Vikings / Famous Vikings / Thorfinn the Mighty
Thorfinn the Mighty
Earl of Orkney
- In Old Norse
- Þorfinnr inn ríki Sigurðarson
- Lived
- c. 1009 – c. 1058–1065
- Role
- Earl of Orkney
Thorfinn Sigurdsson, son of Sigurd the Stout and grandson of Malcolm II of Scotland, was the most powerful of the Orkney earls. After long struggles with his brothers and his nephew Rognvald Brusason he ruled alone, and the saga claims he held nine Scottish earldoms, the Hebrides and part of Ireland. About 1048–1050 he travelled to Norway, Denmark, Germany and Rome, where he was absolved by the pope. He then settled at Birsay, building Christ Church as the seat of Orkney's first bishop.
Known for
- Most powerful earl of Orkney
- Pilgrimage to Rome, c. 1050
- Founded the first bishop's seat in Orkney at Birsay
In the story
On the timeline
Events that name Thorfinn the Mighty
2 events. Each opens in the timeline.
- c. 1014 Thorfinn the Mighty Inherits in Orkney After Earl Sigurd falls at Clontarf, the earldom of Orkney is divided among his elder sons while five-year-old Thorfinn, grandson… Date or details approximate
- c. 1050 Thorfinn the Mighty's Pilgrimage to Rome Thorfinn Sigurdsson, earl of Orkney and ruler of much of northern Scotland and the Isles, travels by way of Norway, Denmark and… Date or details approximate