Inge the Elder (

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 ...

: ''Inge Stenkilsson'';

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 settlemen ...

: ''Ingi Steinkelsson''; died c. 1105–1110) was a

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 ...

. In English literature he has also been called ''Ingold''. While scant sources do not allow us to paint a full picture of his term of kingship, he is known to have led a turbulent but at length successful reign of more than two decades. He stands out as a devout Christian who founded the first abbey in Sweden and acted harshly against pagan practices. The kingdom was still an unstable realm based on alliances of noblemen, and Inge's main power base was 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 Östergötland; one of the earliest chronicles that mention his reign knows him as ''rex gautorum'', king of the Geats.Peter Sawyer, ''När Sverige blev Sverige''. Alingsås: Viktoria, 1991, p. 37.

Biography

Inge was the son of the former King Stenkil and a Swedish princess. Inge shared the rule of the kingdom with his probably elder brother

Halsten Stenkilsson Halsten Stenkilsson, English exonym: Alstan (Old Icelandic: ''Hallstein''The article ''Inge'' in ''Nordisk familjebok'' (1910).
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but little is known with certainty of Inge's reign. According to the contemporary chronicler

Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen ( la, Adamus Bremensis; german: Adam von Bremen) (before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle ''Gesta ...

and the writer of his

scholion Scholia (singular scholium or scholion, from grc, σχόλιον, "comment, interpretation") are grammatical, critical, or explanatory comments – original or copied from prior commentaries – which are inserted in the margin of t ...

, the former king Stenkil had died and two kings named Eric had ruled and been killed. Then an Anund Gårdske was summoned from

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...

, but rejected due to his refusal to administer the

blót ( Old Norse) and or ( Old English) are terms for "blood sacrifice" in Norse paganism and Anglo-Saxon paganism respectively. A comparanda can also be reconstructed for wider Germanic paganism. A ' could be dedicated to any of the Germanic ...

s at the

Temple at Uppsala The Temple at Uppsala was a religious center in the ancient Norse religion once located at what is now Gamla Uppsala (Swedish "Old Uppsala"), Sweden attested in Adam of Bremen's 11th-century work '' Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' and ...

. A hypothesis suggests that Anund and Inge were the same person, as several sources mention Inge as a fervent Christian. All that can be said is that a

Håkan the Red Håkan the Red ( Swedish: ''Håkan Röde'') was a king of Sweden, reigning for about half a decade in the second half of the 11th century.''Håkan Röde'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'': There is little information on him, and it is mostly contradic ...

ruled in c. 1075 (when Adam concluded his chronicle) and that Inge was enthroned under unknown circumstances shortly before 1080. In a letter to Inge from Pope Gregory VII, from 1080, he is called "king of the Swedes", but in a later letter probably dated to 1081, to Inge and another king "A" (either his brother Halsten or

), they are called kings of the West

Geat The Geats ( ; ang, gēatas ; non, gautar ; sv, götar ), sometimes called ''Goths'', were a large North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the late Middle Ages. They are one of th ...

s.The article ''Inge d.ä.'' in ''

Nationalencyklopedin ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 1 ...

''. Whether this difference reflects a change in territory is not certain since the two letters concern the spreading of Christianity in Sweden and the paying of tithe to the Pope.

Rise of Blot-Sweyn and the expulsion of Inge

In perhaps the early 1080s, Inge was forced to abdicate by the Swedes over his disrespect for old traditions and his refusal to administer the pagan custom of the blót. Blot-Sweyn (Swain the Sacrifier) was thus elected king. The '' Hervarar saga'' describes the rise of Sweyn, the abdication and how Inge was exiled in

: However, Inge returned after three winters to kill Blot-Sweyn and reclaim the throne: A similar story also appears in the '' Orkneyinga saga'', but in this account, Sweyn stays indoors and is burnt to death: In Västergötland, Inge lived, according to later tradition, at

Bjurum The Bjurum manor, also known as ''Stora Bjurum'' (Grand Bjurum) or ''Stora Bjurum herrgård'' (Grand Bjurum manor), is a Swedish manor located in Västergötland. It is one of the largest in the country. Renowned lake Hornborgasjön is located in ...

near present-day

Falköping Falköping is a locality and the seat of Falköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 16,350 inhabitants in 2010. History The town of Falköping was first spoken of in the Icelandic ''Rimbegla'' (around 1100 A.D.), and ...

."Hångers kyrkoruin", http://wadbring.com/historia/undersidor/hanger.htm An Icelandic skald named Markús Skeggjason was one of his court poets, according to ''Skáldatal''. Markús was later the lawspeaker of Iceland from 1084. It has been suggested that the details about Inge and Blot-Sweyn in the Norse literature are derived from him. In that case Blot-Sweyn's short reign would fall in the early years of the 1080s. According to the ''Westrogothic law'', Inge ruled Sweden with virility and he never broke the laws that had been accepted in the districts.

