The Battle of Örlygsstaðir was a decisive engagement of the Icelandic civil war known as the Age of the Sturlungs, ending in the defeat of the Sturlungar clan.
Key Facts
- Date
- 21 August 1238
- Sturlungar estimated force
- ~1000 men
- Ásbirningar & Haukdælir force
- ~1700 men
- Total killed in battle
- ~60 men
- Executed after battle
- 5 men, including Þórir Jökull Steinfinnsson
- Memorial erected
- 1988, on the battle site
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Age of the Sturlungs, rival Icelandic clans competed for dominance in a prolonged civil war. The Sturlungar family, led by Sighvatur Sturluson and his son Sturla Sighvatsson, had built significant power, provoking a coalition response from the Ásbirningar clan under Kolbeinn ungi and the Haukdælir clan under Gissur Þorvaldsson, who together assembled a substantially larger armed force.
On 21 August 1238 at Örlygsstaðir in northern Iceland, the outnumbered Sturlungar force of roughly 1000 men clashed with the approximately 1700-strong coalition of Kolbeinn ungi and Gissur Þorvaldsson. The battle was short but decisive; around 60 men were killed, among them Sighvatur and Sturla Sighvatsson. Five additional men were beheaded after the battle. Gissur's side reportedly suffered only seven dead, while Kolbeinn's lost none.
The defeat and death of Sighvatur and Sturla Sighvatsson effectively broke the power of the Sturlungar faction. Gissur Þorvaldsson subsequently rose to become Earl of Iceland, and the weakening of the Icelandic clans through civil conflict contributed to Iceland's eventual submission to Norwegian royal authority. The battle and its casualties were recorded in the Íslendinga saga within the Sturlunga saga.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Sighvatur Sturluson, Sturla Sighvatsson.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kolbeinn ungi, Gissur Þorvaldsson.