Sweyn Estridsson Ulfsson[a](Old Norse:Sveinn Ástríðarson,Danish:Svend Estridsen;c. 1019– 28 April 1076)[2][3]wasKing of Denmark(beingSweyn II) from 1047 until his death in 1076. He was the son ofUlf ThorgilssonandEstrid Svendsdatter,and the grandson ofSweyn Forkbeardthrough his mother's line. He was married at least two times, and fathered 20 children or more out of wedlock, including the five future kingsHarald Hen,Canute the Saint,Oluf Hunger,Eric Evergood,andNiels.
| Sweyn II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Reconstruction of Sweyn Estridsson's head based on the skull | |||||
| King of Denmark | |||||
| Reign | 1047–1076[1] | ||||
| Predecessor | Magnus the Good | ||||
| Successor | Harald III the Whetstone | ||||
| Born | c. 1019 England | ||||
| Died | 28 April 1076 Søderup,Hjordkær Parish,Denmark | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouses | |||||
| Issue among others... | |||||
| |||||
| House | Estridsen | ||||
| Father | Ulf Thorgilsson | ||||
| Mother | Estrid Svendsdatter | ||||
He was courageous in battle, but did not have much success as a military commander.[4]His skeleton reveals that he was a tall, powerfully built man who walked with a limp.
Biography
editAccession to the throne
editSweyn was born inEngland,[4]as the son ofUlf ThorgilssonandEstrid Svendsdatter,the latter of whom was the daughter of KingSweyn I Forkbeardand sister of KingsHarald IIandCanute the Great.Sweyn grew up a military leader, and served under kingAnund Jacob of Swedenfor a time.[4]He pillaged theElbe-Weserarea in 1040, but was caught by theArchbishop of Hamburg-Bremen,who released him shortly thereafter.[5]
Svend was made ajarlunder Danish kingHarthacnut(the two werefirst cousins),[4]and led a campaign for him against Norway, but was beaten byMagnus I of Norway.[5]When Harthacnut died in 1042, Magnus claimed the Danish throne and made Svend thejarlofJutland.[6]In 1043, Sweyn fought for Magnus at theBattle of Lyrskov HeathatHedeby,near the present-dayborder of Denmark and Germany.[5]Sweyn won a great reputation at Lyrskov Heath, and had the Danish nobles crown him king inViborgin Jutland.[6]He was defeated by Magnus on several occasions, and had to flee toSweden.Eventually he managed to return and establish a foothold inScania.[5]
The war between Magnus and Sweyn lasted until 1045, when Magnus' uncleHarald Hardradareturned to Norway from exile. Harald and Sweyn joined forces, and Magnus decided to share the Norwegian throne with Harald.[4]In 1047 Magnus died, having stated on his deathbed that his kingdom would be divided: Harald would get the throne of Norway, while Sweyn would be king of Denmark.[6]Upon hearing of Magnus' death Sweyn said, "Now so help me God, I shall never yield Denmark".[7]
Feud with Harald Hardrada
editHarald, unwilling to relinquish Denmark, attacked Sweyn and fought a long war. Harald sackedHedebyin 1050, and also sackedAarhus.[5]Sweyn almost captured Harald in 1050, when Harald attacked the coast of Jutland and loaded his ships with goods and captives. Sweyn's flotilla caught up with the Norwegians and Harald ordered his men to throw out the captured goods, thinking the Danes would stop to get the goods. Sweyn ordered his men to leave the goods and go after Harald. Harald then ordered his men to throw the captives overboard. For them Sweyn was willing to let Harald slip away.[7] Sweyn came close to losing his life at the navalBattle of Nisåoff the coast ofHallandin 1062.[4]According to the sagas Harald urged Sweyn to meet him in a final and decisive battle at Elv in the spring of 1062.[8]When Sweyn and the Danish army did not show up, Harald sent home a large part of his army, only keeping the more professional warriors in his fleet. When Sweyn finally came to meet Harald, his fleet numbered 300 ships to Harald's 150.