Eric the Victorious (, ; – ) was King of Sweden as of around 970. Although there were earlier Swedish kings, he is the first Swedish king in a consecutive regnal succession, who is attested in sources independent of each other, and consequently Sweden's list of rulers usually begins with him.Listing the Royal Court of Sweden His son Olof Skötkonung, however, is considered the first ruler documented to definitely have been accepted both by the original Swedes around Lake Mälaren and by the Geats around Lake Vättern. Adam of Bremen reports a king named Emund Eriksson before Eric, but it is not known whether he was Eric's father. The Norse sagas' accounts of a Björn ErikssonHervarar saga, Saga of Harald Fairhair and Styrbjörn's saga are considered unreliable.
Eric's kingdom His original territory was in Uppland and neighbouring provinces.Alternatively, it has been speculated that he belonged to a Geatic clan that established its power in the Mälaren Valley and founded Sigtuna in c. 980; see Niels Lund (1995), "Scandinavia c. 700-1066", in Cambridge Medieval History Vol. II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 202–27. He acquired the epithet of Segersäll – Victorious or literally blessed with victory – after defeating an invasion force from the south in the Battle of Fýrisvellir which took place near Uppsala.Thunberg, Carl L. (2012). Slaget på Fyrisvallarna i ny tolkning (Eng. "The Battle of Fýrisvellir in a New Interpretation"). Göteborgs universitet. CLTS, p. 9-10, , A brother of Eric's named Olof allegedly being the father of Styrbjörn the Strong, Eric's main opponent in that battle, is part of the traditions about them.Thunberg, Carl L. (2012). Slaget på Fyrisvallarna i ny tolkning (Eng. "The Battle of Fýrisvellir in a New Interpretation"). Göteborgs universitet. CLTS, p. 98-102, ,
The extent of Eric's kingdom is unknown. In addition to the Swedish heartland around lake Mälaren it may have extended down along the Baltic Sea as far south as Blekinge. According to Adam of Bremen, and Saxo Grammaticus he was also King of Denmark after defeating King Swein Forkbeard. The Stone of Eric also describes a Swedish attack against Denmark as mentioned by Adam of Bremen.
According to the Flateyjarbok, his success was largely due to an alliance with free farmers against an earl-class nobility, but archaeological findings suggest that the influence of that class diminished during the last part of the tenth century. Eric probably introduced a system of universal conscription known as ledung in the provinces around Mälaren.
In all probability he also founded the town of Sigtuna, which still exists and where the first Swedish coins were minted for his son and successor King Olof.Ros, Jonas (2002) "Sigtuna och folklanden; den tidiga Sigtunamyntningen och den politiska geografin", Fornvännen 97:3, p. 170
Saga sources
Eric the Victorious is named in a number of sagas, Nordic tales of history preserved from oral tradition. In various stories, he is described as the son of a Björn Eriksson and as having ruled together with his brother Olaf. One saga describes his marriage to the infamous Queen Sigrid the Haughty, daughter of a legendary Viking, Skagul Toste, and how in their divorce he gave her all of Gothenland as a fief. According to Eymund's saga he then took a new queen, Aud, daughter of Haakon Sigurdsson, ruler of Norway.
Before that, Eric's brother Olaf died, and a new co-ruler was to be appointed, but the Swedes allegedly refused to accept Eric's rowdy nephew Styrbjörn as such. Eric granted Styrbjörn 60 longships in which he sailed away for a seafaring existence as a Viking. He became the ruler of Jomsborg and an ally of Danish King Harold Bluetooth, whose daughter Tyra he married. Styrbjörn returned to Sweden with an army, although Harold and the Danish troops seem to have turned back. Eric won the Battle of Fýrisvellir, according to Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa, after making sacrifice to Odin and promising that, if victorious, he would give himself to Odin in ten years.
Two skaldic verses by Thorvaldr Hjaltason describe the alleged battle. The first expressly mentions how an Eric has utterly defeated an enemy host at a fortification at Fýrisvellir, while the second specifies that the Vikings were superior in numbers but nevertheless were handily captured when they attacked Sweden, and only those who fled survived. The runestones of Hällestad and Sjörup in Scania, then a part of Denmark, do mention a battle at Uppsala characterized by the defeat and flight of the attackers. These stones have traditionally been associated with the battle, but they also present chronological problems and may be from the next century.
Saxo Grammaticus also mentions that Eric ruled over Denmark for seven years after an invasion. He does not question the validity of the Swedish conquest of Denmark and claims that the Swedish invasion of Denmark was retaliation for Harald Bluetooth's support of Styrbjörn the Strong. Saxo, unlike Adam of Bremen, mentions that Eric defeated Swein Forkbeard's army decisively in a battle in Scania for the throne of Denmark.Saxo Grammaticus. The History of the Danes, Books I-IX. Översättning av Peter Fisher (2002). Snorri Sturlasson also mentions that Eric manly defended the realm from invaders and that he also expanded the Swedish realm manfully.Snorre Sturlasson (1991) Nordiska kungasagor. 2 Olav den heliges saga. Stockholm: Fabel, p. 94.
