Benedict, Duke of Halland
Encyclopedia
Duke Benedict of Halland
and Finland
(c. 1330 – c. 1360), aka Bengt Algotsson, was a medieval Swedish lord, and royal favourite
.
He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter. Svantepolk had been the younger son of Canute, Duke of Reval
, Laland and Belinge (possibly also Halland), a bastard of Valdemar II of Denmark
with Helena Guttormsdatter, daughter of a Swedish earl. Benedikta was the sister-in-law of King Eric XI and daughter of earl Sune Folkason, justiciar of Västergötland, with his wife Helena Sverkersdotter, herself the daughter of Sverker II of Sweden
and his first wife Benedikte Ebbesdotter of the Galen. This made Benedict as one of the noblest blood of Sweden of his time.
His success was due to his being the favorite and alleged lover of king Magnus IV of Sweden
and Norway.
His coat of arms was a standing lion; thus, the family has in some later reconstructions been called Lejon. This may also mean they were kin with the Folkunge, his line's ancestress belonging to those siblings of Boberg family who were nephews and nieces of Birger jarl.
His paternal great-grandfather was Bengt Magnusson, justice of Östergötland.
His kinship with the royal family (he was at least a distant cousin of Magnus, fourth cousin counted from Danish kings) and with other noble families of the country is presumed as the reason for the young man's exceptionally rapid rise.
From 1352 he is known to had a seat in the kingdom's Privy Council.
Duke Benedict was married to Ingeborg Ulvsdotter of Tofta (sparre
). She was much older than he, possibly already a widow. Ingeborg was the daughter of Ulf Abjörnsson, justiciar of Tiohärad, the younger half-sister of Lord Karl of Tofta, maternal niece of Erengisle, Earl of Orkney, and the aunt of the future Margaret Sparre of Tofta, mother of Charles VIII of Sweden
and ancestress of Gustav Vasa.
In about 1353, the king created Benedict Duke of Finland
and Halland. The title of Halland came from his descent from Duke Canute of Reval whose male line, which had held Halland as compensation for Reval and Laland, had gone extinct some fifty years earlier. Previous holders of the duchy of Halland had been the king's own father Duke Eric, his mother Duchess Ingeborg, and Ingeborg's second husband Knut Porse, as well as king's half-brothers.
Benedict was also appointed Viceroy of Scania
, the newly-acquired group of mostly Danish provinces.
Most probably, the chief reasons the king took these steps were to stop the spiritual and secular frälse, to gain yet more power at royal expense, and Hanseatic power in Nordic commerce. (Their personal relationship was also rumored at the time to be the reason.) The Viceroy confiscated many of the properties of the Archdiocese of Lund upon the death of Archbishop Peder Jensen in 1355. Hanseatic privileges were also curbed in Skanish ports.
However, Benedict repudiated his wife sometime in 1356, one of the reasons his noble relatives did not protect him. His wife's relatives became his enemies, and the duke was driven into exile. A civil war started at about the same time: leaders of Swedish nobility used the king's eldest son Eric as claimant and cited the favorite's exceptional privileges as an insult to the younger king. In 1356 a revolt started, nominally against Duke Benedict, but actually to weaken the king and his centralizing grip.
In 1357, Benedict was exiled and Scania as well as several other Swedish and Finnish provinces were given to the young king Eric. Duke Benedict's elder brother Lord Knut was exiled to Norway with his wife Märta Ulvsdotter, a daughter of St Bridget of Sweden.
The details of his life in Norway are largely unknown, but are being researched by historian Raam Ravi.
Benedict probably lived in Denmark. In c 1360, Benedict returned to Sweden, but according to tradition was besieged in Rönneholm castle in Scania and eventually killed by his brother-in-law Lord Karl Ulvsson and Magnus Nilsson Röde.
Duke Benedict had no children.
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(c. 1330 – c. 1360), aka Bengt Algotsson, was a medieval Swedish lord, and royal favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
.
He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter. Svantepolk had been the younger son of Canute, Duke of Reval
Canute, Duke of Reval
Canute or Knud Valdemarsen was a Danish bastard son of King Valdemar II of Denmark, who became Duke of Revelia, Blekinge and Lolland.Canute was the son of the king by his concubine, Helena Guttormsdotter, widow of Danish nobleman Esbern Snare and daughter of the late Guttorm, Riksjarl of Sweden....
