Bo Jonsson (Grip) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Bo Jonsson (early 1330s – 20 August 1386) was head of the royal council and marshal under the regency of 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...

. Also in the council was his friend and colleague, Karl Ulfsson av Ulvåsa, eldest son of Saint Birgitta. From 1369, during Albert of Sweden

Albert of Sweden

Albert was King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.-Background:...

’s reign, he was Officialis Generalis (the king's highest official) and from 1371 Lord High Steward

Lord High Steward

The position of Lord High Steward of England is the first of the Great Officers of State. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, except at coronations and during the trials of peers in the House of Lords, when the Lord High Steward presides. In general, but not invariably, the Lord...

(drots in Swedish).

Bo Jonsson dominated the political life of Sweden and Finland for decades. He was the most influential representative to the council of aristocracy that deposed Magnus IV of Sweden

Magnus IV of Sweden

in 1365 and installed Albrecht von Mecklenburg on the Swedish throne. His position as the new king's Officialis Generalis granted him vast fiscal and administrative control. By 1374, he had gained title to all of 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...

.

The family name, Grip, is Swedish for Griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

. A coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

showing a black griffin on a gold shield, attributed to Bo Jonsson, was later adopted as the coat of arms of Södermanland

Södermanland

', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...

. The original family arms, however, may have been Argent, a griffin's head sable, traced back to Tomas Jonsson Grip from around 1299.

Advancement

Through inheritance and unprejudiced methods, Jonsson came to control the largest private non-royal wealth Sweden has ever seen. The lord usurped 1,500 farms in 350 parishes throughout Sweden, from Kalmar

Kalmar

Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...

to Falun

Falun

Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...

, through economic and political means. He became Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

's (and Finland

Finland

's) largest landowner ever. The quantity of land under his control exceeded 1/3 of the entirety of the Swedish realm, surpassing even the ruling king's national land holdings. In 1363 he was the leader of an aristocratic rebellion. He solicited support from Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg and in 1365, he became instrumental in removing Magnus Eriksson

Magnus IV of Sweden

from the Swedish throne and offering it to the Duke's son.

Authority

From the Gripsholm Castle

Gripsholm Castle

Gripsholm Castle is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, in Sweden and is regarded as one of Sweden's finest historical monuments. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm....

in Mariefred

Mariefred

Mariefred is a locality situated in Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 3,813 inhabitants in 2005.The name is derived from that of the former Carthusian monastery here, Mariefred Charterhouse, and means "Peace of Mary"...

, which he built, Bo Jonsson governed the entire valley of Lake Mälaren

Mälaren

Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...

, Hälsingland

Hälsingland

' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...

, all of Finland

Finland

, large parts of Västergötland

Västergötland

', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....

, Eastern Östergötland

Östergötland

Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...

, and the Småland

Småland

' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...

coast, including the city of Kalmar

Kalmar

. He secured the Finnish fiefs as a reward for having assisted Albert to the throne of Sweden.

He controlled a dozen fortresses, among which were Finnish Åbo Castle, Tavastehus and Viborg

Vyborg (castle)

Vyborg Castle is a Swedish built medieval fortress around which the town of Viborg, today in Russia evolved. Currently it is a museum.-General:Viborg Castle was one of the three major castles of Finland...

, Swedish Kalmar Castle

Kalmar Castle

Kalmar Castle is a castle in Kalmar, the province of Småland in Sweden. - History :During the twelfth century a round defensive tower was built on Kalmarsund and a harbour constructed. At the end of the thirteenth century King Magnus Ladulås had a new fortress built with a curtain wall, round...

and Nyköping Castle

Nyköping Castle

Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Sweden, is a Mediaeval castle from the Birger Jarl era, partly in ruins. The castle is mostly known for the ghastly Nyköping Banquet which took place here in 1317.-Construction:...

, in addition to ones built under his own direction: Bjärkaholm, Ringstaholm, and his most prized holding, Gripsholm.

As the head of the governing council and through his personal usurption of large areas of the country, Jonsson indirectly curtailed the concentration of royal power as well as German and Danish influence. However, he also solicited foreign intervention from Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

and Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...

in order to instal the nobility party's puppet kings on the Swedish throne.

Marriage

Bo Jonsson married twice during his life. His first marriage took place with the wealthy Margareta Porse, who died shortly thereafter while undergoing childbirth. Jonsson allowed the baby to be delivered via Caesarean section

Caesarean section

A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...

, though it died but one day later. Rumours held that Jonsson allowed the procedure to ensue in order to receive the inheritance right of his wife.

His second wife was the beautiful German Margareta Dume, who had many admirers. One of her many suitors was Karl Nilsson, a nobleman from Södermanland

Södermanland

. Nilsson was stabbed in front of the high altar at the church of the Greyfriars

Greyfriars

Greyfriars may refer to:* the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, in particular the Conventual Franciscans* Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh, a church* Greyfriars Bobby, a renowned dog in Edinburgh* Greyfriars Kirkyard, a graveyard in Edinburgh...

(Franciscans), nowadays known as Riddarholmskyrkan

Riddarholmskyrkan

The Riddarholmen Church is the burial church of the Swedish monarchs. It is located on the island of Riddarholmen, close to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from...

, in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden. Contemporary sources held Bo Jonsson Grip to be guilty, acting in a jealous rage, but Jonsson maintained his innocence in witnessed testimonies, swearing his presence to have been elsewhere. Due to his powerful position, he was never charged. Nine days later, the estate formerly belonging to Karl Nilsson fell into the hands of Jonsson.

Death

Jonsson died 20 August 1386 and donated in his will a substantial part of his wealth to monasteries and churches in Sweden. In particular he gave aid to the monastery in Vadstena

Vadstena

Vadstena is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,612 inhabitants in 2005. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality....

, operated by the Bridgittine Order and dedicated to Saint Birgitta whom Jonsson had dedicated a big part of his life to get canonized. To ensure that the rest of his possessions would not fall into the hands of king Albert of Sweden whom Bo did not hold in very high regard he appointed a council of lords who would govern them in his name. The struggle between the king and this council concerning the huge estates Jonsson left behind would eventually lead to the Kalmar Union

Kalmar Union

The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...

Progeny

Lord Bo's first wife, who died at childbirth, bore him a son Jon Bosson, who died the same day. With his second wife Margreta Lambrektsdotter (Dume), he had at least two children, history tells about his son Knut Bosson Grip who was once castellan

Castellan

A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...

of Turku castle

Turku Castle

Turku Castle is a monument of Finnish history situated in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. Turku Castle is the largest surviving medieval building in Finland and one of the largest surviving medieval...

, and daughter Margareta Bosdotter who married Detler Bylow. The second marriage possibly produced other daughters too, but they are unnamed in historical sources.

He was influential in the expansion of the medieval Finnish economy and his descendants were created baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

s in 1561 (see Grip av Vinäs).

Advancement

Authority

Marriage

Death

Progeny

Further reading