| Magnus the Strong | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Götaland, or possibly Sweden | |||||
| Reign | 1120s – c. 1132 | ||||
| Predecessor | Inge the Younger | ||||
| Successor | Sverker the Elder | ||||
| Co-king of Denmark | |||||
| Reign | 15 April 1134 – 4 June 1134 | ||||
| Coronation | 15 April 1134 | ||||
| Senior king | Niels | ||||
| Born | c. 1106 | ||||
| Died | 4 June 1134 (aged 27–28) Fotevik,Scania | ||||
| Spouse | Richeza of Poland | ||||
| Issue | Canute V of Denmark Niels | ||||
| |||||
| House | Estridsen | ||||
| Father | Niels I of Denmark | ||||
| Mother | Margaret Fredkulla | ||||
Magnus the Strong (c. 1106 – 4 June 1134), also known asMagnus Nilsson[1] (Danish:Magnus Nielsen/Nielssøn[2][3]), was a Danish duke who ruledGötaland in southernSweden from the 1120s to c. 1132. It is disputed whether he was elected king by the Swedes, but he is nevertheless sometimes found in the modernlist of Swedish monarchs asMagnus I.[4]Snorri Sturlason gives him the epithet "Strong".
He was also briefly co-king ofDenmark from 15 April 1134[5] and until his death.
Magnus was the son of KingNiels I of Denmark andMargaret Fredkulla, the second or eldest daughter of KingInge the Elder of Sweden. His elder brother Inge was killed in a riding accident, leaving Magnus as the sole heir to Niels.[6] He grew up to be a tall and strong young man, a head taller than anyone else. The chronicles give different opinions about his character, depending on their political preferences. The near-contemporaryRoskilde Chronicle calls him merry and generous and a "lover of firmness in character".Saxo Grammaticus, on the other hand, says that he was well endowed by nature but still a violent brute.[7]
When Margaret's first cousin KingInge the Younger died at an unknown time in the 1120s, Magnus claimed the throne as the eldest grandson of Inge the Elder. According to the chroniclerSaxo Grammaticus, Magnus was recognized by theGeats (Götarna) of Götaland, but the prerogatives of selecting a king traditionally lay with theSwedes, another tribe to the north of the Geats.
The brief chronicle incorporated in the Westrogothic law does not mention Magnus, but does say that following the death of Inge, the Swedes had selectedRagnvald Knaphövde. Ragnvald showed disrespect towards the Geats by not giving hostages when riding histour of installation.[8] In retaliation, Ragnvald was murdered by the Geatish population, an event sometimes dated to c. 1129. After this, the law-speaker ofVästergötland, Karl of Edsvära, governed his province around this time and is occasionally known in the sources asjarl or even "king".[9]
Saxo does not mention Ragnvald by name, but mentions that the Swedes elected a king in response to the election of Magnus, and claims that he was killed by the Geats, and that "at his death, power was transferred to Magnus".[10] Magnus is not mentioned as king in any Swedish king-list, leaving a question-mark around his actual sphere of power.[11]
The few sources from this period indicate that Christianity was still not implemented everywhere. TheKalmar Crusade was conducted toward the Pagan province of Småland in 1123.[12] The bishop ofUppsala,Siwardus, was appointed by thearchbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in 1123 but forced to flee "by pagans" in 1130. Another bishop, Henry, was then appointed inSigtuna by the Danish ArchbishopAsser, and appears as a strong supporter of Magnus. The alterations also indicate the clerical rivalry betweenHamburg-Bremen and theDanish archbishopric.[13] There is also a story in Saxo's chronicle that Magnus at one time undertook a belated Viking expedition to a part of Sweden, and brought back a few heavyThor's Hammers which he had robbed on a holy island. The still insufficiently Christianized Swedes henceforth saw him as a temple defiler who had robbed the gods.[14]
Around 1127, Magnus marriedRicheza, daughter ofBoleslaw III of Poland. The couple had two sons,Canute (born 1129, later to become king of Denmark) and Niels (born 1130). In 1130, Magnus backed Boleslaw III in conqueringRügen. The Polish forces together with a Danish fleet compelled theRani to recognize Polish rule over the island.[15]
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In 1131, Magnus had his cousin and potential rival for the Danish throne,Canute Lavard, murdered.[2] After this deed he had to return to Götaland, where he was still recognised as king. Though he was eventually backed by Niels, Magnus found himself in acivil war against Lavard's half-brotherEric Emune.[2] The civil war weakened Magnus's position in Sweden. The Swedes chose a landowner fromÖstergötland,Sverker I, to be their king.[16] According to Saxo's chronology of events this happened around 1132.[9]
Magnus and his father Niels eventually engaged the enemy in theBattle of Fotevik inScania on 4 June 1134. According to Saxo, Niels panicked and fled when Eric approached, but Magnus confronted his adversaries with a small troop of determined followers. "He preferred death to escape in order not to eclipse his old reputation for courage. Finally, when he had fought rashly and killed many enemies, he fell over the heap of corpses that had piled up around him."[17] After the decisive defeat, Niels escaped with his ships but was killed later the same year.
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After Magnus's death, his widow Richeza returned to the other side of the Baltic Sea where she marriedVolodar of Minsk. She later returned to Sweden and thirdly married the man who defeated Magnus, KingSverker I.
Magnus's son,Canute V, contested the Danish throne with his second cousin,Svend III. When Canute died in 1157, Magnus's legitimate descent became extinct. Canute's elder sonNiels died in 1180. Canute's illegitimate posthumous son,Valdemar,bishop of Schleswig andprince-archbishop of Bremen, died in 1236 as the last direct male descendant of King Magnus.
Magnus Nielsen Born: c. 1106 Died: 4 June 1134 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King inGötaland 1120s–c. 1132 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Duke in Southern Jutland titled there: Duke of Denmark 1130–1134 | Vacant Title next held by Valdemar Ithe Great |