Albert (, – 1 April 1412), also known as Albert of Mecklenburg (), was
King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parl ...
from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.
Background
He was the second son of Duke
Albert II of Mecklenburg and
Euphemia Eriksdotter, the daughter of Duke
Erik Magnusson and sister of King
Magnus Eriksson
Magnus Eriksson (April or May 1316 – 1 December 1374) was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII from 1319 to 1355, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By adversaries he has been called ''Magnus Smek'' ().
Medi ...
of Sweden and Norway.
In 1384, he inherited the
ducal title of Mecklenburg and united it with Sweden in a personal union. Albert based his claim to the Swedish crown on his family ties: his mother, whose paternal grandfather was King
Magnus Ladulås
Magnus Ladulås (, ) or Magnus Birgersson ( 1240 – 18 December 1290) was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290.
He was a son of Birger Jarl, and became a king after a rebellion against his brother Valdemar, King of Sweden ...
, positioned him as the first in line for the Swedish throne after the dethronement or deaths of all of Magnus Eriksson's children. Additionally, Albert traced his lineage through Princess
Christina, a daughter of
Sverker II, who was King of Sweden from 1196 to 1208.
Reign
In 1363, members of the Swedish Council of Aristocracy, led by
Bo Jonsson Grip, arrived at the court of Mecklenburg. They had been banished from Sweden after a revolt against King Magnus Eriksson, Albert's uncle who was unpopular with the nobility. At the nobles' request, Albert launched an
invasion of Sweden supported by several German dukes and counts and several
Hanseatic
The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...
cities in Northern Germany.
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
and
Kalmar
Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41,388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...
in Sweden, with large
Hanseatic
The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...
populations, also welcomed the intervention.
Albert was proclaimed
King of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parl ...
on 18 February 1364. The ceremony took place at the
Stones of Mora. A fragment still remains of the stone commemorating the occasion called the
Three Crowns
Three Crowns () is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or Gilding, gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar designs are found on a numbe ...
stone. This is one of the earliest known example of the use of the three crowns as a national symbol for Sweden.
The arrival of Albert led to eight years of civil war in Sweden between Albert's and Magnus's supporters. In a battle near
Enköping
Enköping is a locality and the seat of Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 30,000 inhabitants in 2018.
Geography
Enköping is situated near Lake Mälaren, about 78 km west of Stockholm.
A comparably large number of S ...
in 1365 between Albert's German forces and those of King Magnus, supported by king
Haakon VI of Norway
Haakon VI (; ; August 1340 – 11 September 1380) was King of Norway from 1343 until his death and King of Sweden between 1362 and 1364. He is sometimes known as ''Haakon Magnusson the Younger'' to distinguish him from his great-grandfather, Ha ...
, Magnus's surviving son, Magnus was defeated and taken prisoner by Albert. After the initial defeat, King
Valdemar IV of Denmark
Valdemar IV Atterdag, Valdemar Christoffersen or Waldemar (24 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance wars under previous rul ...
, Haakon's father-in-law, intervened on Magnus's and Haakon's behalf, and Valdemar's forces were joined by Swedish peasants who supported Magnus. Apart from German strongholds like Stockholm, Albert was unpopular among Swedes who were discontent with Albert's policy of appointing Germans as officials in all the Swedish provinces.
With the help of Danish and Swedish allies, King Haakon managed to temporarily beat back Albert and lay siege on Stockholm in 1371. However, the siege was short-lived; with military help from the
Swedish nobility
The Swedish nobility (, or , ) has historically been a legally or socially privileged Social class, class in Sweden, and part of the so-called ''frälse'' (a derivation from Old Swedish meaning ''free neck''). The archaic term for nobility, ''fr ...
in Stockholm, Albert was able to beat back the Norwegians and the Danes. A peace agreement was signed, with the condition that Magnus be released and allowed to travel freely back to Norway (where he had also been king until 1355 and now spent the rest of his life). Albert had secured the Swedish crown, but was also forced to make a belated coronation oath in which he agreed to extensive concessions to the Swedish nobility in the regency council.
Bo Jonsson (Grip) used this power to personally usurp 1,500 farms and he soon became Sweden's largest landowner, controlling a third of the entirety of the Swedish territory and possessing the largest non-royal wealth in the country.
Deposition

Albert kept the crown of Sweden for another 19 years, but most of western Sweden did not support his reign. When he attempted to introduce
reduction of the large estates of the Swedish nobility, he lost his support in Stockholm. In 1389, facing a loss of landholdings and wealth, the Swedish regency council turned to Haakon's widow
Margaret
Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
to plead for help in getting rid of Albert. Queen Margaret sent troops and in February 1389, they defeated Albert at the
Battle of Åsle. Albert was captured, deposed and sent to
Lindholmen Castle in
Scania
Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...
, where he spent the next six years imprisoned. He was released after 16 days of peace negotiations in 1395, during which he agreed to either give up
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
within three years, or pay large sums in retribution to Margaret. When the three years were up, Albert's (then) only son
Erik
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...
had died after ruling
Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
in Sweden for a short time as instigated by his father, and Albert chose to give up Stockholm rather than pay the fine. In 1398 the agreement came into force, granting Margaret possession of Stockholm.
Albert returned to Mecklenburg, remarried (to
Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg), had another son and reigned as
Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin until his death, seven months before Margaret's in 1412. He had finally formally abdicated his Swedish throne in 1405, but until then he and his wife styled themselves King and Queen of Sweden. His tomb is in the
Doberan Minster in
Bad Doberan
Bad Doberan () is a town in the district of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It was the capital of the former district of Bad Doberan. In 2012, its population was 11,427.
Geography
Bad Doberan is situated just west of Rostock's city c ...
, Germany.
Marriages and children
Albert married
Richardis of Schwerin, daughter of count Otto of Schwerin, in a marriage contracted in
Wismar
Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...
on 12 October 1352.
[Albrekt of Mecklenburg biography Nordisk Familjebok (1876), p. 371–372](_blank)
/ref> The King and Queen had two children:
#Erik
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...
(died 1397), Swedish crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.
''Crown prince ...
and ruler of Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
# Richardis Catherine (died 1400), married in Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
in 1388 to Emperor Charles IV's fifth son John of Bohemia
John of Bohemia, also called the Blind or of Luxembourg (; ; ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland. He is well known for having died while fighting ...
(1370–1396), Margrave of Moravia and Duke of Görlitz (Lusatia
Lusatia (; ; ; ; ; ), otherwise known as Sorbia, is a region in Central Europe, formerly entirely in Germany and today territorially split between Germany and modern-day Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the eas ...
).
Queen Richardis died in 1377 and was buried in Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
.
In February 1396 a double wedding was arranged in Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...
. Albert married Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, widow of Count Burkhard of Mansfeld (died 1389/1390) and Duke Bogislaw VI of Pomerania (died 1393), while his son Erik married Sophie
Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Soph ...
, the daughter of Duke Bogislaw. Albert and Agnes had a son:
# Albert V of Mecklenburg (died 1423), Duke of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
and Schwerin
Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...
Queen Agnes died in 1430/1434.
References
Bibliography
In English
*
*
*
In other languages
*
*
*
*
* A good overall German source describing Albert's life.
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert of Sweden
1330s births
1412 deaths
14th-century Swedish monarchs
Dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Swedish monarchs of German descent
Dethroned monarchs
Roman Catholic monarchs