Glossary · Term · title
Jarl
Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia in the Viking Age and early Middle Ages: a chieftain appointed to rule a territory in a king's stead, or a sovereign prince. Jarls ruled several Norwegian petty kingdoms, often with no less power than neighbouring kings; the strongest were the jarls of Lade. In Denmark the jarl was the king's deputy; later Norway and Sweden usually had a single jarl, second only to the king. It gave way to the title of duke; the last jarl in mainland Norway was appointed in 1295.
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- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Jarl. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jarl
- MLA
- “Jarl.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jarl. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Jarl.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jarl.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Jarl’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/jarl (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