Sturla ÃÂórðarson (<span style="font-size: smaller;">Old Norse pronunciation:</span> ; ; 29 July 1214âÂÂ30 July 1284) was an Icelandic chieftain and writer of sagas and contemporary history during the 13th century. Much academic debate is dedicated to evaluating his life and his biases as an historian of medieval Iceland and Norway.
The life of Sturla ÃÂórðarson was chronicled in the Sturlunga saga. Sturla was the son of Icelandic chieftain ÃÂórður Sturluson and his mistress ÃÂóra, and grandson of Sturla ÃÂórðarson the elder. He was raised by his grandmother, Guðný Böðvarsdóttir. He was a nephew and pupil of the famous saga-writer Snorri Sturluson. His brother was Icelandic skald and scholar ÃÂlafur ÃÂórðarson hvÃÂtaskáld.
He fought alongside ÃÂórður kakali Sighvatsson during the Age of the Sturlungs. Sturla was appointed law speaker over all of Iceland for a brief period after the dissolution of the Icelandic Commonwealth, and wrote the law book JárnsÃÂða.
Like his uncle, Snorri, and his brother, ÃÂláfr, Sturla was a prolific poet. He is reported in Sturlu þáttr as telling a saga called Huldar saga. He is best known for writing ÃÂslendinga saga, the longest saga within Sturlunga saga, and Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar, the story of Haakon IV of Norway. He also wrote a saga of Haakon's son, Magnus the lawmender (Magnúss saga lagabà Âtis), of which only fragments have survived. Some scholars also believe him to have written Kristni saga and Sturlubók, a transcript of Landnáma. He is moreover listed in Skáldatal as the court skald of the Swedish ruler Birger Jarl.