The marriages that tied Giske to the most powerful families in the North

The sons of Arne marry into Sola

c. 1020 to 1050

The first great marriage goes south. The sagas tell that Torberg and Arne Arnesson of Giske married two daughters of Erling Skjalgsson at Sola near Stavanger, the most powerful man in western Norway. Erling's wife Astrid was the sister of King Olaf Tryggvason. The children born on Giske thus had the king's sister as their maternal grandmother.

The local history «Borgund og Giske», volume I, calls it a consistent marriage policy: the chieftains on Giske married into the highest families in the country, while the other great families of Sunnmøre married within the region. With a bride came land, friends and men who could provide ships.

People: Torberg Arnesson, Ragnhild (Astrid) Erlingsdatter, Arne Arnesson

Into the royal line

c. 1030 to 1100

Finn Arnesson married Bergljot Halvdansdatter, niece of Olaf the Holy and Harald Hardrada. Torberg's daughter Tora of Giske had two sons with Harald Hardrada, Magnus and Olaf, who both became kings after him. Snorri calls Tora queen. Store norske leksikon holds that she was probably a concubine (frille), because Harald was married to Ellisiv of Kiev. The sources disagree.

Olaf Kyrre ruled the country for 26 years, from 1067 to 1093. The kings of the Fairhair dynasty after him counted themselves as his descendants. For several of them, among others Harald Gille and Sverre, the claim rested on paternity that is disputed. If the claims hold, the blood of Giske passed down the line of kings to Håkon Håkonsson and Magnus the Lawmender.

People: Finn Arnesson, Tora Torbergsdatter, Harald Hardråde, Magnus 2. Haraldsson, Olav Kyrre

The marriages draw the family north

c. 1020 to 1300

Kalv Arnesson married Sigrid Toresdatter, widow of the chieftain Ålve at Egge near Steinkjer and sister of Tore Hund of Bjarkøy. King Olaf gave him both the widow and the estate. His sister Ragnhild Arnesdatter married Hårek of Tjøtta in Helgeland, one of the chieftains of the peasant army at Stiklestad.

Arne Arnesson's son Jon married Ranveig Sigurdsdatter of Tore Hund's family, and with her received Bjarkøy, the great farm north of Harstad in Troms. The sources disagree on whether Ranveig's father was Tore Hund's son or his brother. Bjarkøy lay on the sea route for furs, hides and, in time, stockfish from the north. Jon's son Vidkunn Jonsson saved the king's banner in Ulster in 1103.

In 1265 the male line on Giske died out. The heiress Margrete Nikolasdatter married Bjarne Erlingsson of Bjarkøy, and the two branches of the family came together again after around 200 years. Giske and Bjarkøy were now in one hand.

People: Kalv Arnesson, Jon Arnesson, Vidkunn Jonsson, Bjarne Erlingsson, Margrete Nikolasdatter

Ingebjørg becomes a jarl's wife in Orkney

c. 1040 to 1140

Finn Arnesson's daughter Ingebjørg married Jarl Torfinn Sigurdsson of Orkney, the islands north of Scotland. She was called «Jarlemor» (the jarls' mother). Her sons Pål and Erlend ruled Orkney together after their father. Erlend's son Magnus was killed by his cousin around 1117 and was regarded as a saint. The cathedral in Kirkwall, begun in 1137, is dedicated to him. Its builder was Ragnvald Kale, Magnus' sister's son.

King Malcolm III of Scotland married an Ingebjørg, and their son Duncan became king in 1094. The Orkneyinga saga says that she was Torfinn's widow. Others think she was his daughter. When Torfinn died is also disputed. The sources disagree.

People: Ingebjørg Finnsdatter «Jarlemor», Torfinn jarl Sigurdsson, Pål Torfinnsson, Erlend Torfinnsson, Magnus Erlendsson, Ragnvald Kale Kolsson

Skofte's daughters marry into two great families

c. 1100 to 1260

Skofte Ågmundsson of Giske married his daughters into two of the most powerful families in the country. Tora Skoftesdatter married Åsolv of Rein in Rissa in Trøndelag. Åsolv's paternal grandfather was Tostig Godwinson, brother of King Harold of England. Tostig fell at Stamford Bridge in 1066, in the same battle as Torberg's son Øystein Orre of Giske.

From Tora and Åsolv came the Rein family (Reinsætta). Their grandson Bård Guttormsson was one of King Sverre's leading men. Bård's son Inge became king in 1204, and another son, Skule, became jarl and duke and rebelled against King Håkon Håkonsson in 1240. Skule's daughter Margrete married Håkon and became the mother of Magnus the Lawmender. The blood of Giske may thus have met from two sides in Magnus the Lawmender.

Ragnhild Skoftesdatter married Dag Eilivsson, a chieftain from eastern Norway. Their son Gregorius Dagsson became one of the most powerful men of the civil wars. Her brother Pål Skoftesson married Sigrid Torkjellsdatter of the Aurland family in Sogn, who was related to the Danish king Cnut the Holy.

People: Skofte Ågmundsson, Tora Skoftesdatter, Åsolv Skulesson på Rein, Bård Guttormsson på Rein, Inge Bårdsson, Skule Bårdsson, Margrete Skulesdatter, Ragnhild Skoftesdatter, Gregorius Dagsson, Pål Skoftesson

Ingebjørg marries into the king's family

c. 1300 to 1450

Bjarne's nephew Erling Vidkunsson ruled the realm as drottsete (steward of the realm) for the young King Magnus Eriksson from 1323. His daughter Ingebjørg married Sigurd Havtoresson of Sudreim, a farm in Sørum in Romerike. Sigurd's mother Agnes was the daughter of King Håkon V. With Ingebjørg, Sigurd received Giske, Bjarkøy and Tjøtta, and he became the largest landowner in the country after the king and the church.

Their grandson Sigurd Jonsson inherited the whole estate. He became drottsete and regent, and when the union broke apart in 1448 he was named as a possible king of Norway.

People: Erling Vidkunsson, Ingebjørg Erlingsdatter, Sigurd Havtoresson, Sigurd Jonsson

The union nobility

c. 1460 to 1582

Sigurd Jonsson's son Hans died childless in 1466. In 1490 the inheritance was divided in three in Bergen, and Giske went to Alv Knutsson of Tre Rosor, a Swedish family of ancient nobility whose founder is mentioned in 1299, noble long before the kings began to issue letters of nobility. His son Knut Alvsson was killed under safe conduct in 1502. His grandson Karl was killed in 1520, and Karl's brother Erik was beheaded in the Stockholm Bloodbath the same year.

In the end the estate came to Gjørvel Fadersdatter of the Swedish noble family Sparre. In 1582 she handed the Giske estate over to the Danish-Norwegian king. From Finnvid the Foundling to Gjørvel there are 22 generations by the reckoning of the local history.

People: Hans Sigurdsson (junker Hans), Alv Knutsson, Knut Alvsson, Karl Knutsson, Karine Alvsdatter, Gjørvel Fadersdatter (Sparre)