Studia Islandica - 01.06.1960, Side 42

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Bishop Gottskálk’s daughter, Guðrún, was betrothed
about 1540 to the first Lutheran bishop of Skálholt,
Gizur Einarsson (1540—1548). The marriage, however,
never took place. While Gizur was abroad in 1542—43,
Guðrún became pregnant by a cleric, Eysteinn Þórðar-
son, in Skálholt and gave birth to triplets in 1543." It
is argued that it is most unlikely Guðrún would in 1540
have been still unmarried if she has been born before
1500 and that it is much more reasonable to believe that
she was only 20 or 25 years old in 1540.8
As to the first of the above reasons, it must be said
at once that Dr. Arnórsson errs when he states9 that
Bishop Guðbrandur says that Jón Sigmundsson related
how Gottskálk had three children after becoming bishop.
Guðbrandur does not state this. He only says that Jón
likely related this — a vastly different matter. It is true
that Bishop Guðbrandur evidently believed that Gott-
skálk begot three children while a bishop, but he is not
able to state that Jón Sigmundsson, who should have
known the facts, actually made such a statement about
the bishop. It is, however, hardly conceivable that Jón
Sigmundsson or some other of Gottskálk’s enemies would
not have made such a charge had they been able to do
so. If true, it should necessarily have had serious conse-
quences for Bishop Gottskálk, involving ipso facto suspen-
sion from the episcopal office. Yet no contemporary or
near contemporary source so much as hints that Bishop
Gottskálk had children after he became bishop.10 Indeed
it is well known that one of his three children, Kristín,
was bom about 1490, for her marriage to Þorvarður Er-
lendsson took place in 1508.11 It is difficult to avoid the
conclusion that in making the above-mentioned charge
Bishop Guðbrandur was acting with malice and without
too much concem for facts.
Dr. Amórsson states that it is certain that Bishop Gott-
skálk had two concubines, Valgerður Jónsdóttir and Guð-