[9]The fleets met at night and the battle lasted until morning, when the Danes started to flee. In the sagas the Norwegian victory is largely credited to earl Haakon Ivarsson, who disengaged his ships from the Norwegian flanks and started attacking the weakened ships on the Danish flanks.[10]This might be the aiding Norwegian chieftain that Saxo Grammaticus refers to, as turning the tide in Norwegian favour.[11]Sweyn managed to escape the battle, reached land and stopped at the house of a peasant to ask for something to eat. "What was the terrible rumbling in the night?" she asked. "Didn't you know the two kings were fighting all night?" asked one of Sweyn's men. "Who won, then?" the woman asked. "Norwegians," came the reply. "It's a shame on us, for a king we already have. He limps and is timid." "No," King Sweyn explained, "Timid the king of the Danes is assuredly not,"[clarification needed]defended another of the king's men, "but luck isn't with him and he lacks a victory." The housecarl brought the men water and a towel to wash themselves. As the king was drying his hands, the woman tore the cloth from him, "You should be ashamed of yourself for using the whole towel for yourself," she scolded. "The day will come when I will have your permission to use the whole cloth," was the king's comment. Her husband gave the king a horse and Sweyn continued on his way to Zealand.
Some time later the peasant was called to Zealand and given lands there for his service to the king, but his wife had to remain behind in Halland.[7]Sweyn had a reputation for generosity and kindness that helped him on several occasions to win the trust of his people. Harald relinquished his claims to Denmark in 1064,[4]in exchange for Sweyn's recognition of Harald asHarald III of Norway.[6]Harald then sailed off to England to claim thecrown of England,and was killedthere.
Consolidation of power
edit
Sweyn's connection to the Danish kings was his mother Estrid Svendsdatter, and he took thematronymicsurname Estridsson after her, emphasizing his link to the Danish royal house.[5]He also minted his own coins.
Sweyn sought to consolidate his power through links to the church as well as foreign powers, and actively sought the friendship of the popes.[4]He wanted his eldest sonKnud Magnuscrowned by the Pope, but Knud died on the journey to Rome. He also unsuccessfully pressed forHarald Bluetooth,the first Christian king of Denmark, to besanctified.He was an ally ofEmperor Henry IIIagainst CountBaldwin V of Flandersin 1049, and Sweyn assisted his son-in-lawGottschalkin theLiutizi Civil Warof 1057.[5]
After Harald Hardrada was killed, andWilliam the Conquerorhad conquered England, Sweyn turned his attention to England, once ruled by his uncle Canute the Great. He joined forces withEdgar Atheling,the last remaining heir of theAnglo-Saxonroyal house, andsent a forceto attack king William in 1069. However, after capturingYork,Sweyn accepted a payment from William to desert Edgar, who then returned into exile inScotland.Sweyn failed another attempt in 1074/1075.[5]
Relationship with the church
editSweyn feared that ArchbishopAdalbert of Hamburgwould fill the upper ranks of Denmark's churches with Germans, so he brought Anglo-Danes over from England to keep the Danish church independent. Under the influence of Sweyn,[12]Denmark was divided into eight dioceses around 1060.[13]He set the dioceses up by donating large tracts of land, with theDiocese of Roskildebeing the most-favoured one, as he had a good relationship withBishop Vilhelm.[5]When Archbishop Adalbert died in 1072, Sweyn was able to deal directly with theHoly See.
