Stenkil of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Stenkil was a King of Sweden who ruled c. 1060 until 1066. He succeeded Emund the Old and became the first king from the House of Stenkil
. He was not from Uppsala
, but probably from Västergötland
and related to the previous dynasty by marriage to Emund's daughter
.
He supported the Christianization of Sweden
and cooperated with bishops from the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen
. However, when Adalvard the Younger
at Sigtuna
wanted to destroy the Temple at Uppsala
, Stenkil stopped Adalvard's plans, as he feared a pagan insurgence. The fears were probably motivated. According the Hervarar saga
, Stenkil's son Inge the Elder
was deposed and exiled for wanting to cancel the pagan sacrifices at the temple.
Stenkil resided mainly in Västergötland
where he was long remembered as the king who "loved West Geats before all his other subjects", and he was lauded as a great archer whose hit marks were long shown with admiration.
The tradition that Stenkil was beloved by the Geats appears to be supported by Snorri Sturluson
's Heimskringla
. In a speech by Thorvid, the lawspeaker
(lagman) of Västergötland
before a battle with Harald Hardrada, the lawspeaker expresses the Geats' (Gautland people) loyalty to Stenkil:
According to a legend Stenkil was buried in the "royal hill" near Levene
in Västergötland
. His two sons Halsten and Inge the Elder
would both become kings of Sweden.
The Hervarar saga
has a great deal to tell about Stenkil:
The Hervarar saga
describes Stenkil as the son of a Ragnvald and later historians have identified this father as Ragnvald Ulfsson
who was the earl of Staraja Ladoga and the grandson of the legendary Viking Skagul Toste
. But this presumed family-connection is not supported by any other sources and must therefore be regarded as very uncertain. The Icelandic sagas mention a wife and two sons to Ragnvald Ulfsson but none are identical with Stenkil and his mother Astrid.
House of Stenkil
The House of Stenkil was a dynasty on the Swedish throne from c. 1060 to c. 1125. Stenkil probably originated from Västergötland.Line before Stenkil, according to the Norse sagas:...
. He was not from Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, but probably from 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....
and related to the previous dynasty by marriage to Emund's daughter
Saint Ingamoder Emundsdotter of Sweden
Ingamoder is a name invented in modern times for the wife of King Stenkil of Sweden.Ingemo was a local saint only known from customs at the Ingemo Well near Skövde in Sweden. Modern genealogical speculation made her the daughter of King Emund the Old who was married to King Stenkil, and whose...
.
He supported the Christianization of Sweden
Christianization of Scandinavia
The Christianization of Scandinavia took place between the 8th and the 12th century. The realms of Scandinavia proper, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, established their own Archdioceses, responsible directly to the Pope, in 1104, 1154 and 1164, respectively...
and cooperated with bishops from the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen
Archbishopric of Bremen
The Archdiocese of Bremen was a historical Roman Catholic diocese and formed from 1180 to 1648 an ecclesiastical state , named Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen within the Holy Roman Empire...
. However, when Adalvard the Younger
Adalvard the Younger
Adalvard the Younger was a German missionary bishop from Bremen who was active in Sigtuna, in Sweden, in the 1060s. According to Adam of Bremen, Adalvard tried to make the Swedish king Stenkil close the great temple at Uppsala. This attempt failed and so Adalvard had to flee to Västergötland,...
at Sigtuna
Sigtuna
Sigtuna is a locality situated in Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 18 inhabitants in 2005. It is the namesake of the municipality even though the seat is in Märsta....
wanted to destroy the Temple at Uppsala
Temple at Uppsala
The Temple at Uppsala was a religious center in Norse paganism once located at what is now Gamla Uppsala , Sweden attested in Adam of Bremen's 11th century work Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum and in Heimskringla, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century...
, Stenkil stopped Adalvard's plans, as he feared a pagan insurgence. The fears were probably motivated. According the Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas. It is a valuable saga for several different reasons beside its literary qualities. It contains traditions of wars between Goths and Huns, from the 4th century, and the last part is used as...
, Stenkil's son Inge the Elder
Inge I of Sweden
Inge the Elder was a King of Sweden.-Biography:Inge was the son of the former King Stenkil and a Swedish princess. Inge shared the rule of the kingdom with his probably elder brother Halsten Stenkilsson, but little is known with certainty of Inge's reign...
was deposed and exiled for wanting to cancel the pagan sacrifices at the temple.
Stenkil resided mainly in 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....
where he was long remembered as the king who "loved West Geats before all his other subjects", and he was lauded as a great archer whose hit marks were long shown with admiration.
The tradition that Stenkil was beloved by the Geats appears to be supported by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
's Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
. In a speech by Thorvid, the lawspeaker
Lawspeaker
A lawspeaker is a unique Scandinavian legal office. It has its basis in a common Germanic oral tradition, where wise men were asked to recite the law, but it was only in Scandinavia that the function evolved into an office...
