Hovgården is an

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

site on the

Lake Mälaren A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larg ...

island of Adelsö in

Ekerö Municipality Ekerö Municipality ( sv, Ekerö kommun) is a municipality in the province of Uppland in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. The name derives from the name of the main island within the municipality whose name is Ekerön, and literally means ...

in central-eastern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

. During the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

, the centre of the prospering

Mälaren Valley The Mälaren Valley ( sv, Mälardalen), occasionally referred to as Stockholm-Mälaren Region (''Stockholm-mälarregionen''), is the easternmost part of Svealand, the catchment area of Lake Mälaren and the surrounding municipalities. The term is ...

was the settlement

Birka Birka (''Birca'' in medieval sources), on the island of Björkö (lit. "Birch Island") in present-day Sweden, was an important Viking Age trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as many parts of the European continent and ...

, founded in the mid-8th century and abandoned in the late 10th century and located on the island Björkö just south of Adelsö. Hovgården is believed to have been the site from which kings and chieftains ruled the area. Hovgården, together with Birka became a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 1993.National Heritage Board Hovgården is located on the flat country north-west of the Romanesque Adelsö Church, characterised by a narrow

rift valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear d ...

stretching north to forest-laden

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...

s. These historical

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

s lands were cultivated in the 19th century and have hardly been altered since, as several well-preserved 18th century farmyards bear witness to.Bratt

History

The oldest archaeological remains on Adelsö, found north of Hovgården, are grave fields and burial mounds from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

(c. 1800-500 BCE). Apparently this culture survived into the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...

(500-800 CE) as graves from the early part of this period have been found at several locations in the area. At Hovgården some 124 graves have been found; the oldest from late

Roman Iron Age The archaeology of Northern Europe studies the prehistory of Scandinavia and the adjacent North European Plain, roughly corresponding to the territories of modern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, northern Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. The regi ...

(1-400 CE) and the youngest from the beginning of the

Middle Ages 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 ...

(c. 1050-1520), indicating the area has been settled uninterruptedly throughout this period. Just north of the parish church are five large burial

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically highe ...

s of which three are called ''Kungshögar''. In Swedish, ''Kung'' meaning King and ''högar'', from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

word ''haugr'', meaning mound or barrow. Hovgården apparently was the location for a royal estate ''Kungsgård'' as early as the

(c. 800-1050 CE). An excavation of one of these royal mounds in 1917 revealed the remains of a wealthy man who lived around 900 CE. He was burned lying in a boat, dressed in expensive clothing but without weapons, accompanied by horses, cows, and dogs. The ruins of Alsnö hus, Adelsö

, the oldest town in Sweden, was an international trade post. It has been assumed the royal settlement at Hovgården was established as the king's mean of controlling Birka. However, while Birka was abandoned in the mid-10th century, the royal estate was apparently not as the runestone U 11 from around 1070 which claims to have been carved for the king was erected next to the royal mounds. It was part of Uppsala öd, a network of royal estates supporting the

Kings of Sweden This is a list of Swedish kings, queens, regents and viceroys of the Kalmar Union. History The earliest record of what is generally considered to be a Swedish king appears in Tacitus' work ''Germania'', c. 100 AD (the king of the Suiones). Howe ...

. Furthermore, King Magnus Barnlock had the old castle replaced by a palace built in brick,

Alsnö hus ''Alsnö hus'' (''Alsnö House'') is the ruin of a palace at the Hovgården settlement archaeological site, located on the island of Adelsö (formerly called ''Alsnö'') in Lake Mälaren in central-eastern Sweden. The ruins are part of the combin ...

, in the 1270s. In the palace, the king established the

Swedish nobility 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 ...

through the Ordinance of Alsnö (''Alsnö stadga'') in 1279. However, the palace was destroyed before the end of that century, and as it was left to decay Hovgården lost in importance.

Gallery

Beorn at the Mound's alleged tumulus 2009 Hovgården Ekerö (2).jpg Hovgården Adelsö 2012a.jpg Kungshögarna Adelsö 48 2 September 2013 03.jpg Kungshögarna Adelsö 48 4 September 2013 05.jpg Kungshögarna Adelsö 48 6 September 2013 03.jpg Skopintull sign 2009 Hovgården Ekerö.jpg Kungshögarna Adelsö 48 1 September 2013 01.jpg File:Hovgården historic area sign 2009 Ekerö Sweden (2).jpg File:Alsnö hus September 2013 03.jpg

Notes

References

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External links

Birka and Hovgården
from

Birka and Hovgården
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hovgarden Viking Age populated places Former populated places in Sweden Geography of Stockholm County Tourist attractions in Stockholm County World Heritage Sites in Sweden Uppland Adelsö