Eric XII of Sweden

Eric XII
Eric XII
	The seal of King Erik Magnusson.
Born	Early 1339
Died	20 June 1359 (aged 20)
Spouse	Beatrix of Bavaria
House	Bjälbo
Father	Magnus Eriksson
Mother	Blanche of Namur

Eric XII^[a] (Swedish: Erik Magnusson; 1339 – 20 June 1359) was King of Sweden and lord of Scania in 1344–1359. He was a co-ruler with his father, King Magnus Eriksson, from 1356 until his death in 1359.^[1]

Early life

Erik was born in early 1339 as the eldest son of King Magnus Eriksson (1316–1374) who ruled both Sweden and Norway.^[1] When Magnus' second son, Haakon, was born the following year, Magnus decided to divide the kingdoms between his sons. Erik was designated to succeed his father as King of Sweden, while Haakon would become King of Norway during his father's lifetime.^[1] Although, by Norwegian law, Erik was the rightful heir to the Norwegian throne, the Norwegian Council of the Realm agreed to this arrangement in 1343. In 6 December 1344, Erik was formally elected King of Sweden at the Stones of Mora.^[1]

Marriage

In 1342, Magnus' brother-in-law, Duke Albrecht of Mecklenburg, approached Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV to propose a union between Erik and Beatrix, the daughter of Louis IV's eldest son, Louis V of Brandenburg, and his first wife, Margrete, daughter of King Christopher II of Denmark. The marriage aligned with Magnus' strategic interests, as Beatrix's dynastic claims could strengthen his position in the ongoing conflicts with King Valdemar Atterdag of Denmark. Additionally, the union could also advance Magnus' ambitions in Estonia, which Valdemar had nominally ceded to Louis as compensation for Margrete's unpaid dowry. However, both Emperor Louis IV and Louis V of Brandenburg had been excommunicated by the Catholic Church, and Magnus had to petition Pope Clement VI regarding the marriage arrangement, as noted in a letter from the pope to the king in 1347.^[1]

The exact date of the wedding is unknown. Beatrix is believed to have been around the same age as Erik, and one of Saint Birgitta's revelations indicates that the marriage took place while she was still a minor. Some sources suggest that the wedding occurred as early as 1346, but the only certainty is that it took place before 25 October 1356.^[1]

Rebellion and death

In 1355, Haakon was declared of age, and after that, he was the sovereign ruler of Norway, although his father's influence remained significant.^[2] In contrast, Erik held no power while his father continued to reign as King of Sweden.

In 1357, a Swedish rebellion forced King Magnus to share the rule of Sweden with his son Erik, who was allowed domain over most of Scania and Finland. Joint rule of Sweden was established again in 1359 when father and son became reconciled and co-ruled Sweden until Eric's death a few months later. Quite soon after his death his wife, Beatrix, died as well. It is generally believed that they both died of the Black Death.

Notes

^ Referring to Erik Magnusson as King Eric XII is a later invention, counting backwards from Eric XIV (1560–68). He and his brother Charles IX (1604–1611) adopted numerals according to a fictitious history of Sweden. The number of Swedish monarchs named Eric before Eric XIV (at least seven) is unknown, going back into prehistory. It would be speculative to try to affix a mathematically accurate one to this king.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Erik Magnusson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
^ Suvanto, Seppo (2000). "Håkan Maununpoika". Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 2024-09-22.

Regnal titles
Erik Magnusson House of Bjälbo Born: 1339 Died: 1359
Preceded by Magnus Eriksson as sole king	King of Sweden 1356–1359 with Magnus Eriksson	Succeeded by Magnus Eriksson as sole king