(lagman) 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....
before a battle with Harald Hardrada, the lawspeaker expresses the Geats' (Gautland people) loyalty to Stenkil:
According to a legend Stenkil was buried in the "royal hill" near Levene
Levene
- People :*Phoebus Levene, , biochemist who identified the components of DNA*Keith Levene, , English guitarist and songwriter*Sam Levene, , American stage and film actor...
in 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....
. His two sons Halsten and Inge the Elder
Inge I of Sweden
Inge the Elder was a King of Sweden.-Biography:Inge was the son of the former King Stenkil and a Swedish princess. Inge shared the rule of the kingdom with his probably elder brother Halsten Stenkilsson, but little is known with certainty of Inge's reign...
would both become kings of Sweden.
The Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas. It is a valuable saga for several different reasons beside its literary qualities. It contains traditions of wars between Goths and Huns, from the 4th century, and the last part is used as...
has a great deal to tell about Stenkil:
Steinkell hét ríkr maðr Man (word) The term man and words derived from it can designate any or even all of the human race regardless of their sex or age... í Svíaríki ok kynstórr; móðir hans hét Ástríðr, dóttir Njáls Finnssonar ins skjálga af Hálogalandi, en faðir hans var Rögnvaldr inn gamli. Steinkell var fyrst jarl í Svíþjóð, en eptir dauða Eymundar konungs tóku Svíar hann til konungs. Þá gekk konungdómr ór langfeðgaætt í Svíþjóð inna fornu konunga. Steinkell var mikill höfðingi. Hann átti dóttur Eymundar konungs. Hann varð sóttdauðr í Svíþjóð nær því, er Haraldr konungr fell á Englandi. Ingi hét sonr Steinkels, er Svíar tóku til konungs næst eptir Hákon. |
There was a great man of noble family in Sweden called Steinkel. His mother's name was Astrith Astrid Nialsdotter Astrid Njalsdotter or Ástríðr Njálsdóttir was, according to Hervarar saga, the Norwegian-born mother of the Swedish king Stenkil. All our knowledge about her come from this source and it reads as follows:... , the daughter of Njal the son of Fin the Squinter, from Halogaland Hålogaland Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the mediaeval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a petty kingdom extending between Namdalen in Nord-Trøndelag and Lyngen in Troms.-Etymology:... ; and his father was Rögnvald the Old. Steinkel was an Earl in Sweden Jarl in Sweden In Sweden, members of medieval royal families, such as the House of Stenkil and House of Bjelbo, held the title of jarl before their accession to the throne. Since the early 12th century, there usually was only one holder of the title at a time, second only to the King of Sweden.For special... at first, and then after the death of Eymund Emund of Sweden Emund the Old or Edmund was king of Sweden 1050–1060.... , the Swedes elected him their King. Then the throne passed out of the line of the ancient kings of Sweden. Steinkel was a mighty prince. He married the daughter of King Eymund. He died in his bed in Sweden about the time that King Harold fell in England. Steinkel had a son called Ingi Inge I of Sweden Inge the Elder was a King of Sweden.-Biography:Inge was the son of the former King Stenkil and a Swedish princess. Inge shared the rule of the kingdom with his probably elder brother Halsten Stenkilsson, but little is known with certainty of Inge's reign... , who became King of Sweden after Haakon Haakon the Red Håkan the Red was a king of Sweden reigning for about a decade in the second half of the 11th century. There is little information on him, and it is mostly contradictory... . |
The Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas. It is a valuable saga for several different reasons beside its literary qualities. It contains traditions of wars between Goths and Huns, from the 4th century, and the last part is used as...
describes Stenkil as the son of a Ragnvald and later historians have identified this father as Ragnvald Ulfsson
Ragnvald Ulfsson
Ragnvald Ulfsson the Old was a jarl of Västergötland or Östergötland, and married to a sister of Olav Tryggvason.Ragnvald is mentioned in the skaldic poem Austrfaravísur, ascribed to Sigvatr Þórðarson, skald of King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway , who had been on a diplomatic mission to Sweden...
who was the earl of Staraja Ladoga and the grandson of the legendary Viking Skagul Toste
Skagul Toste
Skoglar Toste or Skoglar Tosti was a chieftain from the Swedish province of West Götaland. According to Snorri Sturluson, he was the father of Sigrid the Haughty. For some time he gave refuge to Harald Grenske, who later came back to woo Sigrid, only to be killed by her for his persistence...
. But this presumed family-connection is not supported by any other sources and must therefore be regarded as very uncertain. The Icelandic sagas mention a wife and two sons to Ragnvald Ulfsson but none are identical with Stenkil and his mother Astrid.