Bengt Algotsson (also Benedictus; d. 1360) was a medieval Swedish lord. He was the Duke of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...

, as well as the Viceroy of

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 ...

in 1350s.

Ancestry

Bengt Algotsson's grandfather from the paternal side, Brynolf Bengtsson, was likely a son of , a lawman in

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

. Through his grandmother Ingegärd, daughter of Svantepolk Knutsson, he was descended from both the Danish and Swedish royal houses. His coat of arms was a standing lion; thus, the family has in some later reconstructions been called ''Lejon''. This may also mean they were kin with the Folkunge, his line's ancestress belonging to those siblings of Boberg family who were nephews and nieces of Birger Jarl.

Career

Bengt Algotsson participated in Magnus Eriksson's second crusade to Novgorod in 1350, and was knighted after it. From 1352 he is known to have had a seat in the kingdom's Privy Council. In about 1353, Bengt was created

Duke of Finland Duke of Finland (in Finnish ''Suomen herttua''; Swedish ''hertig av Finland'') was an occasional medieval title granted as a tertiogeniture to the relatives of the King of Sweden between the 13th and 16th centuries. It included a duchy along with f ...

and Halland by the

King Magnus King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

. The title of Halland came from his descent from Duke Canute of Reval whose male line, which had held Halland as compensation for Reval and Laland, had gone extinct some fifty years earlier. Previous holders of the duchy of Halland had been the king's own father Duke Eric, his mother Duchess Ingeborg, and Ingeborg's second husband Knut Porse, as well as king's half-brothers. According to tradition preserved in

Vadstena Abbey The Abbey Pax Mariae ( la, Monasterium sanctarum Mariæ Virgìnis et Brigidæ in Vatzstena), more commonly referred to as Vadstena Abbey, situated on Lake Vättern in the Diocese of Linköping, Sweden, was the motherhouse of the Bridgettine Orde ...

, Bishop Hemmingus of Åbo would have prevented the appointment of Bengt as the Duke of Finland. However, Bengt's sigil from 1355 includes the phrase , indicating that the possible resistance had been overcome by that time. Bengt was also appointed Viceroy of

, the newly acquired group of mostly Danish provinces. Most probably, the chief reasons the king took these steps were to stop the spiritual and secular ''

frälse 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 ...

'', to gain yet more power at royal expense, and Hanseatic power in Nordic commerce. The Viceroy confiscated many of the properties of the Archdiocese of Lund upon the death of Archbishop Peder Jensen in 1355. Hanseatic privileges were also curbed in Skanish ports. Duke Bengt was married to Ingeborg Ulvsdotter of Tofta, a member of the

Sparre Sparre (variously spelled ''Sperra, Sper, Spar'') is a Scandinavian surname - originally borne by a noble family - and can refer to: * Aage Jepsen Sparre, Danish priest * Arvid Gustavsson Sparre (1245 - 1317), Lord of Ekholmen, Sweden * Axel Spar ...

family. She was much older than he, possibly already a widow. Ingeborg was the daughter of Ulf Abjörnsson, justiciar of Tiohärad, the younger half-sister of Lord Karl Ulfsson of Tofta, maternal niece of

Erengisle, Earl of Orkney Erengisle Sunesson of Hultboda, jarl of Orkney (died 26 December 1392) was an important Swedish magnate in the 14th century. In his later life, he was known as ''Jarl Erengisle'' in Sweden. He was knight, high councillor, and titular (Norwegian) ...

, and the aunt of the future Margaret Sparre of Tofta, mother of Karl Knutsson (Bonde) and ancestress of

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

. However, Bengt repudiated his wife sometime in 1356, making his wife's relatives his enemies. A civil war started at about the same time: leaders of Swedish nobility used the king's eldest son Erik as claimant and cited the favorite's exceptional privileges as an insult to the younger king. In 1356 a revolt started, nominally against Duke Bengt, but actually to weaken the king and his centralizing grip. In 1357, Bengt was exiled and Scania as well as several other Swedish and Finnish provinces were given to the young king Erik who ruled the kingdom together with his father. Duke Bengt's elder brother was exiled to Norway with his wife

Märta Ulfsdotter Margareta "Märta" Ulfsdotter, in Norway known as ''Merete Ulvsdatter'' (1319-1371), was a Swedish noble and lady in waiting. She was the daughter of Saint Bridget of Sweden and the head lady in waiting of Margaret I, Queen of Denmark. Life She w ...

, a daughter of

St. Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303 – 23 July 1373) born as Birgitta Birgersdotter, also Birgitta of Vadstena, or Saint Birgitta ( sv, heliga Birgitta), was a Mysticism, mystic and a saint, and she was also the founder of the Bridgettines nuns and mon ...

. According to tradition Bengt Algotsson was besieged in

Rönneholm Castle Rönneholm Castle ( sv, Rönneholms slott) is located in Eslöv Municipality, Scania, Sweden. The history of the estate dates back to the early Middle Ages. The original construction period is unknown. It was rebuilt in 1811 in the French ...

in Scania and killed by his brother-in-law Karl Ulfsson and Magnus Nilsson Röde.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict, Duke Of Halland 1330 births 1360 deaths Swedish nobility People of medieval Finland 14th-century Swedish nobility Dukes of Halland