Valdemar (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: Waldemar; sv, Valdemar Birgersson; 1239 – 26 December 1302) was

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 ...

from 1250 to 1275.

Biography

Valdemar was the son of the Swedish princess Ingeborg Eriksdotter 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 ...

, from the

House of Bjelbo The House of Bjelbo ( sv, Bjälboätten), also known as the House of Folkung (''Folkungaätten''), was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings. It also provided three kings of Norway and o ...

. When her brother King

Eric XI Eric "XI" the Lisp and Lame Swedish: ''Erik Eriksson'' or ''Erik läspe och halte''; Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Eiríksson'' (1216 – 2 February 1250) was king of Sweden in 1222–29 and 1234–50. Being the last ruler of the House of Eric, he stoo ...

died in 1250, though a child, Valdemar was elected king and crowned the following year in the cathedral at

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

. During the first sixteen years of his reign, it was Birger Jarl who was the real ruler. Birger Jarl had been the

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

ruler of Sweden from 1248, before the reign of Valdemar, even under Eric XI. Valdemar's mother and King Eric were children of King

Eric X Eric "X" (Swedish: ''Erik Knutsson''; Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Knútsson''; – 10 April 1216) was the King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as ''Eric the Survivor'' (Swedish: "Erik som överlevde"), he was, at his accession to the thro ...

and

Richeza of Denmark Richeza of Denmark (Swedish: ''Rikissa Valdemarsdotter''; c. 1180–8 May 1220) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Eric X, and the mother of King Eric XI. Early life Richeza was a daughter of Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophia of Minsk. S ...

. After Birger's death in 1266 Valdemar eventually came into conflict with his younger brother Magnus Birgersson, Duke of Södermanland, over taxation and personal matters. In 1260, Valdemar married Sophia, the eldest daughter of King

Eric IV of Denmark Eric IV, also known as Eric Ploughpenny or Eric Plowpenny ( da, Erik Plovpenning), ( – 10 August 1250) was king of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250. His reign was marked by conflict and civil wars against his brothers. Early life E ...

and

Jutta of Saxony Jutta of Saxony (c. 1223 – before 2 February 1267) was Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Eric IV of Denmark. She was the daughter of Albert I, Duke of Saxony. She married king Erik in 1239, and became junior queen consort, since her husband w ...

. Valdemar also had a relationship with his sister-in-law

Jutta The feminine name Jutta (pronounced "yutta") is the German form of Judith. There is also an alternative theory that it could be derived from the Germanic name ''Eutha'', meaning "mankind, child, descendant", or from a short form of ''Henrietta'' ...

. In 1272, Jutta visited Sweden and became Valdemar's mistress. The affair resulted in a child born in 1273. The following year, Jutta was placed in a convent and Valdemar was forced to make a pilgrimage to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to ask for the absolution of the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. Valdemar was deposed by his brother, 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 ...

Tiveden Tiveden is a long and wide densely forested rocky ridge in Sweden, throughout history notorious for its wilderness and dangers; historically a hiding place for outlaws. In historic times it, along with Tylöskog and Kolmården, formed the border b ...

June 14, 1275. Magnus was supported by his brother, Eric Birgersson, Duke of Småland, and King

Eric V of Denmark Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, t ...

, who provided Danish soldiers. Magnus was elected King Magnus III of Sweden 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 ...

. In 1277, Sophia separated from her spouse and returned to Denmark and Valdemar managed to regain provinces in Gothenland in the southern part of the kingdom and was called the Duke of Götaland. However, Magnus regained them about 1278. In 1288 Valdemar was imprisoned by King Magnus in

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 ...

(''Nyköpingshus'') and lived openly with mistresses, possibly new wives, in comfortable confinement.

Family

Valdemar married

Sofia of Denmark Sophia of Denmark (Danish: ''Sofie Eriksdatter'' and Swedish: ''Sofia Eriksdotter''; 1241–1286) was Queen of Sweden as the consort of King Valdemar. Background Sophia was the eldest daughter of Eric IV of Denmark and Jutta of Saxony. She had n ...

(died 1286) in 1260 and they separated in 1277. They had six children: # Ingeborg Valdemarsdotter of Sweden, Countess of Holstein; spouse of

Gerhard II, Count of Holstein-Plön Gerhard II of Holstein-Plön (1254 - 28 October 1312), nicknamed the Blind, was Count of Holstein-Plön from 1290 to 1312. Life He was the second son of Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe and Elisabeth of Mecklenburg. After his father's death ...

. # Erik Valdemarsson of Sweden (1272–1330) # Marina Valdemarsdotter of Sweden; spouse of Rudolf, Count of Diepholz # Richeza Valdemarsdotter of Sweden (died c. 1292); spouse of Przemysł II of Poland # Katarina Valdemarsdotter of Sweden (died 1283) # Margareta Valdemarsdotter of Sweden, a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

References

Sources

* Adolfsson, Mats ''När borgarna brann - svenska uppror'' (Stockholm:

Natur & Kultur Natur & Kultur is a Swedish publishing foundation with head office in Stockholm known for an extensive series of teaching materials. Its logotype is an apple tree. Overview The publishing house was founded in 1922 by Johan Hansson and his wif ...

, 2007) * Kyhlberg, Ola ''Gånget ut min hand'' (Riddarholmskyrkans stiftargravar Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, Stockholm: 1997) * Larsson, Mats G. ''Götarnas Riken : Upptäcktsfärder Till Sveriges Enande'' (Bokförlaget Atlantis AB. 2002) * Schück, Herman ''Kyrka och rike - från folkungatid till vasatid'' (Stockholm: 2005)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valdemar I of Sweden 1239 births 1302 deaths 13th-century Swedish monarchs Rulers of Finland Medieval child rulers Christians of the Second Swedish Crusade 14th-century Swedish people House of Bjelbo