Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, ''jarls'' were powerful noblemen. There usually was only one holder of the title at a time, second only to the

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 ...

. For special occasions, regional jarls outside of Sweden could be nominated as well. An example of this is

Jon Jarl {{Infobox noble , name = Jon Jarl , title = Earl , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = {{ill, Earl of Sweden, ...

, who allegedly conducted pirate operations against

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

in the east.

History

According to

Procopius Procopius of Caesarea ( grc-gre, Προκόπιος ὁ Καισαρεύς ''Prokópios ho Kaisareús''; la, Procopius Caesariensis; – after 565) was a prominent late antique Greek scholar from Caesarea Maritima. Accompanying the Roman gener ...

, the

Heruli The Heruli (or Herules) were an early Germanic people. Possibly originating in Scandinavia, the Heruli are first mentioned by Roman authors as one of several "Scythian" groups raiding Roman provinces in the Balkans and the Aegean Sea, attacking b ...

, after having raided the European continent for several generations, returned to Scandinavia in 512 as a result of military defeats. As their old territory was now occupied by the Danes, they settled next to the

Geat The Geats ( ; ang, gēatas ; non, gautar ; sv, götar ), sometimes called ''Goths'', were a large North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the late Middle Ages. They are one of th ...

s in present-day Sweden. No elaborate theory exists to explain how the word came to be used as a title. Arguably, their knowledge in interpreting runes also meant they were gifted in martial arts and, as they gradually integrated, ''eril'' or ''jarl'' instead came to signify the rank of a leader.Lindström, p 113-115 As described in the Icelandic sagas, such as Rígsthula,Wikisource - Rigstula, verse 34
a jarl was a sort of chieftain next in rank to the king in the function of

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

or Duke of the King's Army. Under any circumstance, when jarls are finally mentioned in medieval documents, it clearly was a title signifying a leader ranked directly under the king. In Swedish history, Jarls are described as either local rulers or

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

s appointed by a king, ruling one of the historical Swedish provinces, such as

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 ...

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

, or Svitjod. In Norway, the jarls apparently kept this role and the kings attempted to introduce one in each

Fylke Norway is divided into 11 administrative regions, called counties (singular no, fylke, plural nb, fylker; nn, fylke from Old Norse: ''fylki'' from the word "folk", sme, fylka, sma, fylhke, smj, fylkka, fkv, fylkki) which until 1918 ...

before the title was used exclusively on the

Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

in the 14th century. In Sweden, however, the title was replaced by "duke" (Swedish 'hertig') in the 13th century. Before the title was discontinued, Swedish jarls were powerful men, such as

Birger Brosa Birger Brosa Old Norse: ''Birgir Brósa'' (died 9 January 1202) was jarl of Sweden from 1174 to 1202. Biography He was a son of Bengt Snivil and a member of the powerful House of Bjälbo. In the medieval texts he is either called the '' jarl o ...

Ulf Fase Ulf Fase (died 1247) was the jarl of Sweden (c. 1221-47) . Biography Ulf Fase was probably the son of jarl Charles the Deaf (''Karl Döve'') and member the house of Folkung (''Folkungaätten''). After jarl Charles had been killed during th ...

, and

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 ...

(original patronym Magnusson), often the true rulers of the Swedish kingdom.

Jarls of Sweden

, 1174-1202Lindström, p 267, "Jarls from the late 12th century to 1266" *

Johan Sverkersson John I ( sv, Johan Sverkersson; c. 1201 – 10 March 1222) was the king of Sweden from 1216 until his death. Background John was the son of King Sverker II of Sweden of the House of Sverker and Queen Ingegerd of the Bjälbo dynasty. When he was o ...

, 1202-120? *

Jon Jarl {{Infobox noble , name = Jon Jarl , title = Earl , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = {{ill, Earl of Sweden, ...

, ?-1206? * Knut Birgersson, 120?-1208, killed in 1208 at the

Battle of Lena The Battle of Lena occurred on 31 January 1208, and probably took place near Kungslena, which is located in the Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland, Sweden. It was an important battle between the Danish-backed King Sverker II of Sweden and ...

