Karl Sverkersson | |
---|---|
![]() King Karl as shown on his seal | |
King of Sweden | |
Reign | c. 1161 – 1167 |
Predecessor | Magnus Henriksen |
Successor | Knut Eriksson |
Born | c. 1130 |
Died | 12 April 1167 |
Spouse | Christina Hvide |
Issue | Sverker the Younger |
House | Sverker |
Father | Sverker the Elder |
Mother | Ulvhild Håkansdotter |
Karl Sverkersson or Charles VII [1] [2] (c. 1130 – 12 April 1167) was the ruler of Götaland, and then King of Sweden from c. 1161 to 1167, when he was assassinated in a military attack by Knut Eriksson who then succeeded him as king. [3] [4]
Karl was the son of King Sverker the Elder, who was assassinated in December 1156, by first wife Ulvhild Håkansdotter. A pretender from another family, Erik Jedvardsson (whom later generations dubbed martyr and saint), ruled over parts of Sweden in the following years. However, Karl was chosen king by the people of Östergötland in c. 1158, apparently in opposition to Erik. A letter from pope Hadrianus IV (d. 1159) knows him as ruler of regnum Gothorum although Erik is known to have held power in Västergötland. [5] It is claimed in a late medieval chronicle that Erik's murder by minions of their rival Magnus Henriksen in 1160 was also backed by Karl. [6]
Magnus Henriksen had a brief reign after killing Erik, but was himself killed by Karl Sverkersson, probably in 1161 during the battle at Örebro. [7] After the fall of Magnus, Karl received general recognition in Sweden as king. In fact he is the first Swedish ruler to be expressly titled rex Sweorum et Gothorum (King of the Swedes and Geats) in a papal letter from 1164. [8]
The brief reign of Karl Sverkersson is important from a number of aspects. The early medieval Swedish kingdom resembled a network of shifting aristocratic alliances rather than a state, but during the second half of the 12th century, it slowly began to converge with the Catholic-European state model. It was during his time that the Archbishop of Uppsala was established, although Sweden was still ecclesiastically subordinated to the Danish archbishop in Lund. After a request by the king, his jarl Ulf, and the Swedish bishops, the pope appointed Stefan, a former monk in Alvastra Abbey, as the first archbishop. Shortly afterwards, the people of Värend at the border to Denmark offered money to the king if he supported the installation of a particular bishop in Växjö. He is also known to have donated land and privileges to Vreta Abbey and Nydala Abbey. The donations suggest that his main interests lay in the provinces of Östergötland and Småland, while the provinces around Lake Mälaren may have been supervised by Ulf Jarl. [9] The first known non-epigraphic document was issued in his time, which also contains the earliest known royal seal. [10]
Swedish relations with the Russian lands had been quite good up to the early 12th century. However, this changed into a state of intermittent hostility during the 12th century. The chronicles of Novgorod relate a sea-borne Swedish invasion in 1164. The invading forces attacked Ladoga, which however received Novgorodian relief forces after five days. The Swedes were thoroughly beaten outside Ladoga on 28 May and lost 43 out of 55 boats. The remnants withdrew. [11]
In the spring of 1167, King Karl was killed on the island of Visingsö by supporters of Knut Eriksson, head of the rival Eric dynasty. "But his son Sverker was carried to Denmark in the lap, and his journey was miserable." [12] Knut usurped the throne. Karl Sverkersson was buried in Alvastra monastery. Like the other kings of the House of Sverker, he is lauded by the short chronicle in Västgöta Law : "As king, he had his father's dignity. He ruled Sweden with gentleness and benevolence." [13]
Starting from Karl Sverkersson's death, his kinsmen (either half-brothers or possibly nephews) Burislev and Kol together opposed Knut's kingship and were rival kings recognized in parts of Götaland. However, the last of them was killed around 1172–1173, after which Knut's rule was fully recognized.[ citation needed ]
Karl's wife was Christina Hvide, a Danish lady, daughter of Stig Hvitaleder , a magnate from Zealand, and his wife who was sister of Valdemar I of Denmark.[ citation needed ]
Their sole historically attested child was Sverker Karlsson, a young boy when Karl died, and who later was elected king of Sweden (1195–1208/10) after the death of King Knut Eriksson. [14]
Knut Långe, also known as Canute II, was King of Sweden from 1229 until his death in 1234. He was the father of Holmger Knutsson, a later pretender for the Swedish throne. Both father and son were members of the House of Folkung. He is often identified with Knut Holmgersson, a relative of King Erik Eriksson.
