Albert (german: Albrecht, sv, Albrekt av Mecklenburg; c. 1338 – 1 April 1412) was
King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...
from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.
Background
He was the second son of Duke
Albert II of Mecklenburg and
Euphemia Eriksdotter, the daughter of Duke
Erik Magnusson of
Södermanland
Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanla ...
and sister of King
Magnus IV of Sweden
Magnus IV (April or May 1316 – 1 December 1374; Swedish ''Magnus Eriksson'') was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII (including Iceland and Greenland) from 1319 to 1355, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By ...
, Magnus VII of Norway. Albert married
Richardis of Schwerin, daughter of count Otto of Schwerin. Queen Richardis died in 1377 and was buried in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
.
In 1384 he inherited the ducal title of
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...
and united it with Sweden in a personal union. Albert based his claims to the Swedish crown upon his family ties: his mother being Magnus's sister, whose paternal grandfather was King
Magnus III, Albert claimed first place in the Swedish order of succession after the dethronement or deaths of all of the children of Magnus IV; and through a Swedish princess
Christina, a daughter of
Sverker II who was King of Sweden from 1196 to 1208.
Reign
In 1363, members of the Swedish Council of Aristocracy, led by
Bo Jonsson Grip
Bo Jonsson (Grip) (early 1330s – 20 August 1386) was head of the royal council and marshal under the regency of Magnus IV of Sweden. Also in the council was his friend and colleague, Karl Ulfsson av Ulvåsa, eldest son of Saint Birgitta. From ...
, arrived at the court of Mecklenburg. They had been banished from Sweden after a revolt against king Magnus IV who was unpopular with the nobility. At the nobles' request, Albert launched an invasion of Sweden supported by several German dukes and counts and several
Hanseatic
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...
cities in Northern Germany.
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
and
Kalmar
Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...
in Sweden, with large
Hanseatic
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...
populations, also welcomed the intervention.
Albert was proclaimed
King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...
and officially crowned on 18 February 1364. The coronation took place at the
Stones of Mora
The Stones of Mora () is a historic location in Knivsta, Sweden. Several Medieval kings of Sweden were proclaimed at
the assembly of Mora near modern Uppsala. It was moved in the 15th century and was considered to have been lost. However, ther ...
. A fragment still remains of the stone commemorating the occasion called the
Three Crowns
Three Crowns ( sv, tre kronor, links=no) is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar designs are f ...
stone. This is the earliest known example of the use of the three crowns as a national symbol for Sweden.
The arrival of Albert led to eight years of civil war in Sweden between Albert's and Magnus's supporters. In a battle near
Enköping
Enköping is a locality and the seat of Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 30,000 inhabitants in 2018.
Geography
Enköping is situated near Lake Mälaren, about 78 km west of Stockholm.
A comparably large number of Swedi ...
in 1365 between Albert's German forces and those of King Magnus, supported by king
Haakon VI of Norway
Haakon VI of Norway ( no, Håkon, sv, Håkan; August 1340 – 11 September 1380), also known as ''Håkan Magnusson'', was King of Norway from 1343 until his death and King of Sweden between 1362 and 1364. He is sometimes known as ''Haakon Magnus ...
, Magnus's surviving son, Magnus was defeated and taken prisoner by Albert. After the initial defeat, King
Valdemar IV of Denmark
Valdemar IV Atterdag (the epithet meaning "Return of the Day"), or Waldemar (132024 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance ...
, Haakon's father-in-law, intervened on Magnus's and Haakon's behalf, and Valdemar's forces were joined by Swedish peasants who supported Magnus. Apart from German strongholds like Stockholm, Albert was unpopular among Swedes who were discontent with Albert's policy of appointing Germans as officials in all the Swedish provinces.
With the help of Danish and Swedish allies, King Haakon managed to temporarily beat back Albert and lay siege on Stockholm in 1371. However, the siege was short-lived; with military help from the
Swedish nobility
The Swedish nobility ( sv, Adeln eller Ridderskapet och Adeln) has historically been a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, and part of the so-called ''frälse'' (a derivation from Old Swedish meaning ''free neck''). The archaic term ...
in Stockholm, Albert was able beat back the Norwegians and the Danes. A peace agreement was signed, with the condition that Magnus be released and allowed to travel freely back to Norway (where he had also been king until 1355 and now spent the rest of his life). Albert had secured the Swedish crown, but was also forced to make a belated coronation oath in which he agreed to extensive concessions to the Swedish nobility in the regency council.