According to Yngvars saga víðförla, Eric also had a beautiful daughter. A Swedish chief named Åke desired her. Eric, however, forbade his marriage proposal, since he knew a king in Russia that he wanted to marry her off to. Åke also was an unworthy man for his daughter. The saga uses the word to describe the Russian king. The all paid tributes to the Uppsala king according to the Ynglinga saga and are described as client kings of the kings of Uppsala.Snorre Sturlasson (1991) Nordiska kungasagor. 1, Från Ynglingasagan till Olav Tryggvasons saga. Stockholm: Fabel. sid. 59-66. Libris 1266026. ISBN 91-7842-122-5 Sometimes it means petty king.
Eric thus married her off to the Russian king. After that marriage took place, Åke got jealous and angry at the Russian king for taking his love. He retaliated by traveling to Russia, killing the king and taking Eric's daughter. Åke then allied himself with eight powerful Swedish jarls to avoid retaliation by Eric. Eric would not risk a confrontation since that would lead to much bloodshed and possibly civil war. For some years, nothing happened and Åke had a son Emund, father of Ingvar the Far-Travelled, leader of the Rus expedition to the Caspian Sea. Eric and Åke later had a good relationship and became friends once again.
Later on, the Norwegian regent Haakon Jarl agreed to give his daughter Aud as wife to King Eric. Wedding festivities were prepared and grandees arrived to Uppsala from all over Eric's realm. Haakon Jarl was however not keen on accepting an enforced in-law sitting as high as himself. He therefore induced Eric to do something against Åke as his actions against the king must be punished. While the festivities were unfolding, Eric prepared his revenge. In the beginning, Åke kept his guard but became more careless as the feasting proceeded. In the night after the feast, Eric and Haakon assaulted Åke and his men and slaughtered them together with the eight chiefs who had supported Åke. Their property was confiscated. He nevertheless spared his daughter and the child Emund and brought them home with him. Emund was raised as his grandson and later appropriated the properties of Åke and the eight chiefs.Sagan om Ingwar widtfarne och hans son Swen (in Swedish), 1762, scanned pages, alt link
Adam of Bremen
German ecclesiastic chronicler Adam of Bremen (around 1075) provides by far the oldest narrative about King Eric, and it differs substantially from the sagas. As his source he refers to the current King Sweyn II of Denmark whom he interviewed for his chronicle. Adam of Bremen also uses a similar epithet as the sagas "Victorius" for Erik the "Powerful" or Erik the "Great" the Latin word "potentissimus". Adam places Eric's reign after that of a certain Emund Eriksson, without clarifying how they were related. He does not mention the Battle of Fýrisvellir but relates that Eric gathered a large army and invaded Denmark against King Swein Forkbeard. The direct reason for the attack is not given, but somehow it concerned an alliance between Eric and "the very powerful king of the Polans, Bolesław (992–1025). He gave Eric his sister or daughter in marriage".Adam av Bremen (1984) Historien om Hamburgstiftet och dess biskopar. Stockholm: Proprius Förlag, p. 119 (Book II, Scholion 24). That princess has been identified as Gunhild of Wenden, in some Nordic sources the daughter of a king Burislev (Bolesław).Adam av Bremen (1984), p. 268–9. According to other interpretations, she was identical with a woman known in later sagas as Sigrid the Haughty, whose name is possibly a misunderstanding of the Old Polish name Świętosława. Eric's invasion of Denmark was successful. Several battles were fought at sea, and there the Danish forces, attacked from the east by Slavs, were annihilated.Adam av Bremen (1984) p. 86. After his victory, Eric kept Denmark for a time, while Swein was forced to flee, first to Norway, then to England, and finally to Scotland whose king received the refugee with kindness.Adam av Bremen (1984) p. 88.
According to Adam, Eric's rule in Denmark coincided with increased Viking activity in northern Germany. A fleet of Swedish and Danish ships sailed up the Elbe and landed at Stade in Saxony. A Saxon army confronted the invaders but was badly defeated. Several prominent Saxons were captured and brought to the ships, while the Vikings ravaged the province with no resistance. One of the prisoners, a Margrave Siegfried, managed to escape at night with the help of a fisherman. The infuriated Vikings then maimed their remaining prisoners and threw them ashore. However, Siegfried and Duke Benno soon raised a new army and raided the Vikings encamped at Stade. Another Viking detachment was tricked deep into the desolate marsh of Glindesmoor by a captured Saxon knight and annihilated by pursuing Germans.Adam av Bremen (1984) pp. 87–8 (Book II, Chapters 31-32).
Adam characterises Eric as a heathen and initially very hostile to the Christian religion. Nevertheless, a number of missionaries were at work during his reign, foreigners as well as some belonging to recently converted Nordic families. Among them was Odinkar the Elder who preached in Funen, Zealand, Scania and Sweden. Eventually Eric agreed to baptism, presumably while staying in Denmark; and if so he was the first Swedish king to do so. Due to that significant event, missionaries were allowed to sail over from Denmark to Sweden where they "worked valiantly in the name of the Lord". After some time, Eric is said to have forgotten the Christian faith and reverted to the religion of his ancestors. When Eric died, Sveyn Forkbeard returned from exile and regained Denmark. He also is alleged to have married Eric's widow (whoever she was), mother of Eric's successor King Olof. Thus an alliance between the Swedish and Danish royal houses was created.Adam av Bremen (1984) p. 91 (Book II, Chapter 91).