House of Munsö
House of Munsö Munsöätten | |
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Roman Catholicism (10th–11th century) | |
Deposition | c. 1060 |
The House of Munsö (
A long and elaborate sequence of kings of the Munsö dynasty can be found in 12th and 13th century
Etymology and historiography
Due to a lack of preserved sources, little concrete information is known of Swedish kings during the
In his 12th-century work Gesta Danorum, Danish author Saxo Grammaticus wrote that the Swedish kings of the Viking Age were part of the dynasty of the Ynglings,[1] a possibly entirely invented line of ancient Scandinavian kings supposedly descended from Odin,[4] but this does not accord with the Icelandic sagas, which hold that the Ynglings were driven from Sweden in the middle of the 7th century and replaced by other dynasties.[1] There is no preserved contemporary name for the Viking Age dynasty, and there exists no universally accepted name for them in modern historiography. The name "House of Munsö" (Swedish: Munsöätten) derives from a questionable and speculative theory that the kings of the 9th century transferred their royal seat of power from Uppsala (an important early political center in Sweden) to the island of Munsö in the lake Mälaren. The supportive evidence for this theory; a large burial mound on Munsö and a contemporary account by German missionary Rimbert giving the impression that the Swedish king had his seat near the island-settlement of Birka, is quite thin. Since the name "House of Munsö" arguably takes a stand in favor of this theory, it is commonly avoided in modern Swedish scholarship. The name "House of Uppsala" (Swedish: Uppsalaätten) derives from the fact that the Icelandic sagas often designate legendary Swedish rulers as kings "in Uppsala", and is similarly problematic. The dynasty is thus sometimes simply designated as "the Old dynasty" (Swedish: Gamla kungaätten), a more neutral designation.[1] The rarely used name "House of Björn Ironside" (Swedish: Björn Järnsidas ätt) comes from the dynasty supposedly descending from the legendary Viking Björn Ironside according to the later Icelandic sagas. The big burial mound at Munsö was attributed, without evidence, to Björn Ironside by 18th-century historians, an identification that is not accepted by historians today.[7]
Kings of the Munsö dynasty
The line of Munsö dynasty kings presented by the Icelandic sagas is not accepted by modern historians, the legendary kings (including the supposed founder of the dynasty, Björn Ironside) typically not being recognized as actual historical figures.[8] The four kings of the dynasty whose existence is corroborated by multiple sources, and who are thus generally accepted as real historical kings of Sweden and recognized as such by the modern Swedish monarchy are Eric the Victorious, Olof Skötkonung, Anund Jacob and Emund the Old.[9] The answer to the question regarding who was Sweden's first king depends on what is meant with "Sweden"; the earliest king reliably known to have ruled both Svealand and Götaland, the core territories of the country, was Olof Skötkonung,[10] who is also listed first in most medieval Swedish king lists.[11]
Image | Name | Approximate reign | Succession and Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eric the Victorious Eiríkr inn sigrsæli |
c. 970–995 (c. 25 years) |
[9][10] | ||
Olof Skötkonung Óláfr skautkonungr |
c. 995–1022 (c. 27 years) |
Son of Eric the Victorious; the first Christian king of Sweden and the first Swedish king to mint coins; sometimes considered to be Sweden's first king. Earliest king who can be proven to have ruled both Svealand and Götaland, the core territories of Sweden. | [9][10] | |
Anund Jacob Anundr Iacob |
c. 1022–1050 (c. 28 years) |
Son of Olof Skötkonung. Was according to later sources given the epithet Kolbränna ("coal-burner") because of allegedly burning down the houses of his opponents. Most early Swedish and German sources speak favorably of him. | [9] | |
Emund the Old Æmunðær gamlæ |
c. 1050–1060 (c. 10 years) |
Illegitimate son of Olof Skötkonung; the last king of the dynasty. Upon his death, Stenkil of the House of Stenkil became Sweden's king. Stenkil might have been related in some form, possibly either through a female line or through marriage, to the Munsö dynasty. | [9] |
Legendary kings
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks
The
The following chart maps the descendants of Björn Ironside according to the saga[14]:
House of Munsö Family tree |
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Vita Ansgari and Adam of Bremen
Kings from the Vita
- Björn, who reigned c. 829 when Ansgar first visited Sweden at the important port-settlement of Birka. Björn was reportedly friendly to the missionaries but chose not to convert to Christianity (although one of his chief councilors, Hergeir, did).[15]