Erik Eriksson, sometimes known as Erik XI or with the epithet the Lisp and Lame, was King of Sweden from 1222 to 1229 and again from 1234 to 1250. Being the last ruler of the House of Erik, he stood in the shadow of a succession of powerful jarls, especially his brother-in-law Birger Jarl, whose descendants ruled as kings after his death.
Johan Sverkersson, also known as John I, was King of Sweden from 1216 until his death in 1222. He was the last king from the House of Sverker, leaving no heirs. During his reign, an expedition was launched from Sweden against the Estonians, with disastrous results.
Saint Erik, also called Eric IX or Erik Jedvardsson was King of Sweden from c. 1156 until his death in 1160. The Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church names him as a saint memorialized on 18 May. He was the founder of the House of Erik, which ruled Sweden with interruptions from c. 1156 to 1250.
Erik Knutsson, sometimes known as Eric X, was King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as Erik the Survivor, he was, at his accession to the throne, the only remaining son of King Knut Eriksson and his queen, whose name may have been Cecilia.
Sverker the Younger, also known as Sverker II or Sverker Karlsson, was King of Sweden from 1195 or 1196 to 1208 when he was defeated in the Battle of Lena by Erik Knutsson. Sverker died in the 1210 Battle of Gestilren where his forces battled those of King Erik Knutsson.
Knut Eriksson, also known as Canute I, was King of Sweden from 1173 to 1195. He was a son of King Erik the Saint and Queen Christina, who was a granddaughter of the Swedish king Inge the Elder.
Sverker the Elder, also known as Sverker I, was King of Sweden from about 1132 until his murder. Of non-royal descent, he founded the House of Sverker, the rulers of which alternated with the rival House of Erik over the next century.
Magnus the Strong, also known as Magnus Nilsson, was a Danish duke who ruled Götaland in southern Sweden from the 1120s to c. 1132. It is disputed whether he was elected king by the Swedes, but he is nevertheless sometimes found in the modern list of Swedish monarchs as Magnus I. Snorri Sturlason gives him the epithet "Strong".
The House of Erik was a medieval Swedish royal dynasty with several pretenders to the throne between 1150 and 1220, rivaling for kingship of Sweden with the House of Sverker. The first king from the House of Erik was Erik Jedvardsson, later known as Saint Erik. Almost all the subsequent kings of Sweden have been descendants of the House of Erik.
Christina of Denmark, was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Erik the Saint, and the mother of King Knut Eriksson.
Kol was a Swedish prince who, together with his brother Burislev was a contender for the throne of Sweden from 1167 until his violent death a few years later. The struggle was a stage in the rivalry between the House of Sverker, to which Kol and Burislev belonged, and the House of Eric.
Boleslaw was a Swedish pretender for the throne, belonging to the House of Sverker. He acted in concert with his kinsman Kol against King Canute I of Sweden, then head of the House of Eric. The two pretenders, who were brothers, half-brothers, or uncle and nephew, may never have controlled much more than the Province of Östergötland, which was the base of the dynasty. Boleslaw is believed either to have been murdered by King Canute's men, or to have fled to Poland in or before 1173.
Magnus Henriksson, also known as Magnus II, was a Danish lord and King of Sweden between 1160 and 1161. He is often seen by posterity as a usurper.
Holmger Knutsson was a Swedish nobleman and a claimant to the Swedish throne during the reign of King Erik Eriksson.
Ulvhild Håkansdotter was twice Queen of Sweden and once Queen of Denmark through her successive marriages to Inge II of Sweden, Niels of Denmark, and Sverker I of Sweden. Ulvhild had an important role in the Nordic dynastic connections of her time, but the sources are insufficient on detailed circumstances. She is mentioned as a femme fatale of medieval Scandinavia, as well as a benefactor of the Catholic Church.
Rikissa of Denmark was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Erik Knutsson, and the mother of King Erik Eriksson.
Cecilia Johansdotter is the possible name of the wife of King Canute I of Sweden and mother of King Eric X of Sweden. Little is known about her except that she was of aristocratic origins and died sometime after 1193.
Johan Sverkersson, who died between 1150 and 1153, was the eldest son of King Sverker the Elder of Sweden and his queen Ulfhild Håkansdotter. He had a role in the outbreak of a war between Sweden and Denmark in the 1150s.