Sverker II of Sweden

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Sverker II
Benedicta Ebbesdotter of Hvide
Ingegerd Birgersdotter of Bjelbo
IssueJohn I
Helen of Sweden
HouseSverker
FatherCharles VII
MotherChristina Hvide

Sverker II or Sverker the Younger (Swedish: Sverker den yngre or Sverker Karlsson, born before 1167 – 17 July 1210) was King of Sweden from 1195 or 1196 to 1208 when he was defeated in the Battle of Lena by Prince Eric.[1][2][3] Sverker died in the 1210 Battle of Gestilren where his forces battled those of King Eric X.

Early life

Sverker was a son of King

Valdemar Sejr. His parents' marriage has been dated to 1162 or more probably 1163.[5]

When his father Karl had been murdered in

Benedikte Ebbesdotter of Hvide. The Danish king supported him as claimant to Sweden, thus helping to destabilize the neighboring country. The troubled Danish-Swedish relations at this time can be seen from attempts by Canute I and his jarl Birger Brosa to support rebels against Valdemar I and Canute VI.[6]

When King Canute I of Sweden died in 1195 or 1196, his sons were young but not children.[7] One of them had been appointed heir to the throne, but was passed over. Sverker was chosen as the next king of Sweden, surprisingly without quarrel. At some point he had returned to his native country, however being regarded quite Danish. His uncontested election probably owed much to Jarl Birger Brosa whose daughter, Ingegerd Birgersdotter of Bjelbo, Sverker married soon after his first wife had died.[8] In his own letters he emphasized his birth-right to kingship: "son of King Charles, King of the Swedes, possessor of the throne of the same kingdom according to hereditary right by the grace of God".[9]

Reign

Coin of King Sverker II

King Sverker confirmed and enlarged privileges for the Swedish church and

ecclesiastical privilege in Sweden. Skáldatal names two of Sverker's court skalds: Sumarliði skáld and Þorgeirr Danaskáld. In 1202 Earl Birger died and the late jarl's grandson, Sverker's one-year-old son John received the title of Jarl
from his father. This was intended to strengthen him as heir of the crown, but led to much ridicule.

Desultory warfare with the peoples east of the

Estonian and Curonian raiders constituted a problem for the coasts of Sweden and Denmark in this era.[11]

Civil war

Around 1203, Canute's four sons, who had lived in Swedish royal court, began to claim the throne and Sverker exiled them to

Archbishop of Lund. Apart from the forces of the Sunesen brothers, King Valdemar Sejr contributed with troops, even including Bohemian soldiers.[13] The opponents met in the Battle of Lena in Västergötland, where Sverker was heavily defeated. Ebbe and his brother Lars were slain by the enemy together with a considerable part of their army. Sverker's jarl Knut seems to have been killed as well.[14] King Eric X of Sweden
drove Sverker to exile to Denmark.

Death

Pope Innocentius III's attempt to have the crown returned to Sverker did not succeed. Sverker made a new military expedition, with Danish support, to Sweden, but was defeated and killed in the Battle of Gestilren in July 1210.[15] The ancient sources state that "the Folkung [party] took his life". Responsible for the killing was his brother-in-law Folke Jarl, head of the Folkungs, who also succumbed in the battle.[16] The site of the battle has engendered some discussion; while it is usually taken to have taken place in the parish of Varv in Västergötland, Gästre in Uppland has also been suggested.[17]

In spite of his hapless fate, Sverker II receives several kind words in the short chronicle included in the Law of Västergötland: "The sixteenth [ruler] was King Sverker, a wise and good fellow; the kingdom fared well from him. But the Folkungs took his life; his own brother-in-law did that to him at Gestilren. He rests in Alvastra, and the best things are always spoken about him".[18]

Family

With his first wife, the Danish noble

Helena Sverkersdotter. There were possibly further children, such as Karl Sverkersson who according to Norwegian sources married a daughter of king Sverre of Norway and lost his life in 1198;[19] his position is however doubtful, and if he was King Sverker's son he died in adolescence at the latest. There were possibly even two other daughters, Margaret and Christina, married to Witzlav of Rügen and Henry II, Lord of Mecklenburg ("Henry Borwin" in some later texts), respectively. The genealogical reconstruction is based on vague contemporary statements[20]
– however, Margaret and Christina may just have been Sverker's first wife's kinswomen.

The second marriage in 1200 with

Folkunge Jarl Birger Brosa, produced a son and heir, Jon (1201–1222), who was chosen king of Sweden 1216 as John I of Sweden.[21]

It has also been argued however that it is possible Ingegerd Birgersdotter was in fact Sverker's first wife, and Benedicta Ebeesdatter his second, and that possibly more of the evidence may point to this conclusion instead.[22]

His attested daughter

Sverker dynasty became extinct in male line.[23] Catherine was married to the rival dynasty's heir Eric XI of Sweden but they remained apparently childless. Benedikte married Svantepolk of Viby
and had several daughters, who married Swedish noblemen. Several Swedish noble families claim descent from Benedikte.

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-203-41277-0
  2. ^ Sverker d.y. Karlsson. Sverker the younger Karlsson (Svenska regenter.Soverings of Sweden)
  3. ^ "Kings and Queens of Sweden – A thousand year succession". Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  4. ISBN 9789189179639
    p. 102
  5. ^ Gillingstam, "Karl Sverkersson".
  6. ^ Gillingstam, "Knut Eriksson".
  7. ^ Gillingstam, "Knut Eriksson", referring to a papal letter from 1208 which indicates that the four sons were not considered under-age at the time of their father's demise.
  8. ^ Harrison, Sveriges historia; medeltiden, p. 106.
  9. ^ Lönnroth, Från svensk medeltid, p. 19.
  10. ^ Sundberg, Medeltidens svenska krig, pp. 45–46.
  11. ^ Gillingstam, "Jon jarl"; Sundberg, Medeltidens svenska krig, p. 46.
  12. ^ Sandblom, Gestilren 1210, p. 9.
  13. ^ Munch, Det norske Folks Historie, III, p. 529.
  14. ^ Gillingstam, "Folkungaätten".
  15. ^ Harrison, Sveriges historia; medeltiden, p. 106.
  16. ^ Larsson, Götarnas rike, p. 185; Folke jarl, https://sok.riksarkivet.se/Sbl/Presentation.aspx?id=14298.
  17. ^ Sandblom, Gestilren 1210.
  18. ^ Larsson, Götarnas riken, p. 185.
  19. ^ Munch, Det norske Folks Historie, III, p. 326.
  20. ^ Gillingstam, "Utomnordiskt och nordiskt i de äldsta svenska dynastiska förbindelserna", p. 21.
  21. ^ Harrison, Sveriges historia; medeltiden, pp. 106–107.
  22. ISBN 978-90-04-15578-7
    .
  23. ^ Helena Sverkersdotter, http://historiska-personer.nu/min-s/p0d5c2878.html

Literature

Further reading

  • Lindström, Fredrik; Lindström, Henrik Svitjods undergång och Sveriges födelse (Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. 2006)
  • Lagerqvist, Lars O. Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år (Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. 1982)

External links
Sverker II of Sweden
Born: c. 1164 Died: 17 July 1210
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Sweden
1195/1196–1208 		Succeeded by
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