Birger Jarl, also known as Birger Magnusson, was a Swedish statesman and regent, jarl, and a member of the House of Bjälbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. His first marriage was to Princess Ingeborg of Sweden, which created his base of power. Birger led the Second Swedish Crusade, which established Swedish rule in Finland. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed with the foundation of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, around 1250. Birger used the Latin title of dux sveorum et guttorum.
Erik Eriksson, sometimes known as Erik XI Ericsson or Erik 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.
Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou is a French-Swedish author and journalist. Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist, most notably in 1973 when he and co-reporter Peter Bratt exposed a secret and illegal intelligence organization in Sweden, Informationsbyrån (IB). He is still active within journalism as a column writer for the Swedish evening tabloid Aftonbladet. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy(+) of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson. He is the owner of one of the largest publishing companies in Sweden, Piratförlaget, together with his wife, publisher Ann-Marie Skarp, and Liza Marklund.
Gérard de Ridefort, also called Gerard de Ridefort, was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from the end of 1184 and until his death in 1189.
TorkelKnutsson was Lord High Constable of Sweden, member of the Privy Council of Sweden (Riksråd), and virtual ruler of Sweden during the early reign of King Birger Magnusson (1280–1321).
The Battle of the Neva was fought between the Novgorod Republic, along with Karelians, and the Kingdom of Sweden, including Norwegian, Finnish and Tavastian forces, on the Neva River, near the settlement of Ust-Izhora, on 15 July 1240. The battle is mentioned only in Russian sources, and it remains unclear whether it was a major invasion or a small-scale raid. In Russian historiography, it has become an event of massive scale and importance.
Birger Brosa was the jarl of Sweden from 1174 to 1202.
Magnus Minniskiöld was a medieval Swedish magnate from the House of Bjälbo. 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.
Swedish jarls were powerful noblemen in Sweden. There usually was only one holder of the title at a time, second only to the King of Sweden.
The Second Swedish Crusade was a military expedition by the Kingdom of Sweden into Tavastia c. 1249–1250 as described by the Erikskrönikan. As described by the Erikskrönikan, the Swedes defeated the Tavastians under the leadership of Birger Jarl.
Arn: The Knight Templar is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson. The film was released to cinemas in Sweden on 17 December 2007 and the sequel, Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End, was released 22 August 2008, but both films were combined into a single cut for the English release on DVD in 2010. While the film is mostly in Swedish and most of the production was made in Sweden, the film is a joint production between Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Germany. With a total budget of around SEK 210 million for both films, it is the most expensive production in Swedish cinema. The film grossed $22.5 million according to Box Office Mojo.
Rikissa Birgersdotter, also known as Rixa, Richeza, Richilda and Regitze, was Queen of Norway as the wife of the co-king Haakon Haakonson, and later Princess of Werle as wife of Henry I, Prince of Mecklenburg-Güstrow.
The Road to Jerusalem is the first book in Jan Guillou's The Knight Templar book series. The book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson from his birth and until he sets off to Jerusalem.
The Crusades Trilogy is a series of historical novels written by Swedish author and journalist Jan Guillou about the Consolidation of Sweden and the Crusades. The main character of the trilogy is Arn Magnusson, a fictional Knight Templar in the 12th century, who becomes a witness as well as a catalyst to many important historical events both in his homeland of Västra Götaland and in the Crusader states.
The Knight Templar is the second book in the Crusades trilogy by Jan Guillou. This book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson as a Knight Templar in the kingdom of Jerusalem. The book starts in Arn's 27th year and ends as he departs the holy lands.
The Kingdom at the End of the Road is the third book in Jan Guillou's The Knight Templar book series. This book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson as he returns home to Sweden after 20 years as a Knight Templar.
Varnhem is a locality situated in Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 707 inhabitants in 2010.
The original historic Knights Templar were a Christian military order, the Order of the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, that existed from the 12th to 14th centuries to provide warriors in the Crusades. These men were famous in the high and late Middle Ages, but the Order was disbanded very suddenly by King Philip IV of France, who took action against the Templars in order to avoid repaying his own financial debts. He accused them of heresy, ordered the arrest of all Templars within his realm, put the Order under trial and many of them burned at the stake. The dramatic and rapid end of the Order led to many stories and legends developing about them over the following centuries. The Order and its members increasingly appear in modern fiction, though most of these references portray the medieval organization inaccurately.
Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson. It was released to cinemas in Sweden on 22 August 2008 and is the sequel to the 2007 film Arn – The Knight Templar, but both films were combined into a single cut for the English release on DVD in 2010.
