Bjørn Svendsen (c. 1062 – 1100

Rendsburg Rendsburg ( da, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'', nds, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Ecke ...

) was one of the many illegitimate sons of King

Sweyn II of Denmark Sweyn Estridsson Ulfsson ( on, Sveinn Ástríðarson, da, Svend Estridsen; – 28 April 1076) was King of Denmark (being Sweyn II) from 1047 until his death in 1076. He was the son of Ulf Thorgilsson and Estrid Svendsdatter, and the grandson ...

. Unfortunately for him he was one of the younger ones of these sons which put him far down the list of inheriting the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. Bjørn was appointed to various positions of power throughout his older brothers' reigns, and he never caused any trouble being content with what he had. In 1099 at the age of about 37 he was appointed to the very powerful position of

Jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...

of Nordalbingien. He made fortifications on the island where the town of

is situated. He was killed (with a

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...

) while presiding a

thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...

the following year by a farmer or nobleman who was upset by the rule of Bjørn. His distant cousin

Hakon Sunnivasson Hakon Sunnivasson ( da, Hakon Jyde, "from Jutland") () was a Danish nobleman and the father of King Eric III of Denmark. Biography Hakon was the son of a Danish nobleman. His mother, Sunniva, was the daughter of a daughter of Norwegian King Magnu ...

eventually avenged Bjørn's murder and became a trusted Jarl of Bjørn’s brother King

Eric I of Denmark Eric I ( – 10 July 1103), also known as Eric the Good ( da, Erik Ejegod), was King of Denmark following his brother Olaf I of Denmark, Olaf I Hunger in 1095. He was a son of Sweyn II of Denmark, Sweyn II. His mother's identity is unknown. He ...

. Bjørn had no known children. Bjørn's great-great-grandfather was also named Bjørn.

References

{{Reflist 1060s births 1100 deaths Danish princes Illegitimate children of Sweyn II 11th-century Danish people Sons of kings