As Sigurd was a minor, the actual leaders behind the revolt were Hallkjell Jonsson and Olav Jarlsmåg. The Eyjarskeggjars recruited their initial army in Orkney and Shetland (hence their name, meaning "island-men"), returned to Norway in 1193, and quickly took control over a large part of the country. Based in Bergen for the winter, the Eyjarskeggjar fleet relocated to the nearby bay of off Askøy in anticipation of the arrival of Sverre's Birkebeiner fleet from Niðaros (Trondheim). The battle began with a surprise attack by the Birkebeiners during night. Although the Eyjarskeggjars gained the upper hand for most of the battle and victory eventually seemed within reach, their ships were caught in a current during the final stages of the battle. This caused them to become easy prey for the Birkebeiner, who in the end won the battle decisively and extinguished the majority of the Eyjarskeggjar army, including their leaders.
