Battle of Víðines

The Battle of Víðines (Icelandic: Víðinesbardagi) was a conflict that took place in 1208 between chieftains of the Icelandic commonwealth, including devout men like Kolbeinn Tumason, who sought to maintain traditional cooperation between Church and regional authority. and the followers of the Catholic Church in early 13th-century Iceland.

Bishop Guðmundur Arason, who had been elected with chieftain support, increasingly asserted the exclusive judicial powers of the Church over its clergy, contrary to Icelandic legal tradition. This assertion brought him into direct conflict with the goðar (chieftains), especially those who had formerly supported him. In 1208, Kolbeinn Tumason and Arnór Tumason of the Ásbirningar clan, alongside Sigurður Ormsson of the Svínfellingar clan, marched on Hólar, the episcopal seat of Guðmundur, demanding that several men in the bishop’s company be surrendered for secular judgment. Guðmundur refused, citing ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and the dispute escalated into violence at Víðines, near Hólar.

Kolbeinn Tumason was mortally wounded in the clash—reportedly struck in the head with a rock. According to Icelandic tradition, he composed the hymn "Heyr himna smiður" ("Hear, Smith of Heavens") on his deathbed, a prayer for divine mercy and salvation that remains one of Iceland’s most beloved hymns to this day.