Editing Birger Jarl (section)

== Biography ==

=== Early life ===

Birger, likely born around the time of the [[Battle of Gestilren]] in 1210, spent his childhood and adolescence in [[Bjälbo|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 1266, which would indicate a birth year around 1216.<ref>Upon examination of his bones in 2002, it was determined that Birger would have been just around 50 at the time of his death, about 10 years younger than previously believed. See Kari, Risto. ''Suomalaisten keskiaika''. WSOY 2004. {{ISBN|951-0-28321-5}}. See page 119.</ref> However, since his father, [[Magnus Minnesköld]], is believed to have died no later than 1210, Birger's birth may have occurred a few years earlier.<ref name="Lindstrom-191">{{harvnb|Lindström|Lindström|2006|pages=191–193}}</ref>

Birger's mother [[Ingrid Ylva]] was, according to [[Olaus Petri]], a daughter of [[Sune Sik]] and the granddaughter of King [[Sverker I of Sweden]]. His brothers or half-brothers—[[Eskil Magnusson|Eskil]], [[Karl Magnusson|Karl]], and {{ill|Bengt Magnusson (bishop of Linköping)|lt=Bengt|sv|Bengt Magnusson (Bjälboätten)}}—were born well before 1200, 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 1202.<ref name="Lindstrom-191"/>

Birger married [[Ingeborg Eriksdotter of Sweden|Ingeborg Eriksdotter]], the sister of King [[Erik Eriksson]] in the mid-1230s, 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.<ref name="Lindstrom-191" />
During the following 15 years, Birger consolidated his position and was probably one of the most influential men years before being formally given the title [[Jarl in Sweden|jarl]] in 1248 by King Erik.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

=== Expeditions to the east ===
According to ''[[Erik's Chronicle]]'', Birger led the so-called [[Second Swedish Crusade]] across the Baltic Sea to Finland, where he defeated the pagan [[Tavastians]] (Häme Finns), forcing them to convert to Christianity. Traditionally, this expedition has been dated to 1249–1250, but many scholars now believe it took place earlier, in 1238–1239, before Birger was made jarl (See {{Section link|Second Swedish Crusade|Dating controversy}}). [[Southwest Finland]] had already been incorporated into the Swedish realm earlier, and a bishopric had been established in [[Åbo]] (Turku) by the 1220s at latest.<ref name="w046">{{cite book |last=Helle |first=Knut |title=The Cambridge History of Scandinavia |date=2003-09-04 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-47299-9 |publication-place=Cambridge, UK ; New York |page=158 |oclc=53893623}}</ref> The expedition into Tavastia extended Swedish rule inland. To secure their control, the Swedes began constructing a castle in Tavastia.<ref name="n712">{{cite book |last=Harrison |first=Dick |title=Sveriges historia: 600-1350 |date=2009 |publisher=Norstedts |isbn=978-91-1-302377-9 |publication-place=Stockholm |pages=224–225 |language=sv |oclc=550703065}}</ref>

According to some 15th and 16th century sources, Birger was also responsible for a military campaign further east in [[Ingria]] against the [[Novgorod Republic]] in 1240. This campaign ended in a defeat by Prince [[Alexander Nevsky]] at the [[Battle of the Neva]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Auty |first1=Robert |last2=Obolensky |first2=Dimitri |title=An Introduction to Russian History |date=1976 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-28038-9 |page=79 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D0iVBLGd9xEC |language=en}}</ref> While Swedish sources do not mention the battle, a 16th-century Russian manuscript ''[[Life of Alexander Nevsky (illuminated manuscript)|Life of Alexander Nevsky]]'' claims that the Swedish "king" was wounded in the face during a duel with Alexander. Some historians have speculated that traces of a sword blow found on Birger’s cranium may have originated from this battle.<ref name="Lindstrom-193">{{harvnb|Lindström|Lindström|2006|pages=193–195}}. See also [http://www.goldschp.net/SIG/nevskii/nev2.html "Battle on the Neva"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716060541/http://www.goldschp.net/SIG/nevskii/nev2.html |date=16 July 2020 }}, a 16th-century account of the battle, provided by the Slavic Interest Group of the [[Society for Creative Anachronism]]. In English.</ref> However, the original 14th-century Russian record of the battle gives no information on this at all,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://193.184.161.234/DF/detail.php?id=83|title= Description of the battle in the First Novgorod Chronicle|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927051426/http://193.184.161.234/DF/detail.php?id=83|archive-date= 27 September 2007}}. Hosted by the [http://www.narc.fi National Archive of Finland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915000053/http://www.narc.fi/ |date=15 September 2010 }}. in Swedish. See also [http://www.portalus.ru/modules/rushistory/print.php?subaction=showfull&id=1161587409&archive=&start_from=&ucat=14& original text] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927090350/http://www.portalus.ru/modules/rushistory/print.php?subaction=showfull&id=1161587409&archive=&start_from=&ucat=14& |date=27 September 2007 }}; in Russian.</ref> and the first sources linking Birger Jarl to the Neva campaign date from mid-15th century.<ref name="kansallisbiografia">{{Cite web|title=Birger Jaarli (noin 1210 - 1266)|url=https://biografiasampo.fi/henkilo/p21|access-date=29 September 2024|website=Finnish National Biography|language=fi|date=23 June 2000|first=Seppo|last=Suvanto|archive-date=7 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207094450/https://biografiasampo.fi/henkilo/p21|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Career ===
[[File:COA family sv Birger jarl.svg|thumb|150px|left|[[Coat of arms]] of Birger jarl]]
[[File:Statue_of_Birger_jarl_Riddarholmstorget_september_2011.jpg|thumb|200px|Statue of Birger Jarl (1854) by [[Bengt Erland Fogelberg]] in Stockholm]]
[[File:Suecia 1-012 ; Birger Jarl.jpg|thumb|200px|The 17th-century engraving of Birger Jarl by [[Erik Dahlberg]] is based on a fresco from [[Häme Castle]], depicting Christ with a [[scourge]] and a [[Birching|birch rod]].<ref name="f994">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/suomenhistorianp0000unse/page/58/mode/2up |title=Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen |date=1987 |publisher=Söderström |isbn=978-951-0-14253-0 |editor-last=Zetterberg |editor-first=Seppo |publication-place=Porvoo |page=58 |language=fi}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Aspelin-Haapkylä |first=Eliel |year=1895 |title=Ett föregifvet porträtt af Birger Jarl från Tavastehus slott |url=http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2016082923096 |journal=Finskt Museum |language=Swedish |location=Helsingfors |publisher=Finska Fornminnesföreningen |volume=3–4 |pages=17{{endash}}21 |editor=}}</ref>]]
When the papal diplomat [[William of Modena]] visited present Sweden around 1248, 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.{{by whom|date=January 2025}} 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.<ref name="Lindstrom-195">{{harvnb|Lindström|Lindström|2006|pages=195–198}}</ref>

