Birger jarls grav stadshuset
Birger Jarl - Wikipedia
Birger Jarl c. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed with the foundation of the Swedish capital, Stockholm , around Birger used the Latin title of dux sveorum et guttorum "duke of Swedes and Geats ". Birger, likely born around the time of the Battle of Gestilren in , spent his childhood and adolescence in Bjälbo, Östergötland. The exact date of his birth is uncertain and historical sources are contradictory, but examinations of his remains suggest he was around 50 years old at his death in , which would indicate a birth year around His brothers or half-brothers— Eskil , Karl , and Bengt [ sv ] —were born well before , suggesting they likely had a different mother.
Birger was named after his uncle Birger Brosa , a jarl from the House of Bjälbo and one of the most powerful men of the era, who died in Birger married Ingeborg Eriksdotter , the sister of King Erik Eriksson in the mids, following intense competition with other suitors, as chronicled in Erik's Chronicle Erikskrönikan. This combination of family ties and strategic marriage would prove vital in his ascent to power.
Birger jarls kenotaf – Wikipedia
According to some 15th and 16th century sources, Birger was responsible for a military campaign against the Novgorod Republic in , which ended in a victory by Alexander Nevsky during what is known as the Battle of the Neva. Although Birger Jarl saw many battles, some have speculated that traces of a sword blow in Birger's cranium might have originated from this battle.
When the papal diplomat William of Modena visited present Sweden around , he urged the Swedish kings to fulfill the rules of the Catholic Church, an exhortation which Birger seems to have taken as a chance to strengthen his position by simply taking the side of the church against other members of his family alternatively it's possible to interpret this as a manifestation of his pious side.
This was a choice of historical importance as it was to make Birger a jarl powerful enough to ultimately wind up the office, thus making him the last Swedish jarl ever, even called as the "first true king of Sweden" by historians. As this happened during an era when the inherited concept Folkung became more of a political party, it also meant Swedish magnates lost most of their influence which paved the way for a consolidated Swedish kingdom supported by the Pope.
The Folkungs lost the battle and were unable to resist the central government and its taxes. Holmger Knutsson fled to Gästrikland and was captured there by Birger in the following year.
Genvägar till historien - Birger jarl
Quickly brought to trial, he was beheaded. In , Birger succeeded in ending a decades-long period of hostilities with Norway. Presumably later that year, Birger led an expedition to Finland , later dubbed as the Second Swedish Crusade , which permanently established the Swedish rule in Finland. On King Erik's death in , Birger's son Valdemar was elected as the new king while Birger acted as regent, holding the true power in Sweden until his death.
In , a year after another victory over the folkungs at the Battle of Herrevadsbro [ sv ] , Birger wrote two carefully dated letters, the first mention of Stockholm interpreted as the foundation of the city or at least some sort of special interest in the location. Neither of the letters give a description of the location, however, and while archaeological traces of older defensive structures have been found there, what did exist on the premises before the midth century remains debated.
It has been suggested Birger chose the location for several reasons: Partly to curb domestic magnates by isolating them with a "lock of Lake Mälaren ", offering a defense to the lands around Mälaren from invading enemies in the process; and to create a commercial bridgehead to attract German merchants. While Birger's direct involvement in the foundation of the city remains speculative, it probably was no accident it was founded on the location at this time, as there were alternative passages into Mälaren during the preceding Viking Age ; as Crusades, a kind of Viking raids in a Christian disguise, had proven increasingly unsuccessful; and as taking control over the location, traditionally where men supposedly gathered before the ledung , meant old offensive military traditions could be replaced by more "modern" commercial efforts directed towards Lübeck.
Birger thus combined financial support from Germany with papal political support to consolidate his own position. Ingeborg died in Birger died on 21 October , at Jälbolung in Västergötland. Birger, his son Erik and Mechtilde were buried in Varnhem Abbey. When opened, it was found to contain two male skeletons and one female skeleton.
Genvägar till historien - Birger jarl: Historiehuset
These findings were later questioned and the grave was reopened in May The remains were re-examined using modern methods, which confirmed the earlier conclusions. A DNA analysis [ 18 ]. Following Birger's death, the title of jarl was replaced with duke. It was originally intended that his remains be removed there, but this was never done. He is also the central figure of Bröllopet på Ulvåsa by Frans Hedberg Birger married Ingeborg Eriksdotter in mids.
The marriage was contracted relatively near the time when Ingeborg's brother, the once-deposed Erik Eriksson, returned from exile in Denmark in