Eric of Pomerania (1381 or 1382 – 24 September 1459) was the ruler of the
Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439, succeeding his grandaunt, Queen
Margaret I. He is known as Eric III as
King of Norway
The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingd ...
(1389–1442), Eric VII as
King of Denmark (1396–1439) and has been called Eric XIII as
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 ...
(1396–1434, 1436–39). Later, in all three countries he became more commonly known as ''Erik av Pommern'' (Eric of Pomerania), a
pejorative
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
intended to point out that he belonged elsewhere. Eric was ultimately deposed from all three kingdoms of the union, but in 1449 he inherited one of the partitions of the
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country ha ...
and ruled it as duke until his death in 1459.
Succession background
Eric was born in either 1381 or 1382 in
Darłowo
Darłowo (Polish pronunciation: ; ; ), in full The Royal City of Darłowo ( pl, Królewskie Miasto Darłowo), is a seaside town in the West Pomeranian Region, at the south coast of the Baltic Sea, north-western Poland, with 13,324 inhabitants as ...
, Pomerania (Poland). Born Bogusław, Eric was the son of
Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania, and
Maria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
Margaret I, who ruled the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, wanted her realm to be unified and peaceful and made provisions in the event of her death. She chose as her heir and successor Bogusław, the grandson of her sister
Ingeborg (c. 1365 – c. 1402).
In 1389, Bogusław was brought to Denmark to be raised by Queen Margaret. His name was changed to the more Nordic-sounding ''Erik''. On 8 September 1389, he was hailed as King of Norway at the
Ting in
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
. He may have been crowned King of Norway in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...
in 1392, but this is disputed.
Eric's father Wartislaw died between November 1394 and 23 February 1395.
When Wartislaw died, his thrones were all attained by Eric as the heir.
[The King Who Became a Pirate](_blank)
Story by Anja Klemp Vilgaard · Illustrations by Darya Malikova · Edited by Shawna Kenney · 20 April 2020, narratively.com.
In 1396, he was proclaimed as king in Denmark and then in Sweden. On 17 June 1397, he was crowned a king of the three Nordic countries in the cathedral of
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 ...
. At the same time, a union treaty was drafted, declaring the establishment of what has become known as the
Kalmar Union (''Kalmarunionen''). Queen Margaret, however, remained the ''de facto'' ruler of the three kingdoms until her death in 1412.
Marriage
In 1402, Queen Margaret entered into negotiations with King
Henry IV of England about the possibility of an alliance between the
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, ...
and the Nordic union. The proposal was for a double wedding, whereby, King Eric would marry King Henry's daughter,
Philippa of England, and King Henry's son, the Prince of Wales and the future
King Henry V
Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hu ...
, would marry King Eric's sister,
Catherine of Pomerania (c. 1390–1426).
The double wedding did not come off, but King Eric's wedding to Philippa of England was successfully negotiated. On 26 October 1406, he married the 12-year-old Philippa in
Lund. The wedding was accompanied by a purely defensive alliance with England. After Philippa's death later in 1430, King Eric replaced her with her former lady-in-waiting,
Cecilia
Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.
The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born ...
, who became his royal mistress and later his
morganatic
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
spouse. The relationship was a public scandal and is mentioned in the royal council's official complaints about the King.
Reign
During the early period of his reign, King Eric made
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
a royal possession in 1417, thereby assuring its status as the capital of Denmark. He also usurped the rights of
Copenhagen Castle from the
Bishop of Roskilde, and from then on, the castle was occupied by him.
From contemporary sources, King Eric appears as intelligent, visionary, energetic, and a firm character. That he was also a charming and well-spoken man of the world was shown by his great European tour of the 1420s. Negatively, he seems to have had a hot temper, a lack of diplomatic sense, and an obstinacy that bordered on mulishness. King Eric was described by the future
Pope Pius II as having "a beautiful body, reddish yellow hair, a ruddy face, and a long narrow neck … alone, without assistance, and without touching the stirrups, he jumped upon a horse, and all women were drawn to him, especially the Empress, in a feeling of longing for love".
