The House of Sverker were a powerful political force in medieval Sweden, contesting for royal power.
Their origins were in Östergötland.
After the extinction of the
House of Stenkil and the ascension of
Sverker I of Sweden in 1130, a civil war commenced. In the beginning, there were several pretenders, of whom Sverker I emerged as victorious, for a time. The antagonists in long run were finally the House of Sverker in
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 ...
and the
House of Eric in
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 ...
and
Uppland
Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...
(
Saint Eric was killed and buried in the latter province, others in the dynasty were buried in
Varnhem Abbey
Varnhem Abbey ( sv, Varnhems kloster) in Varnhem, Västergötland, Sweden was founded around 1150 by monks of the Cistercian Order from Alvastra Abbey in Östergötland.
The Cistercian Order used the same floor plan for all its abbeys, which make ...
in the former province as later also
Birger Jarl was, a relative to the dynasty), which alternated on the throne for several generations, until in the 1220s the Eric dynasty got the upper hand, and the Sverker dynasty became extinct (at least in the male line).
As usual in medieval succession rivalries, the outcome combined the blood of rival lines, as in 1250
Valdemar of the
Folkung
In modern Swedish, Folkung has two meanings, which appear to be opposites:
# The medieval "House of Bjelbo" in Sweden, which produced several Swedish statesmen and kings.
# A group of people (singular ''Folkunge'', plural ''Folkungar''), who were ...
s (then a minor, his father Birger Jarl acting as regent) ascended the throne, having inherited the Eric dynasty claim from Valdemar's mother (who was sister of
Eric XI of Sweden
Eric "XI" the Lisp and Lame Swedish: ''Erik Eriksson'' or ''Erik läspe och halte''; Old Norse: ''EirÃkr EirÃksson'' (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 ...
, the last Eric-dynast) and some of the Sverker dynasty claim from Birger's mother (who was daughter of a younger son of Sverker I).
See also
*
List of Swedish monarchs
*
Norse clans
The Scandinavian clan or ''ætt/ätt'' (pronounced in Old Norse) was a social group based on common descent, equivalent to a clan.
History
In the absence of a police force, the clan was the primary force of security in Norse society, as the cl ...
References
External links
*
Sverker
''Sverker'' is a studio album by Neo-Medieval group Corvus Corax.
Track listing
# "Intro Gjallarhorni" - 0:58
# "Gjallarhorni" - 2:59
# "Sverker" - 4:31
# "Fiach Dubh" - 6:38
# "Trinkt vom Met" - 0:35
# "The drinking loving dancers" - 5:19
# ...
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