Battle of Fýrisvellir
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Era | Date not recorded (no reliable year in Wikidata) | derived from year |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Sweden | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| Participants | Eric the Victorious, Jomsvikings, Styrbjörn the Strong | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 59.8719, 17.6142 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Fýrisvellir was fought in the 980s on the plain called Fýrisvellir, where modern Uppsala is situated, between King Eric the Victorious and an invading force. According to Norse sagas, this force was led by his nephew Styrbjörn the Strong. Eric won the battle, and became known as "the Victorious".
It is mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus in Gesta Danorum and in a number of medieval Icelandic sources, including Eyrbyggja saga, Knýtlinga saga, and Hervarar saga. An account is found in the Old Norse translation of Oddr Snorrason's lost Latin life of the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason, known as Odds saga munks, and a more detailed account in the short story Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa, which is included in the saga of the Norwegian king Olaf II in Flateyjarbók; this version includes skaldic verses including two lausavísur by Þórvaldr Hjaltason. There are also possible references to the battle on runestones, two of which are in Scania.
The factuality of the battle, and its location, have been disputed. There are however primary sources that support its historicity.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Fýrisvellir (revision 1378754383), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Uppsala 1520 · 2 km
- Conquest of Uppsala 1521 · 2 km
- Battle of Sparrsätra 1247 · 41 km
- Battle of Gataskogen 1365 · 47 km
- Battle of Rotebro 1497 · 48 km
- Battle of Västerås 1521 · 62 km
Browse more: battles in Sweden · Europe · Date not recorded battles