From 1423 until May 1425, King Eric went on a
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. After arriving there, he was dubbed
Knight of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...
by the
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
Custos of the Holy Land, and subsequently himself dubbed his pilgrim fellows, among them,
Ivan Anz Frankopan. During his absence, Queen Philippa served as regent of the three kingdoms from
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
.
Almost the whole of King Eric's sole rule was affected by his long-standing conflict with the
Counts of Schauenburg and Holstein. He tried to regain
South Jutland (
Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...
) which Queen Margaret had been winning, but he chose a policy of warfare instead of negotiations. The result was a devastating war that not only ended without conquests, but also led to the loss of the South Jutlandic areas that he had already obtained. During this war, he showed much energy and steadiness, but also a remarkable lack of adroitness. In 1424, a verdict of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
by
Sigismund, King of Germany, recognising Eric as the legal ruler of South Jutland, was ignored by the Holsteiners. The long war was a strain on the Danish economy as well as on the unity of the north.
Perhaps King Eric's most far-ranging act was the introduction of the
Sound Dues (''Øresundtolden'') in 1429,
which was to last until 1857. It consisted of the payment of sound dues by all ships wishing to enter or leave the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
passing through the
Sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...
. To help enforce his demands, King Eric built
Krogen, a powerful fortress at the narrowest point in the Sound, in the early 1400s. This resulted in the control of all navigation through the Sound, and thus secured a large stable income for his kingdom that made it relatively rich,
and which made the town of
Elsinore flower. It showed his interest in Danish trade and naval power, but also permanently challenged the other Baltic powers, especially the
Hanseatic cities against which he also fought. From 1426 to 1435, he was at
war with the German Hanseatic League and Holstein. The Hanseats and Holsteiners
attacked Copenhagen in 1428, and King Eric left the city while his wife Queen Philippa managed the defence of the capital.
During the 1430s, the policy of the King fell apart. In 1434, the farmers and mine workers of Sweden began a national and social rebellion which was soon used by the Swedish nobility in order to weaken the power of the King. The
Engelbrekt rebellion (1434–1436) was led by Swedish nobleman
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson (c. 1390 – 4 May 1436). The Swedes had been affected by the war with the
Hanseatic League (1426–35) which affected trade and disturbed Swedish exports with Schleswig, Holstein, Mecklenburg, and Pomerania. The rebellion caused erosion within the unity of the Kalmar Union, leading to the temporary expulsion of Danish forces from Sweden. In Norway, a subsequent rebellion in 1436 was led by
Amund Sigurdsson Bolt (1400–1465). It resulted in a siege of
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...
and
Akershus Castle
Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress ...
but ended in a ceasefire.
King Eric had to yield to the demands of both the Holsteiners and the
Hanseatic League. In April 1435, he signed the peace of Vordingborg with the Hanseatic League and Holstein. Under the terms of the peace agreement, Hanseatic cities were excepted from the Sound Dues and the
Duchy of Schleswig was ceded to the count of Holstein.
Coup d'état
When the Danish nobility subsequently opposed his rule and refused to ratify his choice of
Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania
Bogislav IX (german: Bogislaw IX., pl, Bogusław IX; 1407/1410 – 7 December 1446), commonly known in English as Bogislav IX, was a duke of Pomerania in Pomerania-Stolp, whose residence was Stargard. His first cousin Eric of Pomerania trie ...
as the next King of Denmark, King Eric left Denmark in response and took up permanent residence at
Visborg Castle in
Gotland, which led to his deposition through
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
by the National Councils of Denmark and Sweden in 1439.
In 1440, King Eric was succeeded by his nephew
Christopher of Bavaria
Christopher of Bavaria (26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), Sweden (1441–48) and Norway (1442–48) during the era of the Kalmar Union.
Biography
Coming to power
He was the son of John, ...
, who was chosen for the thrones of both Denmark and Sweden. Initially the Norwegian
Riksråd remained loyal to him and wanted him to remain king of Norway. In September 1439, Eric had given
Sigurd Jonsson
Sigurd Jonsson (1390s – December 1452) was a Norwegian nobleman, knight and the supreme leader of Norway during two interregnums in the mid-15th century.