He brought scholars to Denmark to teach him and his peopleLatinso they could converse with the rest of Europe on equal terms.Adam of Brementravelled to meet this learned king and came away with greater respect for the king's patience and wisdom. Sweyn encouraged the building of churches all over Denmark, and Adam of Bremen was astounded that there were 300 churches inScaniaalone, more than in all the other countries of the north put together.[citation needed]
Death
editKing Sweyn died at the royal estate Søderup, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west ofÅbenråat theLittle Beltstrait. The Danish chronicles inaccurately date his death to 1074, but it is known that he received and answered letters in 1075 and died in 1076.[3][2]The king's body was carried toRoskilde Cathedralwhere he was interred in a pillar of the choir next to the remains ofBishop Vilhelm(who was the actual person who died in 1074). Later he was called the "father of kings" because five of his fifteen sons became kings of Denmark.[7]
He was the last Viking ruler of Denmark and an ancestor of all subsequent Danish kings.[14]The remains of other Danish kings are also entombed in Roskilde Cathedral. According to the saga, Sweyn's mother was entombed inside a pillar across from the chapel. However, analysis of mitochondrial DNA proved that this person was not the king's mother, as hismtDNAindicated Haplogroup H, HVR1 7028C.[14]
Legacy
editOne of the legacies of King Sweyn was a fundamental change in Danish society which had been based on whether a person was free or a bondsman. Sweyn is often considered to be Denmark's last Viking king as well as the firstmedievalone. A strengthened church in alliance with the land-owning noble families begin to pit their power against the royal family. The peasants were left to fend for themselves.[15]
Sweyn built a strong foundation for royal power through cooperation with the church. He completed the final partition of Denmark intodiocesesby corresponding directly with thepope,bypassing the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. During his reign hundreds of small wooden churches were built throughout the kingdom; many were rebuilt in stone in the 12th century.[5]Sweyn sought to create a Nordic Archbishopric under Danish rule, a feat which his son Eric I accomplished.[12]
Sweyn seems to have been able to read and write, and was described as an especially educated monarch by his personal friendPope Gregory VII.[12]He is the source of much of our current knowledge about Denmark and Sweden in the 9th and 10th centuries, having told the story of his ancestry to historian Adam of Bremen around 1070.
Family
editSweyn's first marriage was toGyda of Sweden,daughter of king Anund Jacob of Sweden. His second marriage, in 1050, was toGunnhildr Sveinsdóttir,the stepmother of Gyda. The Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen ordered that the union be dissolved,[5]which was effectuated byPope Leo IX.[12]According toAdam of Bremen,Sweyn had a certain "Tora" at his court. HistorianSture Bolinargues that this "Tora" is actuallyTora Torbergsdatter,the mother of kingOlaf III of Norway,linking this to a passage about a king marrying the mother of a king named Olof.[16]He took one mistress after another during his life. Sweyn fathered at least 20 children, of whom only one was born in wedlock.[4]
With Gunnhildr:
- Svend Svendsen,who died young[4]
With various concubines:[4]
- Knud Magnus
- Harald III Hen of Denmark(d. 1080)
- Canute IV the Saint of Denmark(d. 1086)
- Olaf I Hunger of Denmark(d. 1095)
- Eric I Evergood of Denmark(d. 1103)
- Svend Tronkræver(d. 1104)
- Ulf Svendsen(Ubbe) (d. 1104)
- Benedict Svendsen(d. 1086)
- Bjørn Svendsen,Duke of Nordalbingienfrom 1099 (d. 1100)[17]
- Niels of Denmark(d. 1134)
- Sigrid Svendsdatter(d. 1066), wife of princeGottschalk
- Ingerid,wife ofOlav III of Norway
- Sweyn the Crusader(d. 1097)
- Thorgils Svendsen
- Sigurd Svendsen,died in war against theWends[4]
- Guttorm Svendsen
- Ømund Svendsen
- Ragnhild Svendsdatter,wife ofSvein Aslaksson
Previously alleged children
edit- Gunhild (Helene), who's existence is only known from theGunhild Cross,used to be considered a daughter of King Sweyn II[4]due to the inscription of the cross mentioning a great King Sweyn, but modern scholarship suggest she was a daughter ofSweyn III Grathe.[18]
See also
edit
Media related toSweyn II of Denmarkat Wikimedia Commons
Notes
edit- ^His first name is also spelled Swen, Swein, Svein and Sven, and his last name as Estridson, Estrithson or Estridsøn.
