Magnus III ( 1240 – 18 December 1290), also called Magnus Ladulås, was
King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary ...
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 a pretender (but third Magnus to have been proclaimed Sweden's king and ruled there). Later historians ascribe his epithet "Ladulås" – ''Barnlock'' – to a royal decree of 1279 or 1280 freeing the yeomanry from the duty to provide sustenance for travelling nobles and bishops ("Peasants! Lock your barns!"); another theory is that it's a corruption of Ladislaus, which could possibly have been his second name, considering his
Slavic heritage. (Magnus's maternal great-grandmother was
Sophia of Minsk, a
Rurikid princess.) This king has also been referred to as Magnus I, but that is not recognized by any Swedish historians today.
In
Finnish, Magnus is similarly known as ''Mauno Ladonlukko'' ("barnlock") or ''Mauno Birgerinpoika'' (Birgersson").
Early life
Magnus, whose birth year has never been confirmed in modern times, was probably the second son of
Birger Jarl (1200–66) and Princess
Ingeborg, herself the sister of the childless
King Eric XI and daughter of
King Eric X. Thus, Valdemar Birgersson (1239–1302) was the eldest son and ruled as
Valdemar, King of Sweden
Valdemar ( English: Waldemar; sv, Valdemar Birgersson; 1239 – 26 December 1302) was King of Sweden from 1250 to 1275.
Biography
Valdemar was the son of the Swedish princess Ingeborg Eriksdotter and Birger Jarl, from the House of Bjelb ...
from 1250–1275, succeeding King Eric, their maternal uncle who ruled until 1250. Birger Jarl had designated Magnus as
Jarl, henceforth titled
Duke of Sweden, and as Valdemar's successor. Even after Valdemar's coming of age in 1257, Birger Jarl kept his grip over the country. After Birger's death in 1266 Valdemar came into conflict with Magnus who wanted the throne for himself.
Accession and marriage
In 1275 Duke Magnus started a rebellion against his brother with Danish help, and ousted him from the throne. Valdemar was deposed by Magnus after the
Battle of Hova
The Battle of Hova (''Slaget vid Hova'') was fought in Hova, Sweden on 14 June 1275 between peasants commanded by King Valdemar of Sweden
Valdemar (English: Waldemar; sv, Valdemar Birgersson; 1239 – 26 December 1302) was King of Sweden ...
in the forest of
Tiveden on 14 June 1275. Magnus was elected king at the
Stones of Mora
The Stones of Mora () is a historic location in Knivsta, Sweden. Several Medieval kings of Sweden were proclaimed at
the assembly of Mora near modern Uppsala. It was moved in the 15th century and was considered to have been lost. However, ther ...
(''Mora stenar''). In 1276, Magnus allegedly married a second wife
Helwig, daughter of
Gerard I of Holstein. Through her mother, Elizabeth of Mecklenburg, Helwig was a descendant of Christina, the putative daughter of
King Sverker II. A papal annulment of Magnus' alleged first marriage and a dispensation for the second (necessary because of
consanguinity
Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor).
Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...
) were issued ten years later, in 1286. Haelwig later acted as regent, probably 1290–1302 and 1320–1327.
Reign
The deposed King Valdemar managed, with Danish help in turn, to regain provinces in
Gothenland in the southern part of the kingdom, and Magnus had to recognize that in 1277. However, Magnus regained them about 1278 and assumed the additional title ''rex Gothorum'',
King of the Goths, starting the tradition of "King of the Swedes and the Goths".
King Magnus's youngest brother,
Benedict (1254–1291), then
archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of m ...
, acted as his
Lord High Chancellor of Sweden, and in 1284 Magnus rewarded him with the
Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecessor ...
.
Magnus died when his sons were yet underage. Magnus ordered his kinsman
Torkel 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 ...
, the
Lord High Constable of Sweden as the guardian of his heir, the future
King Birger, who was about ten years old at father's death.
Modern research
In spring 2011,
archaeologists and
osteologists from the
University of Stockholm were given permission to open one of the royal graves in
Riddarholm Church (''Riddarholmskyrkan'') in order to study the remains of what was presumed to be Magnus Ladulås and some of his relatives.
SVT broadcast a presentation of the preliminary studies, where a number of results were presented; among others his sickly disposition.
Carbon-14 tests dated the bones to the 15th century, indicating the remains could not be those of the king and his family.
In December 2011, the researchers applied for permission to open the neighbouring sarcophagus, which has hitherto been presumed to contain the bones of a later king,
Charles VIII.
Children
From his alleged first (annulled) marriage to an unknown woman:
* Eric Magnusson (born c. 1275 – c. 1277)
From his second marriage to
Helwig of Holstein:
*
Ingeborg Magnusdotter of Sweden (born c. 1279); married King
Eric VI of Denmark.
*
Birger, King of Sweden (born c. 1280)
*
Eric Magnuson
Eric John Magnuson (born January 27, 1951) is an American lawyer in private practice. He was the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 2008 to 2010.
Education and professional background
Magnuson was born in Morris, Illinois. He g ...
,
Duke of Sudermannia in 1302 and Halland etc. c 1305, born c. 1282. Died of starvation in 1318 at Nyköpingshus Castle while imprisoned by his brother King Birger.
*
Waldemar Magnuson,
Duke of Finland in 1302 and Öland 1310. Died of starvation 1318 at
Nyköpingshus Castle while imprisoned by his brother, King Birger.
*
Richeza Magnusdotter of Sweden
Rikissa Magnusdotter of Sweden (ca 1285 – 17 December 1348) was a Swedish princess.
She was the daughter of King Magnus III of Sweden (''Magnus Ladulås'') and his Queen consort Hedwig of Holstein
Hedwig of HolsteinPhilip Line, ''Kingship an ...
(d. after 1347), Abbess of the convent of
St. Clare's Priory, Stockholm
St. Clare's Priory, Stockholm, was a Roman Catholic nunnery of the Poor Clares in Stockholm, Sweden that was active from 1289 to the Swedish Reformation in 1527.
History
The nunnery was given large donations and lands upon its foundation ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus 03 of Sweden
1240 births
1290 deaths
13th-century Swedish monarchs
Rulers of Finland
House of Bjelbo
Burials at Riddarholmen Church