In 1247, royal troops led by Birger at the [[Battle of Sparrsätra]] fought with [[Folkung]] forces led by pretender [[Holmger Knutsson]], son of King [[Knut Långe]]. 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. Quickly brought to trial, he was beheaded.

In 1249, Birger succeeded in ending a decades-long period of hostilities with Norway. As a part of the [[Treaty of Lödöse]], he also managed to marry off his daughter [[Rikissa Birgersdotter|Rikissa]], then only 11 years old, to [[Haakon Haakonsson the Young]], the eldest son of King [[Haakon IV of Norway]]. On King Erik's death in 1250, Birger's son [[Valdemar, King of Sweden|Valdemar]] was elected as the new king while Birger acted as regent, holding the true power in Sweden until his death.<ref>Kari, p. 149.</ref>

In 1252, a year after another victory over the folkungs at the {{Ill|Battle of Herrevadsbro|sv|Slaget vid Herrevadsbro}}, 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 mid-13th 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.<ref name="Lindstrom-2001">{{harvnb|Lindström|Lindström|2006|pages=201–206}}</ref>

[[Image:Birger of Sweden (1236), Matilda of Denmark & Eric of Sweden (1251) effigies 2009.jpg|thumb|200px|Grave of Birger Jarl, his second wife Mechtilde and Birger's son Duke Erik.]]
[[File:Birger jarl cenotaph, Stockholm City Hall.jpg|thumb|Cenotaph of Birger Jarl at the Stockholm City Hall]]

=== Later life and burial ===
Ingeborg died in 1254. In 1261, Birger married Queen [[Mechtilde of Holstein]], the widow of the Danish king [[Abel, King of Denmark|Abel]], who had allied herself with the Archbishop [[Jakob Erlandsen]] to protect her sons' interitance against King [[Christopher I of Denmark]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hørby |first1=Kai |last2=Olsen |first2=Rikke Agnete |date=21 February 2012 |title=Jakob Erlandsens skæbne |url=https://danmarkshistorien.lex.dk/Jakob_Erlandsens_sk%C3%A6bne |access-date=19 October 2024 |website=Danmarkshistorien |language=da |archive-date=3 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240803163929/https://danmarkshistorien.lex.dk/Jakob_Erlandsens_sk%C3%A6bne |url-status=live }}</ref> The marriage produced no children. Birger died on 21 October 1266, at Jälbolung in [[Västergötland]].<ref name="Harrison2002p271">{{harvnb|Harrison|2002|p=271}}</ref> After Birger's death, Mechtilde returned to Denmark, where she died in 1288.<ref name="s232">{{cite book |last=Wilhelmsson |first=Caroline |title=The Queens and Royal Women of Sweden, c. 970-1330 |date=14 October 2024 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-032-49117-2 |at=Chapter: Mechtild of Holstein}}</ref>

Birger, his son Erik and Mechtilde were buried in [[Varnhem Abbey]].<ref name="s232" /> The grave was forgotten after a fire in the 16th century and was only rediscovered during restoration work in the 1920s. When opened, it was found to contain two male skeletons and one female skeleton. These findings were later questioned and the grave was reopened in May 2002. The remains were re-examined using modern methods, which confirmed the earlier conclusions. A DNA analysis <ref name="d088">{{cite journal |last1=Malmström |first1=Helena |last2=Vretemark |first2=Maria |last3=Tillmar |first3=Andreas |last4=Durling |first4=Mikael Brandström |last5=Skoglund |first5=Pontus |last6=Gilbert |first6=M. Thomas P. |last7=Willerslev |first7=Eske |last8=Holmlund |first8=Gunilla |last9=Götherström |first9=Anders |year=2012 |title=Finding the founder of Stockholm – A kinship study based on Y-chromosomal, autosomal and mitochondrial DNA |journal=Annals of Anatomy - Anatomischer Anzeiger |publisher=Elsevier BV |volume=194 |issue=1 |pages=138–145 |doi=10.1016/j.aanat.2011.03.014 |pmid=21596538 |issn=0940-9602}}</ref>

Following Birger's death, the title of jarl was replaced with [[duke]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larrea |first1=Beñat Elortza |title=Polity Consolidation and Military Transformation in Medieval Scandinavia: A European Perspective, c.1035–1320 |date=13 March 2023 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-54349-2 |page=287 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Auv7EAAAQBAJ |language=en |archive-date=9 October 2024 |access-date=20 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009095940/https://books.google.com/books?id=Auv7EAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>