Kungahälla
The medieval town of Kungahälle , ( Konghelle in Norwegian ), today in Kungälv , a few kilometers from Gothenburg , played an important role in the history of Sweden , albeit initially on the Norwegian side . The city is said to have been founded in 959 three or four kilometers west of Kungälv. Written sources do not mention it until 1140 AD, which is more likely to be confirmed by finds. Along with Lödöse, Kungahälla is the oldest town in Bohuslän . It developed into the strategically most important and in the Middle Ages even the largest city in Norway. After 700 years of existence, Kungahälla, which had meanwhile lost its importance, came to Sweden with the Peace of Roskilde in 1658.
Story after Snorri Sturluson
According to Snorri Sturluson, the Norwegian King Olav I Tryggvason met here in 998 with the Swedish Queen Sigrid Storråda (born 965; died after 1014) to discuss a possible wedding, which ended because Sigrid refused to accept the Christian faith. This is said to have led to the first officially mentioned political difficulties between Sweden and Norway.
In 1025 the Swedish King Anund Jakob (d. 1050) and the Norwegian King Olav the Saint (995-1030) are said to have met in Kungahälla to march in 1026 against the Danish enemy. Although the kings left with 420 ships, the Danish King Canute the Great won the battle of the Helgeå in Skåne .
In 1101 the meeting of the three Nordic kings Inge den äldre (about 1080-1101 - Sweden), Magnus Barfot (about 1073-1103 - Norway) and Erik Ejegod (about 1056-1103 - Denmark) is said to have taken place in Kungahälla led to a peace treaty between the three northern kingdoms. A "peace stone" erected in Kungälv in 1940 commemorates the historic event over 900 years ago.
Under Sigurd I (1090–1130), the place is said to have played a role as a royal seat and trading town. He built a castle and the monastery forts. The Augustinian monastery and the fortress with moat, the location of which is being discussed, were probably located on the Klosterkullen.
In 1135 the Pomeranians under Duke Ratibor I (died 1156) attacked and plundered Kungahälla. The church and the fortress were razed to the ground, with Ratibor taking the shrine of Cammin ( Swedish Camminskrinet ). According to more recent views, however, the shrine is viewed as a gift from the Danish Bishop Asker to the Pomeranian Apostle Otto von Bamberg . The original of the shrine has been lost since World War II . One replica is in the Roman-Germanic Central Museum , Mainz, another in the Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald.
Further development
From the middle of the 13th century Konghelle became even more important as the southern outpost of the kingdom under King Håkon IV . In Ragnhildsholmen he built a castle with a curtain wall to defend the city. At the time of Haakon IV a Franciscan monastery was built, while the older Augustine monastery was rebuilt forts from the 12th century. When Bohus Fortress was built in the 14th century , Kungahälle lost its importance and was replaced by Kungälv, which lay at the foot of the fortress, for important tasks.
In 1368 Kungahälla was burned down during the Second Waldemark War with the Hanseatic League .
When the Swedes burned Kungahälla down again in the Kalmar War in 1612, the place was no longer rebuilt and abandoned on behalf of King Christian IV .
Archaeological excavations of the Ragnhildsholmen monasteries and castles were carried out at the end of the 19th century and up to our day. The ruins are open to the public.
literature
- Hans Andersson, Kristina Carlsson, Maria Vretemark: Kungahälla: problem och forskning kring stadens äldsta historia. (Skrifter Bohusläns museum - volume / heft no. 70 - Lund studies in medieval archeology - volume / heft no. 28 (2001)), ISBN 91-7686-137-6
- Berit Synnøve Flo: Det norske Båhuslen and Norges ukjente hovedstad Konghelle (Kungälv): en historisk and cultural oppdagelsesreise. Oslo: Andresen & Butenschøn 2005. ISBN 82-7694-179-6
Web links
- Kungahälla - entry in the database "Fornsök" des Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish)
- Description and pictures (Swedish)
Coordinates: 57 ° 51 ' N , 11 ° 56' E