Benedict, Duke of Halland

Duke Benedict of

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 Brömsebro ...

and

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 ...

(c. 1330 – c. 1360), aka ''Bengt Algotsson'', was a medieval Swedish lord, and royal

favourite A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated si ...

. He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter. Svantepolk had been the younger son of Canute, Duke of Reval, Laland and Belinge (possibly also Halland), a bastard of

Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious (), was the King of Denmark (being Valdemar II) from 1202 until his death in 1241. Background He was the second son of King Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophi ...

with Helena Guttormsdatter, daughter of a Swedish earl. Benedikta was the sister-in-law of King Eric XI and daughter of earl Sune Folkason, justiciar of Västergötland, with his wife Helena Sverkersdotter, herself the daughter of

Sverker II of Sweden ''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 # ...

and his first wife Benedikte Ebbesdotter of the Galen. This made Benedict as one of the noblest blood of Sweden of his time. The rumors of improper relations between king

Magnus IV of Sweden Magnus IV (April or May 1316 – 1 December 1374; Swedish ''Magnus Eriksson'') was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII (including Iceland and Greenland) from 1319 to 1355, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By ...

and Queen Blanche originate from the pamphlet Libellus Magno Erici, but have most likely no factual basis. His coat of arms was a standing lion; thus, the family has in some later reconstructions been called ''Lejon''. This may also mean they were kin with the Folkunge, his line's ancestress belonging to those siblings of Boberg family who were nephews and nieces of Birger jarl. His paternal great-grandfather was Bengt Magnusson, justice of Östergötland. His kinship with the royal family (he was at least a distant cousin of Magnus, fourth cousin counted from Danish kings) and with other noble families of the country is presumed as the reason for the young man's exceptionally rapid rise. From 1352 he is known to have had a seat in the kingdom's Privy Council. Duke Benedict was married to Ingeborg Ulvsdotter of Tofta, a member of the

Sparre Sparre (variously spelled ''Sperra, Sper, Spar'') is a Scandinavian surname - originally borne by a noble family - and can refer to: * Aage Jepsen Sparre, Danish priest * Arvid Gustavsson Sparre (1245 - 1317), Lord of Ekholmen, Sweden * Axel Spar ...

family. She was much older than he, possibly already a widow. Ingeborg was the daughter of Ulf Abjörnsson, justiciar of Tiohärad, the younger half-sister of Lord Karl of Tofta, maternal niece of

Erengisle, Earl of Orkney Erengisle Sunesson of Hultboda, jarl of Orkney (died 26 December 1392) was an important Swedish magnate in the 14th century. In his later life, he was known as ''Jarl Erengisle'' in Sweden. He was knight, high councillor, and titular (Norwegian ...

, and the aunt of the future Margaret Sparre of Tofta, mother of

Charles VIII of Sweden Charles VIII ( sv, Karl; 1408–1470), contemporaneously known as Charles II and called Charles I in Norwegian context, was king of Sweden (1448–1457, 1464–1465 and 1467–1470) and king of Norway (1449–1450). Regnal name Charles was the ...

and ancestress of

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

. In about 1353, the king created Benedict

Duke of Finland Duke of Finland (in Finnish ''Suomen herttua''; Swedish ''hertig av Finland'') was an occasional medieval title granted as a tertiogeniture to the relatives of the King of Sweden between the 13th and 16th centuries. It included a duchy along with ...

and Halland. The title of Halland came from his descent from Duke Canute of Reval whose male line, which had held Halland as compensation for Reval and Laland, had gone extinct some fifty years earlier. Previous holders of the duchy of Halland had been the king's own father Duke Eric, his mother Duchess Ingeborg, and Ingeborg's second husband Knut Porse, as well as king's half-brothers. Benedict was also appointed Viceroy of

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

, the newly acquired group of mostly Danish provinces. Most probably, the chief reasons the king took these steps were to stop the spiritual and secular ''

frälse The Swedish nobility ( sv, Adeln eller Ridderskapet och Adeln) has historically been a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, and part of the so-called ''frälse'' (a derivation from Old Swedish meaning ''free neck''). The archaic term ...

'', to gain yet more power at royal expense, and Hanseatic power in Nordic commerce. (Their personal relationship was also rumored at the time to be the reason.) The Viceroy confiscated many of the properties of the Archdiocese of Lund upon the death of Archbishop Peder Jensen in 1355. Hanseatic privileges were also curbed in Skanish ports. However, Benedict repudiated his wife sometime in 1356, one of the reasons his noble relatives did not protect him. His wife's relatives became his enemies, and the duke was driven into exile. A civil war started at about the same time: leaders of Swedish nobility used the king's eldest son Eric as claimant and cited the favorite's exceptional privileges as an insult to the younger king. In 1356 a revolt started, nominally against Duke Benedict, but actually to weaken the king and his centralizing grip. In 1357, Benedict was exiled and Scania as well as several other Swedish and Finnish provinces were given to the young king Eric. Duke Benedict's elder brother Lord Knut was exiled to Norway with his wife Märta Ulvsdotter, a daughter of St Bridget of Sweden. Benedict probably lived in Denmark. In c 1360, Benedict returned to Sweden, but according to tradition was besieged in Rönneholm castle in Scania and eventually killed by his brother-in-law Lord Karl Ulvsson and Magnus Nilsson Röde. {{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict, Duke Of Halland 1330 births 1360 deaths Swedish nobility People of medieval Finland 14th-century Swedish people Dukes of Halland