The Håtuna games (Swedish: Håtunaleken) were a 1306 conflict between

Birger, King of Sweden Birger ( Swedish: ''Birger Magnusson''; 1280 – 31 May 1321) was King of Sweden from 1290 to 1318. Background Birger was the son of King Magnus III of Sweden and Hedwig of Holstein. He was hailed king of Sweden when he was four years old. This w ...

(1280–1321) and his two brothers, the dukes Eric Magnusson (ca. 1281-1318) and Valdemar Magnusson (c. 1282–1318).

Background

When

Magnus Ladulås Magnus III ( 1240 – 18 December 1290), also called Magnus Ladulås, was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290. Name He was the ''first Magnus'' to rule Sweden for any length of time, not generally regarded as a usurper or ...

died in 1290, his eldest son Birger Magnusson was only 10 years old. He had already been elected as successor as a four-year-old, and he (and the kingdom of Sweden) now had a guardian, marshal

Torgils Knutsson Torkel (Tyrgils or Torgils) Knutsson (d. 1306) was Lord High Constable of Sweden, member of the Privy Council of Sweden (''Riksråd''), and virtual ruler of Sweden during the early reign of King Birger Magnusson (1280–1321). Biography To ...

. In 1304 his brothers signed a document that forbade them from conducting their own foreign policy and kept them out of the

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

unless they had specifically been summoned. The bitterness over this agreement was probably the cause of the Håtuna games. When marshal Torgils Knutsson returned from the third and last crusade in

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 ...

in 1293, a feud had developed between the brothers, with Torgils supporting King

Birger Birger is a Scandinavian name from Old Norse, ''bjarga'', meaning "to help, to save, to protect". It is widely used in Norway as Birger but also as Børge. The Swedish variant of ''Birger'' would soon evolve into ''Börje'', however, the prior for ...

. Duke Eric, as a leader of men and politician possibly better king material than Birger, tried to establish an independent kingdom around Bohuslän, which he had received as part of his marriage to the princess

Ingeborg of Norway Ingeborg of Norway ( Old Norse ''Ingibjörg Hákonardóttir'', Swedish ''Ingeborg Håkansdotter'', Norwegian ''Ingebjørg Håkonsdatter''; 1301 – 17 June 1361), was a Norwegian princess and by marriage a Swedish royal duchess with a positi ...

, 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 Brömseb ...

at the boundary between Sweden,

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 ...

, and

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. A

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

broke out, but by 1306 emotions had cooled to the point where the dukes acknowledged the son of Birger, Magnus Birgersson, as the successor to the throne. The marshal, Torgils Knutsson, was captured in 1305 by the dukes and was executed in 1306 in Stockholm by decapitation.

The Håtuna games

On September 29, 1306, Duke Eric and Duke Valdemar arrived at King

's estate in Håtuna Parish by

Lake Mälaren A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. They came from a wedding feast in

Bjälbo Bjälbo is a small village in Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland, Sweden. The medieval House of Bjelbo had a church and a manor house at Bjälbo. King Magnus Minnesköld was probably born here, and in around 1210 his son Birger Magnusson. ...

, and Birger received them as guests at a party that derailed towards the middle of the night. Birger and his wife Martha of Denmark were captured by the dukes, and were imprisoned in the

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

Nyköping Castle Nyköping Castle (Swedish: Nyköpingshus) is a Medieval castle, located in Nyköping, from the Birger Jarl era, partly in ruins, mostly known for the Nyköping Banquet which took place here in 1317. Information plaque, Nyköpingshus Construction ...

. King Birger's son Magnus Birgersson was rescued by a courtier and sent to Denmark where he was taken up by king Eric VI.

Aftermath

Duke Eric took over power in Sweden. He was already sovereign in Halland and Bohuslän and, being married to princess Ingeborg, had aspirations to inherit the crown of Norway. But the closeness to Denmark became a threat, and King

Eric VI of Denmark Eric VI Menved (1274 – 13 November 1319) was King of Denmark (1286–1319). A son of King Eric V and Agnes of Brandenburg, he became king in 1286 at age 12, when his father was murdered on 22 November by unknown assailants. On account of his ag ...

attacked Sweden, harassing

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 ...

. Duke Eric's brother Valdemar wreaked revenge by plundering Skåne with a force of German mercenaries. The Norwegian king allied himself with the Danish king; this forced a settlement that allowed Birger to leave Nyköping Castle after two years' imprisonment. For 10 years the brothers kept the peace with only smaller skirmishes. In 1317–1318, the Håtuna games had their final resolution at the gruesome

Nyköping Banquet The Nyköping Banquet ( sv, Nyköpings gästabud) was King Birger of Sweden's Christmas celebration 11December 1317 at Nyköping Castle in Sweden. Among the guests were his two brothers Duke Valdemar and Duke Eric, who later that night were ...

and subsequent events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatuna Games 1306 in Europe Political history of Sweden Conflicts in 1306 14th century in Sweden