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Arvid Birgersson, Lord of Bergkvara (c. 1440 – 20 February 1505) was a
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
magnate and politician in the last decades of Middle Ages. He was justiciar of
Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...
and then of Tiohärad, as well as a Lord High Councillor of Sweden, and once a candidate for Regent. His family
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
depict a headless troll whereby some have retrospectively called him Arvid Trolle.


Biography

Arvid Birgersson was born as second son of Birger Birgersson of Bergkvara, Bo and Lillö and his wife Kristina Knutsdotter (Aspenäsätten). His elder brother Erik Birgersson was murdered in
Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...
in 1459 which left Arvid as the heir of their family estate. In 1460s, Arvid sympathized and somewhat supported King
Charles VIII of Sweden Charles VIII ( sv, Karl; 1408–1470), contemporaneously known as Charles II and called Charles I in Norwegian context, was king of Sweden (1448–1457, 1464–1465 and 1467–1470) and king of Norway (1449–1450). Regnal name Charles was the ...
(''Karl Knutsson (Bonde)'') in his opposition against the
Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union (Danish language, Danish, Norwegian language, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under ...
. He was married with Beata Ivarsdotter, daughter of Ivar Axelsson Tott of Lilloe in
Skåne Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
, fiefholder of
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 ...
, who was in almost open opposition against Danish central government. Ivar Axelsson Tott was King Charles chief ally in late 1460s, had once been promised succession after him by King Charles, but Charles' nephew
Sten Sture the Elder Sten Sture the Elder ( sv, Sten Sture den äldre; 1440 – 14 December 1503) was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden from 1470–1497 and 1501–1503. As the leader of the victorious Swedish separatist forces against the royal unionist for ...
managed to wrest the regentship. Iver supported Arvid's election to regent to replace Sten Sture. They succeeded once in a coup at
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 ...
, after which the Swedish High Council chose Arvid, but they soon lost their base to Sten Sture who had the support of burghers and peasantry. In 1487, Ivar Axelsson Tott died and his daughter Beata Ivarsdotter inherited his lands in
Skåne Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
. Beata died soon thereafter and her sizable inheritance became property of the couple's underage children, under guardianship of Arvid. After Arvid's third marriage with Birgita Turesdotter, daughter of High Constable Ture Turesson Bielke, the leading union-supporter in Sweden, Arvid took a clear stance in support of union with Denmark. Arvid was a leader of the 1497 rebellion against the regency of Sten Sture, which led to enthronement of King
Hans of Denmark John (Danish, Norwegian and sv, Hans; né ''Johannes'') (2 February 1455 – 20 February 1513) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1481–1513), Norway (1483–1513) and as John II ( sv, Johan II) S ...
as ruler of Sweden, and the regency was abolished for four years. In 1501 Swedes revolted against King Hans and Sten Sture returned to regency. Arvid had to flee to Denmark. He died in 1505 at Lillö Castle (''Lillø slott'') in eastern Scania and was buried in
Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral ( sv, Lunds domkyrka) is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepi ...
Arvid was his era's major landowner within
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
. Almost 1000 manors in Sweden were in his
allodial Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property (land, buildings, and fixtures) that is independent of any superior landlord. Allodial title is related to the concept of land held "in allodium", or land ownership by occupancy and defens ...
possession. Additionally he received over 475 manors in Eastern Denmark ''jure uxoris'' upon the death of his second wife's father Ivar Axelsson Tott in 1487. He also held as fief counties of
Nyköping Nyköping () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,759 inhabitants as of 2017. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County. Including Arnö, the locality on the ...
,
Stegeborg Stegeborg Castle is a ruined castle in St Anna parish, Söderköping, Östergötland, located on an island in a narrow sound at the bay of Slätbaken. Brief history The oldest part of the castle is a square brick tower in the southeast corn ...
and
Borgholm Borgholm () is a city and the seat of Borgholm Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 4,401 inhabitants in 2020. It is located on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea, at the Kalmar Strait-side of Öland, north of Färjestaden. Borgholm is one ...
.


Personal life

Arvid Birgersson married three times: * Kerstin Jonsdotter of Fållnäs (family of Gädda), married ca. 1459, died before 1465 * Beata Ivarsdotter of Lilloe (Skånish family of Tott) married 1466, died 1487 * Birgita Turesdotter of Kråkerum (family of Bielke), married 23 September 1488, died 1513 He had children from all his three marriages.
Eric Trolle Eric Trolle (or Erik Arvidsson) (c. 1460–1530) was elected regent of Sweden in 1512, during the era of Kalmar Union. He was Justiciar of Närke and a Lord High Councillor of Sweden from 1487. Biography Eric Arvidsson was born around 1460 into ...
(1460-1529) was his son by his first wife. Archbishop
Gustav Trolle Gustav Eriksson Trolle (September 1488 – 1535) was Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, in two sessions, during the turbulent Reformation events. He was the son of Eric Arvidsson Trolle, a former regent of Sweden during the era of the Kalmar Union. ...
was his grandson through Eric, and Admiral
Herluf Trolle Herluf Trolle (14 January 1516 – 25 June 1565) was a Danish naval hero, Admiral of the Fleet and co-founder of Herlufsholm School (''Herlufsholm Skole og Gods''), a private boarding school at Næstved on the island of Zealand in Denmark. ...
was Arvid's grandson through the second wife.Trolle
, ''Nordisk familjebok'' (1919), volume 29, pages 831-832


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trolle, Arvid Swedish nobility 1440s births 1505 deaths 15th-century Swedish people