# Battle of Fimreite (15 June 1184)

URL: https://allhistories.com/norway/timeline/1184-battle-of-fimreite
Location: Fimreite, Sognefjord (Sogndal)
Themes: Wars & Battles

Returning from Denmark, Magnus Erlingsson took Bergen and sailed into the Sognefjord to find Sverre, who was suppressing a local revolt in Sogn. On 15 June 1184 the fleets met off Fimreite, near modern Sogndal: about 26 ships against Sverre's 14. Magnus lashed his ships together, but Sverre's large ship Mariasuda and his flexible tactics prevailed. Magnus's fleet was overwhelmed, and the king died with most of his men. Sverre had built up a new fleet after losing his ships in 1181, including the oversized Mariasuda. Magnus's side is said to have lost 2,000 men, among them many leading lendmenn of the old aristocracy. Sverre now ruled as sole king, though he faced continued opposition from new pretenders and from the church, which later excommunicated him.

## Why it matters
Fimreite ended the rule of Erling Skakke's line and made Sverre undisputed king, founding the dynasty that would eventually bring the civil wars to an end.

Ruler at the Time: [Sverre Sigurdsson](https://allhistories.com/norway/rulers/sverre-sigurdsson)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Battle of Fimreite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fimreite)
- [Wikipedia — Sverre of Norway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverre_of_Norway)
- [Wikipedia — Magnus Erlingsson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_Erlingsson)
- [Store norske leksikon — Slaget ved Fimreite](https://snl.no/slaget_ved_Fimreite)
- [Wikipedia — Civil War Era (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_war_era_in_Norway)