 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Albert, King of Sweden" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Albert | |
|---|---|
 Albert's portrait sculpture on his contemporary grave monument | |
| King of Sweden | |
| Reign | 1364–1389 |
| Predecessor | Magnus IV andHaakon |
| Successor | Margaret |
| Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | |
| Reign | 1384–1412 |
| Predecessor | Magnus I |
| Successor | Albert V |
| Born | c. 1338 Mecklenburg |
| Died | 1 April 1412 (aged 73–74) |
| Burial | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue | |
| House | Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Father | Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg |
| Mother | Euphemia of Sweden |
Albert (German:Albrecht,c. 1338 – 1 April 1412), also known asAlbert of Mecklenburg (Swedish:Albrekt av Mecklenburg), wasKing of Sweden from 1364 to 1389 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1384 to 1412.[1]
He was the second son of DukeAlbert II of Mecklenburg andEuphemia Eriksdotter, the daughter of DukeErik Magnusson and sister of KingMagnus Eriksson of Sweden and Norway.[2]
In 1384, he inherited theducal title of Mecklenburg and united it with Sweden in a personal union. Albert based his claim to the Swedish crown on his family ties: his mother, whose paternal grandfather was KingMagnus Ladulås, positioned him as the first in line for the Swedish throne after the dethronement or deaths of all of Magnus Eriksson's children. Additionally, Albert traced his lineage through PrincessChristina, a daughter ofSverker II, who was King of Sweden from 1196 to 1208.[citation needed]
In 1363, members of the Swedish Council of Aristocracy, led byBo Jonsson Grip, arrived at the court of Mecklenburg. They had been banished from Sweden after a revolt against King Magnus Eriksson, Albert's uncle who was unpopular with the nobility. At the nobles' request, Albert launched aninvasion of Sweden supported by several German dukes and counts and severalHanseatic cities in Northern Germany.Stockholm andKalmar in Sweden, with largeHanseatic populations, also welcomed the intervention.
Albert was proclaimedKing of Sweden on 18 February 1364. The ceremony took place at theStones of Mora. A fragment still remains of the stone commemorating the occasion called theThree Crowns stone. This is one of the earliest known example of the use of the three crowns as a national symbol for Sweden.[3]
The arrival of Albert led to eight years of civil war in Sweden between Albert's and Magnus's supporters. In a battle nearEnköping in 1365 between Albert's German forces and those of King Magnus, supported by kingHaakon VI of Norway, Magnus's surviving son, Magnus was defeated and taken prisoner by Albert. After the initial defeat, KingValdemar IV of Denmark, Haakon's father-in-law, intervened on Magnus's and Haakon's behalf, and Valdemar's forces were joined by Swedish peasants who supported Magnus. Apart from German strongholds like Stockholm, Albert was unpopular among Swedes who were discontent with Albert's policy of appointing Germans as officials in all the Swedish provinces.
With the help of Danish and Swedish allies, King Haakon managed to temporarily beat back Albert and lay siege on Stockholm in 1371. However, the siege was short-lived; with military help from theSwedish nobility in Stockholm, Albert was able to beat back the Norwegians and the Danes. A peace agreement was signed, with the condition that Magnus be released and allowed to travel freely back to Norway (where he had also been king until 1355 and now spent the rest of his life). Albert had secured the Swedish crown, but was also forced to make a belated coronation oath in which he agreed to extensive concessions to the Swedish nobility in the regency council.Bo Jonsson (Grip) used this power to personally usurp 1,500 farms and he soon became Sweden's largest landowner, controlling a third of the entirety of the Swedish territory and possessing the largest non-royal wealth in the country.
Albert kept the crown of Sweden for another 19 years, but most of western Sweden did not support his reign. When he attempted to introducereduction of the large estates of the Swedish nobility, he lost his support in Stockholm. In 1389, facing a loss of landholdings and wealth, the Swedish regency council turned to Haakon's widowMargaret to plead for help in getting rid of Albert. Queen Margaret sent troops and in February 1389, they defeated Albert at theBattle of Åsle. Albert was captured, deposed and sent toLindholmen Castle inScania, where he spent the next six years imprisoned. He was released after 16 days of peace negotiations in 1395, during which he agreed to either give upStockholm within three years, or pay large sums in retribution to Margaret. When the three years were up, Albert's (then) only sonErik had died after rulingGotland in Sweden for a short time as instigated by his father, and Albert chose to give up Stockholm rather than pay the fine. In 1398 the agreement came into force, granting Margaret possession of Stockholm.
Albert returned to Mecklenburg, remarried (toAgnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg), had another son and reigned asDuke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin until his death, seven months before Margaret's in 1412. He had finally formally abdicated his Swedish throne in 1405, but until then he and his wife styled themselves King and Queen of Sweden. His tomb is in theDoberan Minster inBad Doberan, Germany.
Albert marriedRichardis of Schwerin, daughter of count Otto of Schwerin, in a marriage contracted inWismar on 12 October 1352.[4] The King and Queen had two children:
Queen Richardis died in 1377 and was buried inStockholm.[4]
In February 1396 a double wedding was arranged inSchwerin. Albert marriedAgnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg, widow of Count Burkhard of Mansfeld (died 1389/1390) and DukeBogislaw VI of Pomerania (died 1393), while his son Erik marriedSophie, the daughter of Duke Bogislaw.[6] Albert and Agnes had a son:
Queen Agnes died in 1430/1434.[citation needed]
Media related toAlbert III, Duke of Mecklenburg at Wikimedia CommonsAlbert, King of Sweden Cadet branch of theHouse of Mecklenburg Born: 1338 Died: 1 April 1412 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Sweden 1364–1389 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1384–1412 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