Background
Sigurd Jonsson was born at some point between 1390 and 1400. He was the son o ...
the title of ''drottsete'', under which he was to rule Norway in the King's name. But with the King isolated in Gotland, the Norwegian nobility also felt compelled to depose Eric through a coup d'état in 1440, and he was formally deposed in 1442, when Sigurd Jonsson stepped down as ''drottsete'', and Christopher was elected king.
At the death of King Christopher in 1448, the next monarch was Eric's kinsman,
Christian of Oldenburg (the son of Eric's earlier rival, Count
Theodoric of Oldenburg), who succeeded to the throne of Denmark, while
Karl Knutsson Bonde succeeded to the throne of Sweden. A rivalry ensued between Charles and Christian for the throne of Norway. In 1450, Karl was forced to relinquish the throne of Norway in favour of King Christian.
Duke of Pomerania
For ten years, Eric lived in
Gotland where he
fought against the
merchant trade in the Baltic.
From 1449 to 1459, Eric succeeded Bogislaw IX as Duke of Pomerania and ruled Pomerania-Rügenwalde, a small partition of the Duchy of
Pomerania-Stolp (Polish: Księstwo Słupskie), as "Eric I". He died in 1459 at
Darłowo Castle
Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes - the only Gothic castle located on the coast of the Baltic Sea in Poland. The castle's formation is close to that of a square, with a tower measuring 24 metres in height. The castle's construction began in 1352, in ...
(German: ''Schloss Rügenwalde''), and was buried in the Church of St. Mary's at
Darłowo
Darłowo (Polish pronunciation: ; ; ), in full The Royal City of Darłowo ( pl, Królewskie Miasto Darłowo), is a seaside town in the West Pomeranian Region, at the south coast of the Baltic Sea, north-western Poland, with 13,324 inhabitants as ...
in Pomerania.
Titles and styles
Eric's full title was: "
King of Denmark,
Sweden and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, the
Wends
Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people ...
and the
Goths
The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...
,
Duke of Pomerania
This is a list of the duchies and dukes of Pomerania.
Dukes of the Slavic Pomeranian tribes (All Pomerania)
The lands of Pomerania were firstly ruled by local tribes, who settled in Pomerania around the 10th and 11th centuries.
Non-dynastic
...
".
Diplomatarium Norvegicum
/ref>
Family tree
Notes
References
Other sources
*Albrectsen, Esben (1997) ''Fællesskabet bliver til : 1380–1536'' (Oslo : Universitetsforl.)
*Christensen, Aksel E. (1908) ''Kalmarunionen og nordisk politik 1319–1439'' (Oslo: Gyldendal)
*Haug, Eldbjørg (2000), ''Margrete – den siste dronning i Sverreætten'' (Oslo: Cappelen)
*Haug, Eldbjørg (2006) ''Provincia Nidrosiensis i dronning Margretes unions- og maktpolitikk'' (Trondheim : Institutt for historie og klassiske fag)
*Larsson, Lars-Olof (2003) ''Kalmarunionens tid'' (Stockholm: Prisma)
External links
* ttps://narratively.com/the-king-who-became-a-pirate/ The King Who Became a Pirate Story by Anja Klemp Vilgaard · Illustrations by Darya Malikova · Edited by Shawna Kenney · 20 April 2020, narratively.com
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eric of Pomerania
1380s births
Year of birth uncertain
1459 deaths
14th-century Swedish monarchs
15th-century Swedish monarchs
14th-century Norwegian monarchs
15th-century Norwegian monarchs
People from Darłowo
Rulers of Finland
Dukes of Pomerania
Kalmar Union
Monarchs who abdicated
Medieval child rulers
Swedish monarchs of German descent
Knights of the Garter
14th-century monarchs of Denmark
15th-century monarchs of Denmark
14th-century Polish people
House of Griffins
Medieval Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
Polish pirates
People from Gotland
Danish people of Polish descent