Eric XII of Sweden
| Eric XII | |
|---|---|
_seal_1905.jpg) The seal of King Erik Magnusson. | |
| Born | 1339 |
| Died | 20 June 1359 (aged 19–20) |
| Spouse | Beatrix of Bavaria |
| House | Bjälbo |
| Father | Magnus Eriksson |
| Mother | Blanche of Namur |
Eric XII[a] (Swedish: Erik Magnusson; 1339 – 20 June 1359) was King of Sweden and lord of Scania in 1344–1359. He was a co-ruler with his father, King Magnus Eriksson, from 1356 until his death in 1359.[1]
Biography
[edit]Erik was born in early 1339 as the eldest son of King Magnus Eriksson (1316–1374) who ruled both Sweden and Norway.[1] When Magnus' second son, Haakon, was born the following year, Magnus decided to divide the kingdoms between his sons. Erik was designated to succeed his father as King of Sweden, while Haakon would become King of Norway during his father's lifetime.[1] Although, by Norwegian law, Erik was the rightful heir to the Norwegian throne, the Norwegian Council of the Realm agreed to this arrangement in 1343. In 6 December 1344, Erik was formally elected King of Sweden at the Stones of Mora.[1]
In 1355, Haakon was declared of age, and after that, he was the sovereign ruler of Norway, although his father's influence remained significant.[2] In contrast, Erik held no power while his father continued to reign as King of Sweden.
Erik was married in 1356 to Beatrix of Bavaria (1344-1359), daughter of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor.[3][1] In 1357, a Swedish rebellion forced King Magnus to share the rule of Sweden with his son Erik, who was allowed domain over most of Scania and Finland. Joint rule of Sweden was established again in 1359 when father and son became reconciled and co-ruled Sweden until Eric's death a few months later. Quite soon after his death his wife, Beatrix, died as well. It is generally believed that they both died of the Black Death.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Referring to Erik Magnusson as King Eric XII is a later invention, counting backwards from Eric XIV (1560–68). He and his brother Charles IX (1604–1611) adopted numerals according to a fictitious history of Sweden. The number of Swedish monarchs named Eric before Eric XIV (at least seven) is unknown, going back into prehistory. It would be speculative to try to affix a mathematically accurate one to this king.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Erik Magnusson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ Suvanto, Seppo (2000). "Håkan Maununpoika". Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ "Magnus Eriksson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2020.