's seat, where Guðmundur Arason is his household priest.
- Kolbeinsárós: The harbour of Skagafjörður.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Íslendinga saga chapters 11, 21-23; Prestssaga Guðmundar góða.
On the map: A chieftain's power was over thingmen, not ground, and a farmer could in principle change chieftain; the polygon draws the district where his thingmen and farms lay that winter, from the saga evidence, not a border.
Primary sources for Ásbirningar
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 Icelandic annals to 1578 (compiled from the late 13th century onward from older notes). Year-by-year notices that fix Icelandic chronology. Read online
- The saga of the Sturlungs: the compilation of contemporary Icelandic sagas, Sturla Þórðarson and other authors, compiled by Þórðr Narfason (the component sagas between about 1200 and 1280; compiled about 1300). The only contemporary narrative of Iceland. Read online
- The sagas of the Icelandic bishops: Páll of Skálholt, Guðmundr of Hólar and Þorlákr (Páls saga about 1211 to 1216; Þorláks saga about 1200 to 1210; the oldest Guðmundar saga in the 13th century). Páls saga is the life of Bishop Páll Jónsson of Skálholt (1195 to 1211), of the Oddaverjar, and tells how he had the churches and priests of his diocese counted, about 220 churches and 290 priests, how he furthered the cult of his uncle Þorlákr, whose relics were raised in 1198 and whose feast the Althing adopted in 1199, and how he dealt with the chieftains. Read online
- The Grey Goose laws: the law of the Icelandic Commonwealth (law first written down in 1117 to 1118; the surviving manuscripts Konungsbók (about 1250) and Staðarhólsbók (about 1270)). The law under which Iceland was run in 1200: the goðar and their thingmen, the local and quarter things and the Althing, the Fifth Court, the lawspeaker, outlawry, compensation and the Christian law section with the tithe. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.