Bo Jonsson (Grip)
Bo Jonsson (Grip) (early 1330s – 20 August 1386) was head of the royal council and marshal under the regency of Magnus IV of Sweden. Also in the council was his friend and colleague, Karl Ulfsson av Ulvåsa, eldest son of Saint Birgitta. From ...
used this power to personally usurp 1,500 farms and he soon became Sweden's largest landowner, controlling a third of the entirety of the Swedish territory and possessing the largest non-royal wealth in the country.
Deposition
![Albert of Mecklenburg with his father](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Albert_of_Mecklenburg_with_his_father.jpg)
Albert kept the crown of Sweden for another 19 years, but most of western Sweden did not support his reign. When he attempted to introduce
reduction of the large estates of the Swedish nobility, he lost his support in Stockholm. In 1389, facing a loss of landholdings and wealth, the Swedish regency council turned to Haakon's widow
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
to plead for help in getting rid of Albert. Queen Margaret sent troops and in February 1389, they defeated Albert at the
Battle of Åsle. Albert was captured, deposed and sent to
Lindholmen Castle
Lindholmen Castle was a Danish fortified castle on the banks of lake Börringe in Svedala Municipality in Scania, Sweden.
The only thing left of the castle is the hill on which the castle was built and a few stones in the ground on top of the hil ...
in
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
, where he spent the next six years imprisoned. He was released after 16 days of peace negotiations in 1395, during which he agreed to either give up
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
within three years, or pay large sums in retribution to Margaret. When the three years were up, Albert's (then) only son
Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
had died after ruling
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
in Sweden for a short time as instigated by his father, and Albert chose to give up Stockholm rather than pay the fine. In 1398 the agreement came into force, granting Margaret possession of Stockholm.
Albert returned to Mecklenburg, remarried, had another son and reigned as Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin until his death, seven months before Margaret's in 1412. He had finally formally abdicated his Swedish throne in 1405, but until then still styled himself King of Sweden and his second wife
Queen Agnes. His tomb is in the
Doberan Minster
The Doberan Minster is the main Lutheran Church of Bad Doberan in Mecklenburg, Germany. Close to the Baltic Sea and the Hanseatic city of Rostock, it is the most important religious heritage of the European Route of Brick Gothic. It is the rema ...
in
Bad Doberan
Bad Doberan () is a town in the district of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Bad Doberan. In 2012, its population was 11,427.
Geography
Bad Doberan is situated just west of Rostock's city c ...
, Germany.
Marriages and children
In 1359 Albert married
Richardis of Schwerin in a marriage contracted in
Wismar
Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city ...
on 12 October 1352. The King and Queen had two children:
#
Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
(died 1397), Swedish
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
[Nordman, Viljo Adolf in ''Albrecht Herzog von Mecklenburg König von Schweden, Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemian Tuomituksia B:44:1'', Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemia, Helsinki, 1939 p 336.] and ruler of
Gothland
#
Richardis Catherine (died 1400), married in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
in 1388 to Emperor
Charles IV's fifth son
John of Bohemia
John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...
(1370–1396), Margrave of Moravia and Duke of Görlitz (
Lusatia
Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...
).
In February 1396 in
Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch dialect, Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germany, second-largest city of the northeastern States of Germany, German ...
Albert married
Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (died 1430/1434). They had a son:
#
Albert V of Mecklenburg (died 1423), Duke of
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...
and
Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch dialect, Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germany, second-largest city of the northeastern States of Germany, German ...
Further reading
*
* A good overall German source describing Albert's life.
References
Bibliography
In English
*Demitz, Jacob Truedson preface by Dr.
Ulf Sundberg
Ulf Eskil Erik Sundberg (born 29 September 1956) is a Swedish economist, historian and author of books and magazine articles.
Sundberg was born in Stockholm, graduated ''Studentexamen'' at Whitlockska in 1976 and became a Master of Philosophy ...
, ''Centuries of Selfies'' 2020 pp. 28-29, 110, 151-152, 169 & 191
*
In Swedish
* Nordberg, Michael ''I kung Magnus tid.'' (Stockholm: Norstedts, 1995) , in Swedish.
* ''Den svenska historien: Medeltid 1319–1520.'' (Stockholm: Bonniers, 1966) p. 74–83, in Swedish.
* Hagen, Ellen ''Margareta – Nordens drottning.'' (Stockholm: Saxon & Lindströms förlag, 1953), in Swedish.
* Larsson, Lars-Olof ''Kalmarunionens tid.'' (Stockholm: Prisma, Andra upplagan 1997) , in Swedish.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert Of Sweden
1338 births
1412 deaths
14th-century Swedish monarchs
Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Swedish monarchs of German descent