Here is Eric IX of Sweden (also know as Eric IV). He was made for the Scandinavian mod, but you are welcome to use him in any way you want. Enjoy!
Eric IX of Sweden
Biography infomation from Absolute Astronomy.com
Eric IX of Sweden (or Erik the Lawgiver or Erik the Saint. In Swedish he is simply known as Erik den helige or Sankt Erik which translates as Erik the Holy and Saint Erik respectively) (c. 1120 – May 18, 1160) was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
king c.1150 – 1160. No historical records of Eric have survived, and all information about him is based on later legends that were aimed at having him established as a saint.
Referring to Eric as Eric IX is a later invention. The Swedish kings Erik XIVEric XIV of SwedenEric XIV was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the son of Gustav I of Sweden and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg . He was also ruler of Estonia, after its conquest by Sweden in 1561...
(1560–68) and Charles IXCharles IX of SwedenCharles IX , was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
(1604–1611) took their numbers after studying a highly fictitious History of Sweden. He was actually Erik IV.
As later kings from the House of EricHouse of EricThe dynasty of Eric or House of Erik was one of the two noble families, dynasties, which were rivals for the kingship of Sweden between 1150 and 1220. The first king of this dynasty was Eric IX of Sweden whom the later world has dubbed Saint Erik...
were consistently buried to Varnhem AbbeyVarnhem AbbeyVarnhem Abbey in Varnhem, Västergötland, Sweden was founded around 1150 by monks of the Cistercian Order from Alvastra Abbey in Östergötland.The Cistercian Order used the same floor plan for all its abbeys, which makes it possible to easily locate the different rooms and halls regardless of the...
near SkaraSkaraSkara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 10,963 inhabitants in 2005. Despite its small size, it has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. One of Sweden's oldest high schools, Katedralskolan , is situated in Skara...
in VästergötlandVästergötland' 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....
, the family is considered to have Geatish roots like other medieval ruling houses in Sweden. Based on the information that his possible brother Joar was a son of Jedvard (Edward), modern sources call him also Eric Jedvardson, but this remains speculative. He was a rival king, from 1150, to Sverker the ElderSverker I of SwedenSverker I Kolson or Sverker the Elder was a king of Sweden c. 1130–1156.-Biography:Sverker was a mighty landowner from Östergötland...
who had ascended the throne c.1130 and was murdered 1156, after which Eric was recognized in most or all provinces. Eric's reign ended when he was murdered in UppsalaUppsalaUppsala is the capital of Uppsala County and the fourth largest city of Sweden with 144,839 inhabitants....
. He is said to have been murdered by Emund Ulvbane, an assassin who was hired by people working for the Sverker dynasty, in order for them to regain the control of the kingdom, or alternatively by Magnus Henriksson, another claimant, who is said in some sources to have succeeded him briefly as king. People from Sweden recognized a miracle after Eric's death, since a fountain was told to have sprung from the earth where the king's head fell after being chopped off.
He would later be made a saintSaintSaints, individuals of exceptional holiness, are significant in many religions, particularly Christianity.-General characteristics :Though the term is mostly used for Christians considered holy or virtuous, many religions use similar concepts to elevate people worthy of respect, e.g. see Hindu...
whose feast dayCalendar of saintsThe calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day...
in the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
and Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches and currently has about 4,633,887 baptized members...
is 18 May, although he was never formally canonized by the Catholic Church. The relicRelicA relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Shamanism, and many other religions....
casket of Eric is on display in Uppsala CathedralUppsala CathedralThe Cathedral of Uppsala , located centrally in the city of Uppsala, Sweden, dates back to the late 13th century and at a height of 118.7 m is the largest church building in Scandinavia. Originally built under Roman Catholicism and used for coronations of the Swedish monarch, since the Protestant...
(Uppsala domkyrka). The casket contains bones of a male, with traces of injury to the neck. Eric is the patron saintPatron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of StockholmStockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
and depicted in the city's coat of arms.
According to legends, Eric did much to consolidate Christianity in his realm and spread the faith into FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
. In an effort to conquer and convert them, he allegedly led the First Swedish CrusadeFirst Swedish CrusadeFirst Swedish Crusade is a legendary military expedition presumably in the 1150s that has traditionally been seen as the conquest of Finland by Sweden, with pagan Finns converting to Christianity. According to the legend, the crusade was conducted by King Eric IX of Sweden...
against the native Finns and persuaded an English Bishop Henry of UppsalaUppsalaUppsala is the capital of Uppsala County and the fourth largest city of Sweden with 144,839 inhabitants....
to remain in Finland to evangelize the natives, later becoming a martyr there.
Eric was responsible for codifying the laws of his kingdom, which became known as King Eric's Law (also the Code of Uppland). Additionally, he established a monastic chapter in Old UppsalaGamla UppsalaGamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
, which had come from the Danish abbey of OdenseOdenseThe city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark. The name Odense comes from the Norse god Odin.Odense city has a population of 158,678 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
.
In reaction to Eric's insistence that tithes be paid to support the Church as they were elsewhere in Europe, some Swedish nobles joined forces with Magnus Henrikson, great-great-grandson of the at that time late king Sweyn EstridsonSweyn II of DenmarkSweyn II Estridsson Ulfsson was the King of Denmark from 1047 until his death. He was the son of Ulf Thorgilsson and Estrid Margarete Svendsdatter, daughter of Sweyn I of Denmark and sister of Canute the Great. He was married three times.-Background:He is known in Denmark as Svend Estridsen...
of Denmark. Magnus the Strong son of the Danish king Niels of DenmarkNiels of DenmarkNiels of Denmark , was king of Denmark following his brother Eric I. He was presumably the youngest son of king Sweyn Estridson and married Margaret Fredkulla, princess of Sweden, with whom he had Magnus the Strong, and later Ulvhild Håkansdotter.Four of Niels' older brothers had ascended to the...
