Karl Sverkersson
| Karl Sverkersson | |
|---|---|
 King Karl as shown on his seal | |
| King of Sweden | |
| Reign | 1161–1167 |
| Predecessor | Magnus Henriksen |
| Successor | Knut Eriksson |
| Born | c. 1130 |
| Died | 12 April 1167 |
| Spouse | Christina Hvide |
| Issue | Sverker the Younger |
| House | Sverker |
| Father | Sverker the Elder |
Karl SverkerssonorCharles VII[1][2](c. 1130 – 12 April 1167) was ruler ofGötaland,and thenKing of Swedenfrom c. 1161 to 1167, when he was assassinated in a military attack byKnut Erikssonwho succeeded him as king.[3]
Pretender to the throne
[edit]Karl was the son of KingSverker the Elder,who was assassinated in December 1156. A pretender from another family,Erik Jedvardsson(whom later generations dubbedmartyrand saint), ruled over parts of Sweden in the following years. However, Karl was chosen king by the people ofÖstergötlandinc. 1158,apparently in opposition to Erik. A letter from popeHadrianus IV(d. 1159) knows him as ruler ofregnum Gothorumalthough Erik is known to have held power inVästergötland.[4]It is claimed in a late medieval chronicle that Erik's murder by minions of their rivalMagnus Henriksenin 1160 was also backed by Karl.[5]
Magnus Henriksen had a brief reign after killing Erik, but was himself killed by Karl Sverkersson in 1161 in a battle inÖrebro.After the fall of Magnus, Karl received general recognition in Sweden as king. In fact he is the first Swedish ruler to be expressly titledrex Sweorum et Gothorum(King of theSwedesandGeats) in a papal letter from 1164.[6]
Reign
[edit]The brief reign of Karl Sverkersson is important from a number of aspects. The early medieval Swedish kingdom resembled a network of shifting aristocratic alliances rather than a state, but during the second half of the 12th century it slowly began to converge with the Catholic-European state model. It was during his time that theArchbishop of Uppsalawas established, although Sweden was still ecclesiastically subordinated to the Danish archbishop inLund.After a request by the king, his jarl Ulf, and the Swedish bishops, the pope appointedStefan,a former monk inAlvastra Abbey,as the first archbishop. Shortly afterwards, the people ofVärendat the border toDenmarkoffered money to the king if he supported the installation of a particular bishop inVäxjö.He is also known to have donated land and privileges toVreta AbbeyandNydala Abbey.The donations suggest that his main interests lay in the provinces of Östergötland andSmåland,while the provinces around LakeMälarenmay have been supervised by Ulf Jarl.[7]The first known non-epigraphic document was issued in his time, which also contains the earliest known royal seal.[8]
Swedish relations with theRussianlands had been quite good up to the early 12th century. However, this changed into a state of intermittent hostility during the 12th century. The chronicles ofNovgorodrelate a sea-borne Swedish invasion in 1164. The invading forces attackedLadoga,which however received Novgorodian relief forces after five days. The Swedes were thoroughly beaten outside Ladoga on 28 May and lost 43 out of 55 boats. The remnants withdrew.[9]
Assassination
[edit]In the spring of 1167, King Karl was killed on the island ofVisingsöby supporters ofKnut Eriksson,head of the rivalEric dynasty."But his sonSverkerwas carried to Denmark in the lap, and his journey was miserable. "[10]Knut usurped the throne. Karl Sverkersson was buried inAlvastra monastery.Like the other kings of theHouse of Sverker,he is lauded by the short chronicle inVästgöta Law:"As king, he had his father's dignity. He ruled Sweden with gentleness and benevolence."[11]
Starting from Karl Sverkersson's death, his kinsmen (half-brothers or possibly nephews)BurislevandKoltogether opposed Knut's kingship and were rival kings, recognized in someGothicparts of Sweden; but the last of them was killed in about 1172–1173, after which Knut's government got recognized overall.[citation needed]
Family
[edit]Karl's wife wasChristina Hvide,a Danish lady, daughter ofStig Hvitaleder,a Seelander magnate, and his wife who was sister ofValdemar I of Denmark.
Their sole historically attested child wasSverker Karlsson,a young boy when Karl died, and who later was elected king of Sweden (1195–1208/10) after the death of King Knut Eriksson.[12]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^This was the first Swedish king by the name of Charles (Karl). The numeral VII is a posthumous invention, counting backwards fromCharles IX(1604–11) who adopted his numeral according to a fictitious history of Sweden. Six others before Karl Sverkersson are unknown to any sources beforeJohannes Magnus's 16th-century bookHistoria de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus,and are considered his invention. The first Swedish monarch of the name to actually use a regnal number wasKarl "VIII" Knutssonwho used the numeral II on his queen's tombstone (1451) atVadstena.
- ^ArticleKarlinNordisk familjebok
- ^Lindkvist, Thomas (2008),"The Emergence of Sweden",The Viking World,Routledge, pp. 692–698,doi:10.4324/9780203412770-61,ISBN978-0-203-41277-0
- ^Sawyer,När Sverige blev Sverige,pp. 42–3.
- ^Gillingstam, "Karl Sverkersson".
- ^Sawyer,När Sverige blev Sverige,p. 43.
- ^Sawyer,När Sverige blev Sverige,p. 43.
- ^Gillingstam, "Karl Sverkersson".
- ^Sundberg,Medeltidens svenska krig,pp. 43–5.
- ^Larsson,Götarnas riken,p. 185.
- ^Lindkvist, Thomas (2021).The Västgöta Laws.London: Routledge.ISBN978-1-003-17437-0.
- ^Lindström, p. 267
Sources
[edit]- Gillingstam, Hans, "Karl Sverkersson",Svenskt biografiskt lexikon
- Larsson, Mats G.,Götarnas riken; Upptäcktsfärder till Sveriges enande.Stockholm: Atlantis, 2002.
- Lindström, Fredrik; Lindström, Henrik (2006).Svitjods undergång och Sveriges födelse(in Swedish). Albert Bonniers förlag.ISBN978-91-0-010789-5.
- Sawyer, Peter,När Sverige blev Sverige.Alingsås: Viktoria Bokförlag, 1991.
- Sundberg, Ulf,Medeltidens svenska krig.Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg, 1999.
External links
[edit]
Media related toCarl I of Sweden (Karl Sverkersson)at Wikimedia Commons