, Laland and Belinge (possibly also Halland), a bastard of Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II of Denmark
Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime...
with Helena Guttormsdatter, daughter of a Swedish earl. Benedikta was the sister-in-law of King Eric XI and daughter of earl Sune Folkason, justiciar of Västergötland, with his wife Helena Sverkersdotter, herself the daughter of Sverker II of Sweden
Sverker II of Sweden
Sverker II was King of Sweden from 1196 to 1208.-Biography:...
and his first wife Benedikte Ebbesdotter of the Galen. This made Benedict as one of the noblest blood of Sweden of his time.
His success was due to his being the favorite and alleged lover of king Magnus IV of Sweden
Magnus IV of Sweden
Magnus Eriksson as Magnus IV was king of Sweden , including Finland, as Magnus VII King of Norway , including Iceland and Greenland, and also ruled Scania . He has also vindictively been called Magnus Smek...
and Norway.
His coat of arms was a standing lion; thus, the family has in some later reconstructions been called Lejon. This may also mean they were kin with the Folkunge, his line's ancestress belonging to those siblings of Boberg family who were nephews and nieces of Birger jarl.
His paternal great-grandfather was Bengt Magnusson, justice of Östergötland.
His kinship with the royal family (he was at least a distant cousin of Magnus, fourth cousin counted from Danish kings) and with other noble families of the country is presumed as the reason for the young man's exceptionally rapid rise.
From 1352 he is known to had a seat in the kingdom's Privy Council.
Duke Benedict was married to Ingeborg Ulvsdotter of Tofta (sparre
Sparre
Sparre is a Scandinavian surname - originally borne by a noble family - and can refer to:* Aage Jepsen Sparre, Danish priest* Christian Sparre, Norwegian politician* Desirée Sparre-Enger, Norwegian pop singer...
). She was much older than he, possibly already a widow. Ingeborg was the daughter of Ulf Abjörnsson, justiciar of Tiohärad, the younger half-sister of Lord Karl of Tofta, maternal niece of Erengisle, Earl of Orkney, and the aunt of the future Margaret Sparre of Tofta, mother of Charles VIII of Sweden
Charles VIII of Sweden
Charles VIII of Sweden , Charles I of Norway, also Carl, , was king of Sweden and king of Norway ....
and ancestress of Gustav Vasa.
In about 1353, the king created Benedict Duke of Finland
Duke of Finland
Duke of Finland was an occasional medieval title granted as a tertiogeniture to the relatives of the King of Sweden between the 13th and 16th centuries. It included a duchy along with the feudal customs, and often meant a veritably independent principality...
and Halland. The title of Halland came from his descent from Duke Canute of Reval whose male line, which had held Halland as compensation for Reval and Laland, had gone extinct some fifty years earlier. Previous holders of the duchy of Halland had been the king's own father Duke Eric, his mother Duchess Ingeborg, and Ingeborg's second husband Knut Porse, as well as king's half-brothers.
Benedict was also appointed Viceroy of Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, the newly-acquired group of mostly Danish provinces.
Most probably, the chief reasons the king took these steps were to stop the spiritual and secular frälse, to gain yet more power at royal expense, and Hanseatic power in Nordic commerce. (Their personal relationship was also rumored at the time to be the reason.) The Viceroy confiscated many of the properties of the Archdiocese of Lund upon the death of Archbishop Peder Jensen in 1355. Hanseatic privileges were also curbed in Skanish ports.
However, Benedict repudiated his wife sometime in 1356, one of the reasons his noble relatives did not protect him. His wife's relatives became his enemies, and the duke was driven into exile. A civil war started at about the same time: leaders of Swedish nobility used the king's eldest son Eric as claimant and cited the favorite's exceptional privileges as an insult to the younger king. In 1356 a revolt started, nominally against Duke Benedict, but actually to weaken the king and his centralizing grip.
In 1357, Benedict was exiled and Scania as well as several other Swedish and Finnish provinces were given to the young king Eric. Duke Benedict's elder brother Lord Knut was exiled to Norway with his wife Märta Ulvsdotter, a daughter of St Bridget of Sweden.
The details of his life in Norway are largely unknown, but are being researched by historian Raam Ravi.
Benedict probably lived in Denmark. In c 1360, Benedict returned to Sweden, but according to tradition was besieged in Rönneholm castle in Scania and eventually killed by his brother-in-law Lord Karl Ulvsson and Magnus Nilsson Röde.
Duke Benedict had no children.