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13 statements · 23% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations
On other databases
8 identifiers linking jarl across the web's reference databases
13 statements · 23% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations
8 identifiers linking jarl across the web's reference databases
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. The institution evolved over time and varied by region. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", specifically one appointed to rule a territory in a king's stead. It could also denote a sovereign prince. For example: During the Viking age the rulers of several of the petty kingdoms of Norway held the title of jarl, often wielding no less power than their neighboring kings. In later medieval Sweden and Norway there was typically only one jarl in the kingdom, second in authority only to the king. The title became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced by the rank of duke (hertig/hertug/hertog). The word is etymologically related to the English earl.