In modern

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, Folkung has two meanings, which appear to be opposites: # The

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

" House of Bjelbo" in Sweden, which produced several Swedish statesmen and kings. # A group of people (singular ''Folkunge'', plural ''Folkungar''), who were at times in political opposition to the same House of Bjelbo. This "political party" fought for the ancient right of free men to elect the kings in Sweden. Until the 17th century, ''Folkunge'' was used only with the second meaning. However, many of these political opponents were also said to have been descendants of

Jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...

Folke the Fat (from the House of Bjelbo), who lived before the family became royal. Hence, in the 17th century, the whole family, then already extinct and without any established name, became known as the House of Folkung (''Folkungaätten'' in Swedish). Later research, though, showed that the political Folkungs were not just descendants of Jarl Folke—instead, they belonged to different Swedish noble families, united by the ambition to fight against a central ruler of Sweden. According to one theory, Folkungs wanted to keep the old "freedom" of the

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into ...

s, including the election of kings, and to retain local power in their own control. Many Folkungs came from the ancient provinces of

Svealand Svealand (), or Swealand, is the historical core region of Sweden. It is located in south central Sweden and is one of three historical lands of Sweden, bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland. Deep forests, Tiveden, T ...

, opposing the ruling families of the time that were mostly from

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 ...

. The first Folkung uprising in 1229 was successful, elevating Canute II onto the throne. Later developments were less promising, and the centralized system eventually suppressed their resistance.

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*{{Citation, surname=Kari, given=Risto, year=2004, title=Suomalaisten keskiaika, publisher=WSOY, isbn=951-0-28321-5 13th century in Sweden Norse clans pl:Folkungowie

See also

References

Bibliography