Editing Birger Jarl (section)

=== 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}}