Strife for kingship
Prince John was killed in an incident by the Swedish peasantry around 1152. Since he was a young man at his death, his sons must still have been infants. Kol's uncle Charles VII of Sweden was killed by Canute I of Sweden on Visingsö in 1167. Now Kol was recognized at least in parts of Sweden, presumably in Östergötland which was the basis of the dynasty's power. He held the throne in opposition to Canute for a few years, in tandem with his brother or uncle Burislev. The short chronicle of the Westrogothic law relates the few known details: "[King Canute I] won Sweden by sword and killed King Karl, King Kol and King Burislev, had many fights in Sweden and was victorious in all". [5] A little more is known about Kol from medieval donation lists. He owned land in Frönäs on Öland and donated it to his mother Ragnhild, who in turn gave it to Vreta Abbey when she entered the abbey as a nun. [4] A papal letter from 1171 or 1172 mentions a "K." who was king of the Swedes and Geats; it is not clear whether Kol or Canute (Knut) is meant. [2] Kol was probably killed in battle or murdered by Canute's men around 1173. A 14th-century source claims that he was killed at Bjälbo. [2] [3] After his death, his kinsfolk donated land to Vreta Abbey for his soul, indicating that they were able to keep properties after Canute's victory. [6]
Though some sources affirm that Kol actually was King of Sweden for a few years, the Swedish Royal Court does not recognize him as such in its official list of rulers.
Sune Sik,, was allegedly a Swedish prince. According to Olaus Petri, he would have been a younger son of King Sverker I of Sweden and father of Ingrid Ylva. In surviving contemporary documents one Sune Sik can be found who lived much later. That Sune Sik made a donation to Vreta Abbey as late as in 1297. He might have ordered a restoration of a chapel in which he eventually was interred, and later Cistercian tradition may then have turned him into a prince. This has caused some historians to view Olaus Petri's account of him as unreliable.
Richeza of Poland, a member of the House of Piast, was twice Queen of Sweden and once Princess of Minsk through her three marriages.
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, who's name may have been Cecilia.
Knut Eriksson, also known as Canute I, was King of Sweden from 1173 to 1195. He was a son of King Eric the Saint and Queen Christina, who was a granddaughter of the Swedish king Inge the Elder.
Karl Sverkersson or Charles VII was 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 succeeded him as king.
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 Eric over the next century.
Inge the Elder was a king of Sweden. In English literature he has also been called Ingold. While scant sources do not allow a full picture of his term of kingship, he is known to have led a turbulent but at length successful reign of more than two decades. He stands out as a devout Christian who founded the first abbey in Sweden and acted harshly against pagan practices. The kingdom was still an unstable realm based on alliances of noblemen, and Inge's main power base was in Västergötland and Östergötland; one of the earliest chronicles that mention his reign knows him as rex gautorum, king of the Geats.
Magnus Minniskiöld was a medieval Swedish magnate from the House of Bjelbo. He is best known as the father of the renowned statesman Birger Jarl, and the ancestor of the later Swedish kings. He is sometimes believed to have perished in the Battle of Lena in 1208, though the evidence is not conclusive.
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.
Erik Årsäll was a semi-historical king of Sweden. His historicity has been called into question. He is dated by some to the end of the 11th century, by others to the 1120s, while more critical historians believe that he is a legendary name belonging to the 10th century. According to some, he was the son of the pagan Swedish king Blót-Sweyn, and, like his father before him, administered the blóts at the temple at Uppsala. However, Erik does not appear in any Swedish or Danish primary sources.
Svantepolk Knutsson was a Swedish knight and councilor. He became a wealthy feudal lord in Östergötland.
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.
Helena or Elin, possibly also known as Maer, Mär or Mö, was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Inge the Elder, and a supposed sister of King Blot-Sweyn of Sweden.
Benedicta Hvide also called Benedicta Ebbesdotter was Queen of Sweden as the first wife of king Sverker II. She belonged to the House of Hvide of Denmark and in Sweden was often called Queen Bengta.
IngegerdBirgersdotter of Bjelbo was Queen of Sweden as the second wife of King Sverker II.
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.
Helen, is the assumed name of a medieval Swedish princess and Danish queen, Queen consort of King Canute V of Denmark. The date of her birth is not known; her father was King Sverker I of Sweden and her mother has been assumed to be Sverker's first spouse, Queen Ulvhild.
Benedicta of Bjelbo was a Swedish noblewoman and a central figure in the incident known as the Maiden Abduction from Vreta, wherein she, like her mother, Princess Helen of Sweden before her, and her daughter, Ingrid Svantepolksdotter after her, was abducted from Vreta Abbey by the man she later married. Her abduction was the subject of the folksong "Bridal Abduction of Young Lars" .
John, who died between 1150 and 1153, was the eldest son of King Sverker I of Sweden of Sweden and his queen Ulvhild Håkansdotter. He had a role in the outbreak of a war between Sweden and Denmark in the 1150s.
