Editing Birka (section)

====Bishop====
[[Archbishopric of Bremen|Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen]] that oversaw the missionary work in Scandinavia until 1103, had appointed bishops to Sweden at least from 1014 onwards, the first see being in [[Skara]]. Several bishops were appointed for Sweden in 1060s, one also for Birka.

<blockquote>For Sweden, six were consecrated: [[Adalvard|Adalvard the Elder]] (Adalwardum) and Acilinum, also [[Adalvard|Adalvard the Younger]] (Adalwardum) and Tadicum, and furthermore Simeon (Symeonem) and the monk John (Iohannem). (III 70)</blockquote>

''Scholia 94'' appends this as follows:

<blockquote>Adalvard the Elder (Adalwardus senior) was to superintend both lands of the Geats (uterque praefectus est Gothiae), Adalvard the Younger Sigtuna (Sictunam) and Uppsala (Ubsalam), Simeon (Symon) the [[Sami people]] (Scritefingos), John (Iohannes) the islands of the Baltic Sea. (Scholia 94)</blockquote>

Furthermore, the following was said about John's location after talking about Birka:

<blockquote>For this city he ordained, as the first among our people, the abbot Hiltin, whom he wanted to call John. (IV 20)</blockquote>

John seems to have been situated in Birka in order to prepare for the missionary work among the many heathen people that flooded to Birca from around the Baltic coasts. This was a logical continuation to Birka's position as the first missionary town in Sweden. Noteworthy here is that the biggest islands in the Baltic Sea, [[Öland]] and [[Gotland]], were part of the [[diocese of Linköping]] in the Middle Ages, covering also Östergötland and eastern [[Småland]].