Later years

Around 1100, Inge and Queen Helena founded Vreta Abbey near present-day Linköping in Östergötland. The abbey housed Sweden's first nunnery and is one of the oldest in Scandinavia. The abbey belonged to the Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine order and was founded on the orders of Pope Paschal II. As a step in the preparation of a Nordic archbishopric in Lund in Denmark, a list of Swedish sees and provinces was drawn up in c. 1100 which gives an idea about Inge's realm. The sees (''Nomina ciuitatum in suethia'') are given as Scara, Lionga, Kaupinga, Tuna, Strigin, Sigituna, and Arosa. Of these, Scara and Sigituna are easily identified as Skara and Sigtuna; these are also mentioned by Adam of Bremen as seats for bishops. Lionga and Strigin are probably Linköping and Strängnäs, while the others are harder to identify. These might have been places with a substantial Christian population, rather than stable administrative units. Meanwhile, the provinces or "islands" (''Nomina insularum, de regno sueuorum'') are Gothica australis ( Östergötland), Gothica occidentalis (

), Guasmannia (Västmanland), Sundermannia (Södermanland), Nerh (Närke), Tindia (Tiundaland), Fedundria (Fjädrundaland), Atanht (Attundaland), Guthlandia (Gotland), Guarandia (Värend), Findia (Finland or Finnveden), Hestia (Estonia), Helsingia (Helsingland), Guarmelande (Värmland), and Teuste (Tjust). The inclusion of Estonia, and possibly Finland, may point to missionary influences or ambitions, rather than indicating that these areas belonged to Inge's kingdom. It is, nevertheless, known that Inge married one of his daughters to a Prince of Novgorod, pointing at an active dynastic policy directed to the east. About this time Inge and the Norwegian king Magnus Barefoot were at war, since Magnus coveted the province Dalsland. A Norwegian fortification was built at Kållandsö in Lake Vänern. However, Inge marched a strong army over the ice in the winter, and forced the garrison to surrender. Some time later Magnus invaded western Sweden with fresh troops, but was attacked by Inge at Lilla Edet, Fuxarne. The Geats drove the Norwegian army from the field and Magnus barely escaped with his life. However, in 1101 the war came to an end with a peace agreement concluded at Kungahälla together with king Eric Evergood of Denmark. Eric had spent time in exile in Sweden before his enthronement, and therefore probably had good relations with the House of Stenkil. At this meeting Inge gave his daughter Margareta as wife to king Magnus, with Dalsland as dowry. In Snorri's ''Magnus Barefoot's Saga'', a part of the ''Heimskringla'', there is a description of the appearance of Inge:

Death

The ''Hervarar saga'' tells that Inge died of old age and that he ruled until his death. The exact date of his death is not known, but his successor Philip of Sweden, Philip (d. 1118) is said to have ruled "briefly". Since the province of Jämtland went over to the Norwegian king in 1111, it might mean that the forceful Inge was dead by the time, and that his weak successors were unable to maintain his realm. He may therefore have died around 1110. According to later local tradition, Inge was originally buried in a small church at

, but his remains were later moved to another location. There is also a gravestone for him in a deserted churchyard at Hånger and a special cenotaph among other royal grave chapels at Varnhem Abbey. Inge's actual grave is most likely a set of remains found in Vreta Abbey in a section of the abbey church that was erected by Inge's son Ragnvald.Göran Tagesson (2007). ''I Erik Lundbergs fotspår - klosterköket, Stenkilska gravkoret och ett (o)möjligt babtisterium''. Vreta klosters klosterområde och kyrka. RAÄ 50. Riksantikvarieämbetet UV Öst Rapport 2007:60. Arkeologisk undersökning, murverksdokumentation och antikvarisk kontroll 2005-2007. All skeletons that are likely to be that of Inge are very tall, about two meters in length, suggesting that Snorri's description was accurate.

Family

King Inge was married to Helena (wife of Inge the Elder), Helena. Together with Helena, Inge founded the Vreta Abbey, monastery of Vreta. Inge's son, Ragnvald, died before he could succeed his father on the throne. Inge was succeeded by his two nephews, Philip Halstensson and Inge the Younger, who were the sons of his elder brother Halsten Stenkilsson. King Inge and Queen Helena were the parents of four children: *Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, Christina, married Prince Mstislav I of Kiev, Mstislav I of Novgorod, later Grand Duke of Kiev. *Ragnvald, father of Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter. It has been suggested by historian Sven Tunberg that this Ragnvald is identical with Ragnvald Knaphövde.'' *Margaret Fredkulla, married King Magnus Barefoot of Norway, and later King Niels of Denmark *Catherine Ingesdotter of Sweden, Catherine, married Danish Prince Björn Ironside Haraldsson

Notes and references

Sources

* Lagerqvist, Lars O. ''Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år''(Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag AB., 1982) * Soloviev, Sergei ''The History of Russia from the Most Ancient Times'' (1959–1966) * William, Abbot of Ebelholt, "Genealogia regum Danorum" (1195), in ''Scriptores minores historiae Danicae medii aevi'' (Copenhagen: Gad, 1917–18).

External links

''The Ancestry of the Danish and Swedish Kings''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inge 01 Of Sweden 11th-century Swedish monarchs 12th-century Swedish monarchs Kings of the Geats 11th-century births 1105 deaths House of Stenkil Burials at Vreta Abbey Sons of kings Royal reburials