Sverris Early Successes 283 



opposed to the rule of Erling Skakk and his son. Only 

 the great men in that district were on the side of the 

 existing regime : the great lendermen and Eystein, the 

 Archbishop of Throndhjem, wlio was Sverri's most 

 formidable opponent. 



We can account for some of Sverri's easy victories by 

 supposing that the body of the armies opposed to 

 him fought against their will. Often they threw down 

 their weapons at the first onset ; and those who asked 

 for quarter very rarely failed to receive it. Sverri's 

 humanity stood him in good stead, and was his best 

 policy, seeing that in many districts the common people 

 were on his side. The Birkibeinar again were, and 

 became ever more so, a terrible body to oppose so long 

 as the lust of battle was on them. Their profession 

 was war. 



The new leader was weak so soon as he got to the 

 more civilised parts near the coast. He found he could 

 not maintain himself in the city of Nidaros, and at 

 first sought to make a naval expedition along the 

 coast. But he was soon driven inland again. He 

 made his way to the border-lands, and his next victory 

 was gained near the .shore of Lake Venner. After that 

 some desultory figliting continued for a year or two, of 

 which the chief interest is the picture which it gives — 

 first, of the disturbed state of the country, and the 

 difficulty there constantly is in this land of hills and 

 valleys of obtaining any accurate information touching 

 the whereabouts of an enemy ; secondly, of the great 

 hardships, the long and difficult winter marchings and 

 counter-marchings which Sverri's troops had to undergo, 

 and which they could only have been induced to 



