Eriksgata

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At Anundshög a row of stones shows the course of Eriksgata

As eriksgata the journey is called, at which the on Stones of Mora newly elected Swedish kings of the Middle Ages were confirmed. They crossed the various provinces of the country and were recognized by the heads of regional jurisdiction. At the same time, the new king and his entourage were given the right to care by the numerous so-called royal manors ( kungsgårdar ), which were spread across the country.

The trip was especially important because initially only representatives from central Svealand were present when the king was elected at the Stein von Mora and so confirmation from the other regions was pending. The trip gradually became less important after representatives from almost all of Sweden's provinces voted for a king in the 14th century.

It is not known today when this custom originated. Possibly it was originally the route that the fertility goddess's chariot took on its annual tour of the country. It is also believed that the itinerary changed over time. An early description can be found in the work Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus . Detailed documentation only existed from the 14th century. A state law of Magnus II describes the Eriksgata in the following way:

Now the king should ride his Eriksgata, and men of the country should follow him ... so that he is protected and safe ... And the king should promise every part of the country and every jurisdiction that he will keep all of his oaths to them, which he has in Uppsala swore where he first became king.

Now he is to ride with the sun through his country. And those who live in the judicial zone of Uppsala should follow him to Strängnäs.

The legal text was followed by a description of the journey via Södermanland , Östergötland , Småland , Västergötland , Närke and Västmanland back to Uppsala . The text continues:

So the king came legally to land and empire and rode Eriksgata. He is now elected, as the law prescribes, and with oaths and words has given his country and his compatriots what he owed them, and they gave him what they owed him.

After returning from Eriksgata, the new king was crowned by the archbishop in Uppsala Cathedral. After Gustav Wasa , who introduced the hereditary succession to the throne, the Eriksgata only had a symbolic character. The last king to carry out Eriksgata according to the old laws was Charles IX. (1550-1611). Later kings made visits to the Swedish provinces and called them "Eriksgata", but these trips had nothing in common with the medieval tradition.

See also

literature

  • Holmblad, Eriksgatan. Från medeltid till nutid , Carlsson, 1993. ISBN 91-7798-664-4
  • Monica Gabrielsson Lantz, Eriksgatan i Östergötland - Kungsvägen till historien , G. Ekströms förlag, 2003, ISBN 91-9747-910-1

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Folke Ström: Nordisk Hedendom . Gothenburg 1961. p. 52.