Canute II the Tall ( sv, Knut Långe; Knut Holmgersson), 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 1229 until his death in 1234. He was the father of
Holmger Knutsson
Holmger Knutsson (1210s – 1248) was a Swedish nobleman and a claimant to the Swedish throne during the reign of King Eric XI of Sweden.
His tomb cover showed two Coats of Arms: one is known to have been used by his father, the other is that ...
, a later pretender for the Swedish throne. Both father and son were members of the
House of Folkung (''Folkungar'').
Family
Not much is certain about his background. An unreliable, late fourteenth century source calls him "Knut Joansson",
but the dominating theory is that he was identical with "Knut Holmgersson" who was a member of King
Eric XI's council and was a relative to the king, and that his father was the man Holmger who was called a "nepos" of King
Canute I of Sweden Old Norse: ''Knútr Eiríksson''
, birth_date = Before 1150
, death_date = 1195/96
, house = Eric
, father = Eric IX "the Saint" of Sweden
, mother = Christina Bjornsdatter
, spouse = Cecilia Johansdotter of Sw ...
. This theory is supported by the fact that one of Knut's sons was named Holmger. Nepos usually meant ''nephew'', but could be used for other younger relatives.
[Harrison (2002) p. 116-117] If these identifications are correct, Canute would be the great-grandson of king
Eric the holy
Eric IX, (Swedish: ''Erik Jedvardsson; Erik den helige; Sankt Erik''; d. 18 May 1160) also called Eric the Holy, Saint Eric, and Eric the Lawgiver, was a Swedish king in the 12th century, 1156–1160. The ''Roman Martyrology'' of the Catholic C ...
. A few historians have instead suggested that the late source might be correct and that Canute's father was
Jon Jarl
{{Infobox noble
, name = Jon Jarl
, title = Earl
, image =
, caption =
, alt =
, CoA =
, more = no
, succession = {{ill, Earl of Sweden, ...
.
Some sources give Canute's spouse as Danish noble woman
Helena Pedersdatter Strange
Helena Pedersdotter Strange (Danish: ''Helene''; in Sweden also called ''Queen Elin''; c. 1200–1255) of a Danish noble family later called Ulfeldt was a Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Canute II.
Her father was the Danish knight Peder Stran ...
( c. 1200–1255). However this theory has been challenged by noted historian
Hans Gillingstam
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician
** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans
** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...
(1925–2016), who instead believed that he was married to an unknown woman from the
House of Bjelbo
The House of Bjelbo ( sv, Bjälboätten), also known as the House of Folkung (''Folkungaätten''), was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings. It also provided three kings of Norway and o ...
, evidenced by the
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 ...
on the tomb cover of his son Holmger.
[Gillingstam (1977)]
Canute had the sons
Holmger Knutsson
Holmger Knutsson (1210s – 1248) was a Swedish nobleman and a claimant to the Swedish throne during the reign of King Eric XI of Sweden.
His tomb cover showed two Coats of Arms: one is known to have been used by his father, the other is that ...
(d. 1248) and
Philip Knutsson (d. 1251), who both died in Folkung uprisings against
Birger Jarl
Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, whi ...
.
Biography
In 1220, Canute donated land to two
Dominican friar
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
s at Sko in Uppland. They left after a while, and the land instead formed the nucleus of the
Sko Abbey
(''Skokloster'')for
cistercian nuns
Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church.
History
The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in t ...
. According to a 16th-century source, he was eventually buried there.
[
]
Canute was probably a member of the council that ruled Sweden from 1222 to 1229, during the minority of King
Eric XI of Sweden
Eric "XI" the Lisp and Lame Swedish: ''Erik Eriksson'' or ''Erik läspe och halte''; Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Eiríksson'' (1216 – 2 February 1250) was king of Sweden in 1222–29 and 1234–50. Being the last ruler of the House of Eric, he stood ...
. In 1229 or 1230, Eric was overthrown after the
Battle of Olustra in
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 ...
. Canute's exact involvement in the rising is unclear: he might have participated, or been a compromise candidate. He was recognized in 1231 at the latest, but his time in office was short. The sources contradict each other on the matter of Eric's return: the Lund annals claim that Eric returned before the death of Canute in 1232, the
Eric Chronicle
The ''Eric Chronicle'' (Swedish: ''Erikskrönikan'') is the oldest surviving Swedish chronicle. It was written by an unknown author (or, less probably, several authors) between about 1320 and 1335.
It is the oldest in a group of medieval rhymed ch ...
that he returned following the death of Canute and after renewed fighting.
Sturla Tordsson
Sturla (Stûrlâ in Ligurian) is a quartiere of Genoa. It began life as an ancient fishing village which developed around a number of small coves – Sturla a Mare, at the mouth of the Sturla river, Vernazzola and Boccadasse (Boccadasse is now in ...
claimed that Canute for a while was co-regent with King
Eric X
Eric "X" (Swedish: ''Erik Knutsson''; Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Knútsson''; – 10 April 1216) was the King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as ''Eric the Survivor'' (Swedish: "Erik som överlevde"), he was, at his accession to the thro ...
, which could indicate that he was co-regent with Eric XI during some part of his reign.
Canute's reign likely saw the revision of some Swedish laws: creditors could no longer enter the homes of debtors to collect debts without the assistance of a government official, and the king was required to hold judicial reviews at least every third year. These changes have been noted as having taken place in the reign of King Canute, and due to chronological considerations, Canute II is thought to be most likely.
References
Works cited
*
*
Bibliography
*Adolfsson, Mats ''När borgarna brann - svenska uppror'' (Stockholm:
Natur & Kultur
Natur & Kultur is a Swedish publishing foundation with head office in Stockholm known for an extensive series of teaching materials. Its logotype is an apple tree.
Overview
The publishing house was founded in 1922 by Johan Hansson and his wif ...
, 2007)
*Larsson, Mats G. ''Götarnas riken : upptäcktsfärder ill Sveriges enande'' (Bokförlaget Atlantis AB. 2002)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canute 02 Of Sweden
1234 deaths
13th-century Swedish monarchs
Rulers of Finland
Year of birth unknown
Usurpers