- Anund, who is not mentioned as ruling over Birka (possibly ruling somewhere else in Sweden), having been driven from Sweden and taken refuge among the Danes. Anund promised Birka to the Danes as a reward for helping him gain revenge and attacked Birka c. 840. As Birka continues to be ruled by Swedish kings, it is unlikely that the attack succeeded.[15]
- Eric, who was recently deceased by the time Ansgar visited Sweden for the second time c. 852. According to Rimbert's writings, some of the Anti-Christian Swedes suggested that Eric be worshipped as a god alongside the rest of the Nordic pantheon instead of the new Christian God.[15]
- Olof, who reigned c. 852, during Ansgar's second visit to Sweden, having then only recently come to the throne.[15] Olof's position of power was weak, since he did not dare support Ansgar's and Rimbert's Christianization mission out of fear of upsetting his people. According to Rimbert, Olof had to negotiate with his own nobles and the will of the gods (i.e. what should be done) was eventually determined through a lottery-like system, the results of which was determined by a council of religious figures rather than the king. Olof apparently warred against Courland.[10]
Kings from Adam of Bremen
- Ring, possibly together with his sons Eric and Emund. If he co-ruled with his sons, they reigned c. 936. If there was not a co-regency, Ring might have ruled earlier, with his second son Emund reigning c. 936.[10][15]
- Eric, son of Ring and either his co-ruler or direct successor.[10][15]
- Emund, son of Ring and either co-ruler with Ring and Eric Ringsson, or the direct successor of Eric Ringsson.[10][15]
- Emund, son of Eric and the direct successor of Emund Ringsson (or some co-ruler arrangement of the previous three monarchs).[15] Adam of Bremen gives this king as Eric the Victorious's predecessor.[16]
Other kings
There are also a few kings mentioned in various sources, but which are inconsitenstly placed in the regnal list, or not at all. These include:
- Eric, attested by the Sparlösa Runestone (from c. 800) as a king at Uppsala.[15]
- Eric Weatherhat
- Erik Årsäll
Theory
- Ragnvald Ingvarsson, historian Omeljan Pritsak speculated that he could be related to Munsö house due to his rank in Varangian guards.[17]
- Ingvar the Far-Travelled
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Tacitus.
- ^ a b Foteviken Museum – Ynglinga saga.
- ^ Sawyer 2010, p. 34.
- ^ a b Sawyer 2010, p. 35.
- ^ Frisk 2015, p. 31.
- ^ Gurevich 1978, p. 405.
- ^ Lagerquist 1997, p. 24.
- ^ Lagerquist 1997, p. 26.
- ^ a b c d e Kings and Queens of Sweden.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harrison 2017.
- ^ Sävborg 2015, pp. 204–205.
- ^ Hall 2005, p. 14-15.
- ^ Henrikson 1984, p. 70.
- ^ Tolkien 1960, p. 60-62.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Baldwin.
- ^ Sävborg 2015, p. 212.
- ^ Pritsak 1981:376
Cited bibliography
- Frisk, Mattias (2015). "Concerning Mass Graves: the Use, Development and Identities Within Mass Graves During the Scandinavian Iron Age and Middle Ages" (PDF). Master's Thesis – Uppsala University.
- Gurevich, Aron Ia. (1978). "The Early State in Norway". In Claessen, Henri J. M.; Skalnik, Peter (eds.). The Early State. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-9027979049.
- Hall, Alaric (2005), "Changing style and changing meaning: Icelandic historiography and the medieval redactions of Heiðreks saga", Scandinavian Studies, 77
- ISBN 9100463949
- Lagerquist, Lars O. (1997). Sveriges Regenter, från forntid till nutid. Norstedts. ISBN 91-1-963882-5.
- Sawyer, Birgit (2010). "Snorre Sturlason som balanskonstnär". Collegium Medievale: Interdisciplinary Journal of Medieval Research (in Swedish). 23: 33–57.
- Sävborg, Daniel (2015). "Kungalängder och historieskrivning: Fornsvenska och fornisländska källor om Sveriges historia". Historisk Tidskrift (in Swedish). 135 (2): 201–235.
- The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise (PDF), translated by Tolkien, Christopher, 1960
Cited web sources
- Baldwin, Stewart. "Early Swedish Kings". RootsWeb. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- Harrison, Dick (2017-04-08). "Vilka var våra äldsta svenska kungar?". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- Martinsson, Örjan. "Gamla kungaätten". Tacitus (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-06-30.
- "Kings and Queens of Sweden — A thousand year succession". Swedish Royal Court. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- "Snorres Ynglingasaga". Foteviken Museum (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-06-27.
External links
- Media related to House of Munsö at Wikimedia Commons