Ulf Fase (died 1247) was the

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 pet ...

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 ...

(c. 1221-47) .

Biography

Ulf Fase was probably the son of jarl Charles the Deaf (''Karl Döve'') and member the house of Folkung (''Folkungaätten''). After jarl Charles had been killed during the Swedish attack against

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people ( et, eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to Estonia who speak the Estonian language. The Estonian language is spoken as the first language by the vast majority of Estonians; it is closely related to othe ...

at the Battle of Lihula in 1220, Ulf as his closest relative was soon selected as the new jarl. An ephemeral jarl may have served briefly before Ulf's appointment. Before the death of King John I of Sweden in 1222, Ulf certainly held the office. In 1222, the rival dynasty's young heir, King Eric XI (''Erik Eriksson'') ascended the throne at the age of 6. His minority meant that jarl Ulf gained more importance along with Canute II of Sweden (''Knut långe''). The nominal regent was Ulf's cousin

Bengt Birgersson Bishop Benedict, Duke of Finland ( sv, Bengt Birgersson; fi, Bengt Birgerinpoika; 1254 – 25 May 1291) was a Swedish prelate bishop and duke. Early life Bengt Birgersson was a member of the House of Bjelbo (''Folkungaätten''). He was the you ...

. In 1229, King Canute II usurped the throne and exiled the young Eric. Ulf continued to hold the position of jarl. Upon Canute's death in 1234, King Eric, now 18, was restored to the throne. His supporters did not appreciate Ulf's "treachery" in accepting an usurper over Eric five years earlier. Ulf however was too powerful to be deposed from his office. There are clear records to show that Ulf Fase had the right to mint money, an otherwise exclusively royal prerogative. Several pieces of such coins, bearing his signs, are preserved. In 1247, there was an attempted coup against King Eric. The rebels were crushed at the Battle of Sparrsätra. Sources do not reveal whether Ulf was already dead at that time, or if alive, what was his role in the revolt. It has been speculated that he participated in the revolt and was therefore executed. Several rebel leaders were beheaded in 1247-48, including Canute's son

Holmger Knutsson Holmger Knutsson (1210s – 1248) was a Swedish nobleman and a claimant to the Swedish throne during the reign of King Eric XI of Sweden. His tomb cover showed two Coats of Arms: one is known to have been used by his father, the other is that ...

(1210s – 1248). After Ulf's death, the office of jarl was held by his relative Birger Magnusson ('' Birger jarl''). Ulf Fase left one well-attested son, Karl Ulfsson who had bad relations with Birger jarl. He later left into voluntary exile by joining the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

in Livonia. Karl was killed in 1260 at the Battle of Durbe near

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fase, Ulf Swedish nobility 1247 deaths 13th-century Swedish people Year of birth unknown Swedish jarls House of Bjelbo