In exquisitely researched detail, Birger Kirkeby develops his theory about who Hallvard Gråtopp was. Mange tusen takk to him for permission to translate this book!
The American reader will be impatient, if not overwhelmed, by such exquisite detail. The author concisely and eloquently explains the necessity for it...
In his polemic against all those who have advanced other theories, Kirkeby's superb scholarship and powerful presentation of his research are extremely compelling.
The book illuminates the intricacies of Norway's national situation at that time and the role of patriots in the struggle to retain independence. Gråtopp's role in that struggle and his identity are of interest to those of us who count ourselves as his proud descendants. His personal identity has been the basis of much controversy.
Kirkeby's view is that Gråtopp was a member of the nobility and was therefore called Lord Halvor at Vrålstad in Drangedal. He was the son of a Roman Catholic Priest from Sauherad who traced his ancestors back to King Harald the Fairhaired who in the 900s was the first king to rule a united Norway. Gråtopp was the son of a woman who was born at Vrålstad in Drangedal and not a man born there as others have contended.
Mange tusen takk to Harald Winge, the Director of the Norsk Lokalhistorisk Institutt in Oslo for his encouragement and enlightenment during the process of producing this translation! The precision with which he read and commented upon every page of it demonstrates his unparalleled generosity!
As a professional historian, he was able to teach me about many aspects of Norwegian history and corrected many of my misunderstandings about words and concepts. Ultimately, however, the choice of words was my responsibility. As you will see, the systems of punctuation and of capitalization both present a dilemma for me and consistency is not one of my virtues!
Because situations in the 1300s and 1400s were tremendously different from those of our day, it has been deemed desirable to retain some Norwegian terms. The extensive list of words will appear in a separate section and they will be explained there.