Charles VIII of Sweden

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Charles VIII
Riddarholm Church
, Stockholm
Spouses
Bonde
FatherKnut Tordsson Bonde
MotherMargareta Karlsdotter

Charles VIII (

king of Norway
(1449–1450).

Regnal name

Charles was the second Swedish king by the name of Charles (Karl). Charles VIII is a posthumous invention, counting backwards from

Historia de omnibus gothorum sueonumque regibus, and are considered his invention. Charles was the first Swedish monarch of the name to actually use a regnal number as Charles II (later retrospectively renumbered VIII), on his wife's tombstone (1451) at Vadstena.[3]

Early life

Karl Knutsson was born in October 1408 or 1409, at

.

Growing influence

In 1434, he became a member of the

Lord High Justiciar of Sweden, or Riksdrots. In October he resigned as Lord High Justiciar and resumed his office as Lord High Constable. From 1442, he was the military governor, hövitsman, at Viborg in Finland (Fief of Viborg
).

Charles acquired extensive fiefs, for example in Western Finland. His first seat was in Turku. Soon, Christopher's government began to take back fiefs and positions and Charles was forced to give up the

Teutonic Knights in what are today Estonia and Latvia
.

King of Sweden and Norway

Charles VIII leaving Viborg Castle for the election of the new king in 1448, Severin Falkman [fi], 1886
Royal coat of arms, created by Charles in 1448. It has served as template for Sweden's greater coat of arms since.

At the death of Christopher in 1448, without a direct heir, Charles was elected king of Sweden on 20 June, and on 28 June, he was hailed as the new monarch at the

Council of the realm. In 1449, a portion of the Norwegian council elected Charles King of Norway, and he was crowned in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim
on 20 November. However, Christian also continued pursuing his claim to Norway. The Swedish aristocracy was reluctant to back Charles in a war against Denmark over Norway, and already in June 1450, Charles was forced to relinquish the throne of Norway in favour of Christian.

From 1451, Sweden and Denmark were in state of war against each other. Because of devastating warring, a growing opposition against Charles emerged among the nobility in Sweden. The strongest opponent was the Swedish church which opposed Charles's efforts to concentrate royal and secular power. Other opponents were the family group of Oxenstierna and the House of Vasa, which had been on the opposing side in the election of king and lost.

Later reigns

During the next 20 years, Charles was deposed twice, only to regain the throne and reign three times (1448–1457, 1464–65, 1467–1470).

In 1457, a rebellion took place, led by

Christian I
of Denmark as king (firstly in Turku, then in Stockholm).

In 1463, King Christian quarrelled with the Archbishop because of his taxation policies. The Archbishop was imprisoned, which resulted in a rebellion by his relatives, and led to Christian being driven out of Sweden. Charles was recalled by the rebels and returned at the head of a force of German and Polish mercenaries. Upon arrival in Sweden, he found himself at war with the Archbishop, and after two bloody battles in the winter of 1464–1465, Charles was again exiled. In 1467, the regent Erik Axelsson Tott, now having reverted to support Charles, once more had him crowned. Charles then reigned for three years, sharing power with the Riksråd, until his death in Stockholm in May 1470.

Riddarholm Church

Family

With his wife Birgitta Turesdotter (Bielke), Charles had:

  • Ture Karlsson (Bonde) (died young before 1447)
  • Christina Karlsdotter (Bonde) (c. 1432 – before 1500), married 1446 to the noble, councillor, and courtier Erik Eriksson (Gyllenstierna)
Detail of Queen Catherine's gravestone at Vadstena Abbey, where her husband the king is called Carl II.

With his wife

Catherine
, Charles had:

  • Margaret Karlsdotter (Bonde) (1442–1462)
  • Magdalena of Sweden (1445–1495), married to noble Ivar Axelsson (Tott) in 1466
  • Richeza Karlsdotter (Bonde) (born c. 1445), nun at Vadstena Abbey
  • Bridget Karlsdotter (Bonde) (1446–1469), nun at Vadstena Abbey
  • four sons died early

With his mistress Christina Abrahamsdotter, Charles had:

  • Anna Karlsdotter (Bonde), married to the noble Håkan Svensson (Bölja), governor of Västerås castle.
  • Charles Karlsson (Bonde) (1465–1488)

Charles was survived by only one son, born of Christina Abrahamsdotter, whom he married on his deathbed. Though she was recognized as queen, the Swedish government did not allow the suddenly legitimized boy to succeed him, but appointed one of their number, Sten Sture the Elder (who was Charles's nephew), as regent.

Legacy

Charles represented a growing nationalist tendency among the Swedish aristocracy which tried first to subjugate the other Scandinavian countries under Sweden but soon focused on dissolving the Kalmar Union. In the next century, when the union was finally dissolved, Charles received some respect as an early champion of Swedish independence.

Charles's fight for power and kingship was more successful than his experience thereof. He allegedly recognized this himself and described his life in a brief poem:

When I was Lord of Fågelvik, (pronounced: foegle-veek)

Then I had wealth and might unique.
But once I was King of the Swedish land,

I was a poor and unhappy man.[4]

Charles's great-granddaughter

Christina Nilsdotter Gyllenstierna was married to Sten Sture the Younger
whose regentship represented similar values: nationalism and Swedish independence.

Though the Bonde family, not descendants of Charles himself but just his collateral relatives, remained prominent among the Swedish nobility and in politics into the 20th Century, Charles's own descendants did not ascend nor inherit any thrones until Prince Christian zu Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg became Christian IX of Denmark in 1863. Charles's descendants have since ascended the thrones of Norway, Greece and Great Britain, Brunswick, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, Romania and Russia Empire together with Grand Duchy of Finland. Nicholas II was the first direct descendant on the Finnish throne.

His distant direct descendant,

Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden
, Charles's blood returned to the Swedish throne.

References

  1. ^ "Karl Knutsson (Bonde)". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Karl 1 Knutsson Bonde". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Karl" in Nordisk familjebok; and Johan Henrik Schröder: Anteckningar om Drottning Catharina, Konung Carl Knutssons Gemål, och Dess Graf-Monument i Wadstena Klosterkyrka. Iduna, Stockholm 1820, p. 378.
  4. SELIBR 8693772
    .

External links

Karl Knutsson
Born: 5 October 1408 Died: 15 May 1470
Regnal titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Christopher
King of Norway

1449–1450
Vacant
Title next held by
Christian I
King of Sweden

1448–1457
Vacant
Title last held by
Christian I
King of Sweden

1464–1465
Vacant
Vacant
King of Sweden

1467–1470
Vacant
Title next held by
John II