Folke Birgersson Folke is a parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, approximately south-east of Sherborne. The parish has an area of and is made of the villages of Folke and Alweston, and the hamlet of Bishops Down. ...

, 1208–1210, killed in 1210 at the

Battle of Gestilren The Battle of Gestilren took place on July 17, 1210. The battle was fought between the exiled King of Sweden Sverker and the ruling King Eric X. Sverker had been beaten in the previous Battle of Lena, but returned with new forces. Sverker was how ...

Charles the Deaf Charles the Deaf ( sv, Karl Döve) from the House of Bjelbo (''Folkungaätten'') was the jarl of Sweden during 1216–1220. Biography His father was magnate Bengt Snivil. He was the brother of Magnus Minnesköld and jarl Birger Brosa and father ...

(''Karl Döve''), 1210?-1220, killed at the

Battle of Lihula The Battle of Lihula or Battle of Leal was fought between invading Sweden, Swedes and Estonians for the control of a castle in Lihula, Estonia in 1220. The exact date remains uncertain, though some historians suggest that the battle took place ...

, 1220?-? and 1231–1240, died 1248 * Birger Magnusson, 1248–1266, last jarl (''Dux Sweciae'')

Regional jarls

Jarls of Västergötland

Ulf Tostesson Ulf Tostesson was a jarl in Sweden, jarl and the son of the Viking Skogul Toste. He was the brother of Sigrid the Haughty, and his son was Ragnvald Ulfsson. Geats 11th-century Swedish people Swedish jarls {{Sweden-royal-stub ...

Ragnvald Ulfsson Ragnvald Ulfsson the Old (beginning 11th century) was a jarl of Västergötland or Östergötland and was married to a sister of King Olav Tryggvason.Winroth 1995–1997:616 Biography According to Snorri, Ragnvald was the son of jarl Ulf Tost ...

(c. 1010–20), later jarl of

Staraja Ladoga Staraya Ladoga (russian: Ста́рая Ла́дога, p=ˈstarəjə ˈladəɡə, lit=Old Ladoga), known as Ladoga until 1704, is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near ...

and

Ingria Ingria is a historical region in what is now northwestern European Russia. It lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus in the north and by the River Narva on the border with Est ...

. Father of king

Stenkil of Sweden Stenkil (Old Norse: ''Steinkell'') was a King of Sweden who ruled c. 1060 until 1066. He succeeded Emund the Old and became the first king from the House of Stenkil. He is praised as a devout Christian, but with an accommodating stance towards th ...

Other

Jon Jarl {{Infobox noble , name = Jon Jarl , title = Earl , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = {{ill, Earl of Sweden, ...

(possibly several ones) *

Roger I of Sicily Roger I ( it, Ruggero I, Arabic: ''رُجار'', ''Rujār''; Maltese: ''Ruġġieru'', – 22 June 1101), nicknamed Roger Bosso and The Great, was a Norman nobleman who became the first Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was a member of the H ...

(Jarl Rogeirr)

In popular culture

* In the

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

's historical drama television series ''

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

'', actor

Thorbjørn Harr Thorbjørn Harr (born 24 May 1974) is a Norwegian actor. Background Harr was discovered in a schoolyard by NRK people who were scouting for actors for youth series. Career He soon became a familiar face on programs like ''Blikkbåx'' and '' ...

plays the character of Jarl Borg, a Jarl of

Götaland Götaland (; also '' Geatland'', '' Gothia'', ''Gothland'', ''Gothenland'' or ''Gautland'') is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises ten provinces. Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north by Svealand, wit ...

. *In the video game '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'', the rulers of the various cities and their respective regions, called within the game as the nine holds, are known as Jarls. *In the NRK television series ''Norsemen'', there are two jarls: Jarl Varg, the primary antagonist of the show, and Jarl Bjorn, a character in Season 3.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jarl In Sweden Noble titles Swedish nobility 12th century in Sweden 13th century in Sweden Men's social titles Earls sv:Jarl