Over the next few years he travelled round Iceland, gathering forces to both secure his own life and in order to avenge his family.
He had not gone far when he came across the force of Kolbeinn the Young, which was larger than his own, and they fought Iceland's only noteworthy sea battle, Flóabardagi.
Meanwhile, the forces of Þórður continued to grow, and he confronted Brandur in 1246 in the Battle of Haugsnes, the bloodiest conflict ever to be fought in Iceland, where about 100 men perished.
In 1250, however, Þórður was called back to Norway by King Haakon IV, as he wanted to have the most powerful Icelander of the time within reach.
[citation needed] Six years later Þórður died in Norway, after having received the news that he would, after all, be sent back to Iceland.