Birger (Sweden)

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Birger Magnusson (* 1280 ; † May 31, 1321 ) was King of Sweden from 1290 to 1319. He was the son of the Swedish King Magnus Ladulås and his wife Helvig .

Birger Magnusson's coat of arms

Life

Birger Magnusson was elected king at the age of four and took office after the death of his father in 1290. But since he was only ten years old, a guardianship government was formed under Reichsmarschall Torgils Knutsson . During this time, Torgils Knutsson was able to build up an important position of power, which he was initially able to maintain after the king's accession to power in 1302.

Birger Magnusson's reign was mainly characterized by the power struggle with his brothers Erik and Valdemar , who tried to expand their sphere of influence. Shortly after he took office, the first clashes arose with his brothers, who fled to Norway - Erik was married to the daughter of the Norwegian king Håkon Magnusson - and from there embarked on military expeditions to Sweden. In 1305 there was a reconciliation and the three brothers turned against the Reichsmarschall Torgils Knutsson, whose position of power was a thorn in their side. Torgils Knutsson was captured in late 1305 and executed in February 1306.

A few months later, the king and his family were captured by his brothers on his farm in Håtuna. His six-year-old son Magnus, who had been elected heir to the throne two years earlier, was able to escape to Denmark. King Birger was brought to Nyköpingshus , where he was imprisoned for two years. In 1308 the king was released after negotiations, but shortly afterwards civil war broke out (with the participation of Norway and Denmark), which ended in the Peace of Helsingborg in 1310 . The kingdom was divided between the brothers, with the king only having formal sovereignty.

In an attempt to restore imperial unity, the king succeeded in 1317 in luring his two brothers to a feast at an Advent festival in his residence in Nyköpingshus , where they were captured and imprisoned. They died a month later. But this led to an uprising of the imperial nobility, which ultimately led to the expulsion of the king to Denmark and the capture of the now 18-year-old heir to the throne, Magnus. In 1319 Magnus , the only three-year-old son of the dead Duke Erik, was elected king and, the following year, Birger's son Magnus was executed to avoid another fight for the throne. Birger Magnusson died in exile in Denmark in 1321 and was buried in the monastery church of Ringsted .

Marriage and offspring

He had been married to Märta since 1298 , the daughter of the Danish King Erik Klipping and sister of the Danish King Erik Menved . With her he had four children: Magnus Birgersson , Erik, Agnes and Katarina.

literature

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Magnus I. King of Sweden
1290-1318 		Magnus II.
personal data
SURNAME Birger
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Birger I .; Birger Magnusson
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Sweden
DATE OF BIRTH 1280
DATE OF DEATH May 31, 1321