county · Scandinavia and the Baltic

Earldom of Lade

880 CE – 1030 CE (approx.) · capital Lade

Dynasty of earls based near Trondheim who rivalled the descendants of Harald Fairhair and ruled Norway for long periods around 1000.

Origins

The earls took their name from Lade, a farm near modern Trondheim in Trøndelag. Håkon Grjotgardsson, whose family came from Hålogaland, allied with Harald Fairhair in the late 9th century and was made earl of the Trøndelag region, founding a powerful line.

Rule and society

The jarls of Lade drew strength from the rich farming districts and assemblies of Trøndelag and from the northern fur trade. Håkon Sigurdsson, known as Haakon Jarl, ruled most of Norway from about 975 to 995 under the overlordship of Harald Bluetooth of Denmark and was a champion of the pagan cults. After the Battle of Svolder in 1000, his sons Eric and Sweyn governed Norway for the kings of Denmark and Sweden.

Decline and legacy

Olaf Haraldsson drove out the earls in 1015. Cnut the Great restored Håkon Eiriksson as his regent in Norway in 1028, but Håkon drowned around 1030 and the line ended. Trøndelag passed fully to the Kingdom of Norway, and Trondheim (Nidaros) became its religious centre.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Earldom of Lade. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/earldom-of-lade
MLA
“Earldom of Lade.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/earldom-of-lade. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Earldom of Lade.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/earldom-of-lade.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Earldom of Lade’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/earldom-of-lade (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