References
edit- ^Monarkiet i Danmark – KongerækkenArchived2009-11-18 at theWayback MachineatThe Danish Monarchy
- ^abSteenstrup, Johannes C. H. R. (1903)."Svend Estridsen".In Bricka, Carl Frederik (ed.).Dansk Biografisk Leksikon(in Danish). Vol. 17. Kjøbenhavn: Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag (F. Hegel & Søn). p. 4.Retrieved2007-02-22.
Sweyn died at the royal estate Søderup in [theDuchy of] Schleswig April 28, 1076 (the Danish annals have, certainly incorrect, 1074) and was buried in Roskilde Cathedral. [S. døde paa Kongsgaarden i Søderup i Slesvig 28. April 1076 (de danske Aarbøger have, sikkert urigtig, 1074) og blev begravet i Roskilde Domkirke.]
- ^abRæder, J. G. F. (1871)."Danmark under Svend Estridsen og hans Sønner (Copenhagen, pp. 202–203)".archive.org.Retrieved2017-02-22.
At Vilhelm er død før Kongen, meddeles af de ikke meget senere Skribenter Anonymus Roskild. (Lgb.I. S. 378) og Ætnothus (Lgb.III. S. 338). At fremdeles Svend Estridsen døde 1076 og ikke allerede 1074, er ligeledes hævet over enhver Tvivl; naar nu ikke destomindre en hel Række Kildeskrifter lader ham dø allerede 1074, saa synes dette at hænge sammen med det allerede tidlig opstaaede og hos Saxo opbevarede Sagn om, at Vilhelm døde faa Dage efter Kongen og af Sorg over hans Død. Det kan da tænkes, at man har draget Kongens Død tilbage til Bispens Dødsaar 1074, ligesom Nyere (t. Ex. Molbech, hist. Aarb. III S. 19) drage Bispens Dødsaar frem til 1076 for at faa Begges Dødsaar til at falde sammen. "... &..." men derimod giver en ny Skrivelse, som Paven afsendte til Svend d. 17. April s. A. [1075], En det bestemte Indtryk, at der i Mellemtiden er foregaaet Noget, hvorved Svend har gjort sig Paven forbunden
- ^abcdefghijklmBricka, Carl Frederik,Dansk Biografisk Lexikon,vol. XVII [Svend Tveskjæg – Tøxen], 1903,pp.3–5.
- ^abcdefghijkStefan Pajung,Artikel: Svend Estridsen ca. 1019-1074/76,danmarkshistorien.dk,Aarhus University,January 19, 2010
- ^abcdLouise Kæmpe Henriksen,Historiske Personer – Svend Estridsen – konge af Danmark 1047–74.,vikingeskibsmuseet.dk
- ^abcdHuitfeldt, Arild.Danmarks Riges Krønike
- ^http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html,p.61
- ^http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html,p.63
- ^http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html,p.65
- ^"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2016-03-04.Retrieved2013-09-01.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^abcdSvend 2. Estridsenat Gyldendal Åbne Encyklopædi
- ^Diocese of Lund,Diocese of Odense,Diocese of Ribe,Diocese of Roskilde,Diocese of Schleswig,Diocese of Viborg,Diocese of Vestervig,andDiocese of Aarhus.
- ^abiGenea – DNA profiles and haplogroups of famous persons: Sven II Estridsen – the last Viking King,accessed July 2018.
- ^Danmarks Historie II perbenny.dk
- ^Sture Bolin, "Kring Mäster Adams text",Scandia4, 1932.
- ^Kings and Queens of Denmarkat JMarcussen.dk
- ^"Titel: Gunhild-korset"(in Danish). National Museum of Denmark.Retrieved12 June2021.
- Sturlason, Snorre.Heimskringla – The Norse King Sagas.