Bo Jonsson (Grip)
Bo Jonsson (Grip) (early 1330s – 20 August 1386) was head of the royal council and marshal under the regency of
Bo Jonsson dominated the political life of Sweden and Finland for decades. He was the most influential representative to the council of aristocracy that deposed Magnus IV of Sweden in 1365 and installed Albrecht von Mecklenburg on the Swedish throne. His position as the new king's Officialis Generalis granted him vast fiscal and administrative control. By 1374, he had gained title to all of Finland.[2] [3]
The family name, Grip − which Bo Jonsson himself never used − is Swedish for Griffin. A coat of arms showing a black griffin on a gold shield, attributed to Bo Jonsson, was later adopted as the coat of arms of Södermanland. [4] The original family arms, however, may have been Argent, a griffin's head sable, traced back to Tomas Jonsson (Grip) from around 1299.[5] [4][6]
Advancement
During Bo Jonssons life, the black death swept through Sweden, killing 1/3 of the population. This weakened the Swedish economy and political stability, thus paving the way for Bo Jonsson to acquire large swathes of land.
Through inheritance and unprejudiced methods, Bo Jonsson came to control the largest private non-royal wealth Sweden has ever seen. He usurped 1,500 farms in 350 parishes throughout Sweden, from Kalmar to Falun, through economic and political means. He became Sweden's (and Finland's) largest landowner ever.[1] The quantity of land under his control exceeded 1/3 of the entirety of the Swedish realm,[7] surpassing even the ruling king's national land holdings. In 1363 he was the leader of an aristocratic rebellion. He solicited support from Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg and in 1365, he became instrumental in removing Magnus Eriksson from the Swedish throne and offering it to the Duke's son.
Authority
From the Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, which he built,[8] Bo Jonsson governed the entire valley of Lake Mälaren, Hälsingland, all of Finland, large parts of Västergötland, Eastern Östergötland, and the Småland coast, including the city of Kalmar. He secured the Finnish fiefs as a reward for having assisted Albert to the throne of Sweden.[9]
He controlled a dozen fortresses, among which were Finnish
As the head of the governing council and through his personal usurpation of large areas of the country, Bo Jonsson indirectly curtailed the concentration of royal power as well as German and Danish influence. However, he also solicited foreign intervention from Denmark and Mecklenburg in order to install the nobility party's puppet kings on the Swedish throne.
Marriage
Bo Jonsson married twice during his life. His first marriage took place with the wealthy Margareta Porse, who died shortly thereafter while undergoing childbirth. He allowed the baby to be delivered via Caesarean section, though it died but one day later.
His second wife was the German
Death
Bo Jonsson died 20 August 1386 and donated in his will a substantial part of his wealth to monasteries and churches in Sweden. In particular he gave aid to the monastery in
Progeny
Bo Jonsson's first wife, who died at childbirth, bore him a son Jon Bosson, who died the same day. With his second wife Margreta Lambrektsdotter (Dume), he had at least two children, history tells about his son
He was influential in the expansion of the medieval Finnish economy and his descendants were created barons in 1561 (see Grip av Vinäs).
References
- ^ ISBN 91-85196-61-4, p. 20.
- ^ Finland. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- ^ "Bo Jonson Grip". home.planet.nl. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Medieval Grip Family". Grip from Sweden. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ "The noble Grip family". Grip from Sweden. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ Jan Ranecke, Svenska medeltidsvapen
- ^ Kalmar Länsmuseum (1996). Bo Jonsson Grip Archived August 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Medieval history at the Museum, Kalmar Län. In Swedish. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- ^ Gripsholm Castle Archived June 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. History. The Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- ISBN 0-521-53989-7, p. 10. Excerpt: A medieval marchland. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- ^ Blev en riddare mördad och begravd i Riddarholmskyrkan? Archived October 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Svar om stockholmiana. Dagens Nyheter, 2 September 2003. (Q&A with DN's specialist Martin Stugart). In Swedish. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
Further reading
- Engström, Sten (1935). Bo Jonsson till 1375. Uppsala University, PhD thesis, 1935.
- Ramklint, Ulla Britta (2003). Svenska kungar och mäktiga män - tio historiska porträtt. Historiska Media, Lund, 2003. ISBN 91-89442-28-8
- Riddarhusdirektionen (1957). Äldre svenska frälsesläkter. Vol II:1.
- Rosman, Holger (1923). Bjärka-Säby och dess ägare. Uppsala, 1923.