Sigurd the Crusader
The state flourished economically and culturally, allowing Sigurd to participate in the Crusades and gain international recognition and prestige.
[citation needed] In 1098, Sigurd accompanied his father, King Magnus III, on his expedition to the Orkney Islands, Hebrides and the Irish Sea.
Although Magnus was not directly responsible for the death of the previous king of the Isles, he became the kingdom's next ruler, most likely due to his conquest of the islands.
The expeditions conducted by Magnus were somewhat profitable to the Kingdom of Norway, as the many islands under Norwegian control generated wealth and a workforce.
Sigurd was eventually chosen to lead the crusade, possibly because he was a more experienced traveler, having been on several expeditions with his father, Magnus III, to Ireland and islands in the seas around Scotland.
He often fought the enemies amongst his loyal soldiers and relatives; they were continually victorious and vastly successful, gaining considerable amounts of treasure and booty.
King Baldwin asked Sigurd to join him and Ordelafo Faliero, Doge of Venice, in the capture of the coastal city of Sidon, which had been re-fortified by the Fatimids in 1098.
By order of Baldwin and the patriarch of Jerusalem, Ghibbelin of Arles, a splinter was taken from the True Cross and given to Sigurd after the siege as a token of friendship and as a relic for his heroic participation in the crusades.
Sigurd then sailed to Constantinople (Miklagard) and entered the city through the gate called the Gold Tower, riding in front of his men.
Sigurd planned to return to Norway over land, but many of his men stayed behind in Constantinople to serve the emperor as part of his Varangian Guard.
Sigurd traveled from Serbia and Bulgaria through Hungary, Pannonia, Swabia, and Bavaria, where he met with the Emperor Lothar II of the Holy Roman Empire.
[citation needed] Sigurd was married to Malmfred, a daughter of Grand Prince Mstislav I of Kiev and granddaughter of King Inge I of Sweden.
This led to a power struggle following Sigurd's death between various illegitimate sons and other royal pretenders, which escalated into a lengthy and devastating civil war.
[12][13][14] Most of the information gathered about the life of Sigurd and his brothers is taken from the Heimskringla,[15] written by Snorri Sturluson around 1225, and the kings' saga Morkinskinna.
[specify] In the 19th century, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson wrote a historical drama based on the life of the king, with incidental music (titled Sigurd Jorsalfar) composed by Edvard Grieg.
