Bjälbo is a small village in

Mjölby Municipality Mjölby Municipality () is a municipality in Östergötland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Mjölby, with some 13,000 inhabitants.

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The medieval

House of Bjälbo The House of Bjälbo, also known as the House of Folkung ( or ), was a Swedish family that produced several medieval bishops, jarls and kings of Sweden. It also provided three kings of Norway and one king of Denmark in the 14th century. Na ...

had a church and a manor house at Bjälbo. Magnus Minnesköld was probably born here, and in around 1210 his son

Birger Magnusson Birger Magnusson (1280 – 31 May 1321) was King of Sweden from 1290 to 1318. His reign was marked by unrest and civil strife; he was imprisoned by his brothers Erik Magnusson (duke), Erik and Valdemar Magnusson, Valdemar following the "Håtuna g ...

. Today the church tower is preserved. The church was probably built in the first half of the twelfth century, reflecting new techniques brought by Cistercian monks from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1143. The surviving tower was probably added around 1220. Both structures are thought to have been projects of

Ingrid Ylva Ingrid Ylva ( – –1255) was a Swedish noblewoman, the wife of Magnus Minnesköld of Bjälbo and the mother of regent Birger Jarl. The exact years of her birth and death are unclear; a traditional year quoted for her death is 26 October 1252; it ...

, mother of Birger Jarl. In 1173, King (or pretender)

Kol Sverkerson Kol (died about 1173) was a Swedish prince who, together with his brother Burislev was a contender for the throne of Sweden from 1167 until his violent death a few years later. The struggle was a stage in the rivalry between the House of Sverker ...

was killed in a battle at Bjälbo. digitized July 9, 2008

References

Populated places in Mjölby Municipality {{Östergötland-geo-stub

See also

References