Sigurd "the Mighty" Eysteinsson (852-892) was Jarl of Orkneyar from 875 to 892, succeeding Rognvald Eysteinsson and preceding Guthorm Sigurdsson.
Biography[]
Sigurd Eysteinsson was born in Norway in 852, the brother of Rognvald Eysteinsson. His brother had been made Jarl of Orkneyar by King Harald Fairhair of Norway as recompense for his son's death in battle during the Unification of Norway, and Sigurd succeeded his brother in 875. Allied with Thorstein the Red, he conquered Caithness and Sutherland on the Scottish mainland, earning him the epithet "the Mighty". In 892, he challenged his rival Mael Brigte of Moray to a battle of 40 men on both sides, but Sigurd treacherously brought 80 men to battle. He slew and beheaded Mael Brigte, and he mounted his foe's head on his saddle. However, Brigte's teeth rubbed against Sigurd's leg as he rode, causing an infection which resulted in Sigurd's unusual death. His son Guthorm Sigurdsson died within a few months of succeeding him.
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