(c. 1064 – 1134) has been confused with Magnus Henrikson but he did not outlive his father. Eric was accosted near Uppsala at Ostra Aros as he was leaving church after hearing Mass on Ascension Day by the rebelling Swedish nobles. He was thrown to the ground from his horse, tortured, ridiculed, then beheaded.
The king was buried in the church of Old Uppsala, which he had rebuilt around the burial mounds of his pagan predecessors. In 1167, his body was enshrined; and his relics and regalia were translated to the present cathedral of Uppsala, built on the site of Eric's martyrdom, in 1273.
In an effort to consolidate his position, Eric's son Knud encouraged the worship of his father as a martyr. Facts and fiction about his life were inseparably mixed together. The translation of Eric's relics extended the depth of his religious following. On his feast there were processions from the cathedral to Old Uppsala to petition for a good harvest.
Saint Eric is portrayed in art as a young king being murdered during Mass with the bishop Henry of Uppsala. In Uppsala Cathedral there is a series of late medieval paintings depicting Eric and Henry of Uppsala.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
king c.1150 – 1160. No historical records of Eric have survived, and all information about him is based on later legends that were aimed at having him established as a saint.
Referring to Eric as Eric IX is a later invention. The Swedish kings Erik XIVEric XIV of SwedenEric XIV was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the son of Gustav I of Sweden and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg . He was also ruler of Estonia, after its conquest by Sweden in 1561...
(1560–68) and Charles IXCharles IX of SwedenCharles IX , was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
(1604–1611) took their numbers after studying a highly fictitious History of Sweden. He was actually Erik IV.
As later kings from the House of EricHouse of EricThe dynasty of Eric or House of Erik was one of the two noble families, dynasties, which were rivals for the kingship of Sweden between 1150 and 1220. The first king of this dynasty was Eric IX of Sweden whom the later world has dubbed Saint Erik...
were consistently buried to Varnhem AbbeyVarnhem AbbeyVarnhem Abbey in Varnhem, Västergötland, Sweden was founded around 1150 by monks of the Cistercian Order from Alvastra Abbey in Östergötland.The Cistercian Order used the same floor plan for all its abbeys, which makes it possible to easily locate the different rooms and halls regardless of the...
near SkaraSkaraSkara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 10,963 inhabitants in 2005. Despite its small size, it has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. One of Sweden's oldest high schools, Katedralskolan , is situated in Skara...
in VästergötlandVästergötland' 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....
, the family is considered to have Geatish roots like other medieval ruling houses in Sweden. Based on the information that his possible brother Joar was a son of Jedvard (Edward), modern sources call him also Eric Jedvardson, but this remains speculative. He was a rival king, from 1150, to Sverker the ElderSverker I of SwedenSverker I Kolson or Sverker the Elder was a king of Sweden c. 1130–1156.-Biography:Sverker was a mighty landowner from Östergötland...
who had ascended the throne c.1130 and was murdered 1156, after which Eric was recognized in most or all provinces. Eric's reign ended when he was murdered in UppsalaUppsalaUppsala is the capital of Uppsala County and the fourth largest city of Sweden with 144,839 inhabitants....
. He is said to have been murdered by Emund Ulvbane, an assassin who was hired by people working for the Sverker dynasty, in order for them to regain the control of the kingdom, or alternatively by Magnus Henriksson, another claimant, who is said in some sources to have succeeded him briefly as king. People from Sweden recognized a miracle after Eric's death, since a fountain was told to have sprung from the earth where the king's head fell after being chopped off.
He would later be made a saintSaintSaints, individuals of exceptional holiness, are significant in many religions, particularly Christianity.-General characteristics :Though the term is mostly used for Christians considered holy or virtuous, many religions use similar concepts to elevate people worthy of respect, e.g. see Hindu...
whose feast dayCalendar of saintsThe calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day...
in the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
and Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches and currently has about 4,633,887 baptized members...
is 18 May, although he was never formally canonized by the Catholic Church. The relicRelicA relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Shamanism, and many other religions....
casket of Eric is on display in Uppsala CathedralUppsala CathedralThe Cathedral of Uppsala , located centrally in the city of Uppsala, Sweden, dates back to the late 13th century and at a height of 118.7 m is the largest church building in Scandinavia. Originally built under Roman Catholicism and used for coronations of the Swedish monarch, since the Protestant...
(Uppsala domkyrka). The casket contains bones of a male, with traces of injury to the neck. Eric is the patron saintPatron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of StockholmStockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
and depicted in the city's coat of arms.
According to legends, Eric did much to consolidate Christianity in his realm and spread the faith into FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
. In an effort to conquer and convert them, he allegedly led the First Swedish CrusadeFirst Swedish CrusadeFirst Swedish Crusade is a legendary military expedition presumably in the 1150s that has traditionally been seen as the conquest of Finland by Sweden, with pagan Finns converting to Christianity. According to the legend, the crusade was conducted by King Eric IX of Sweden...
against the native Finns and persuaded an English Bishop Henry of UppsalaUppsalaUppsala is the capital of Uppsala County and the fourth largest city of Sweden with 144,839 inhabitants....
to remain in Finland to evangelize the natives, later becoming a martyr there.
Eric was responsible for codifying the laws of his kingdom, which became known as King Eric's Law (also the Code of Uppland). Additionally, he established a monastic chapter in Old UppsalaGamla UppsalaGamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
, which had come from the Danish abbey of OdenseOdenseThe city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark. The name Odense comes from the Norse god Odin.Odense city has a population of 158,678 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
.
In reaction to Eric's insistence that tithes be paid to support the Church as they were elsewhere in Europe, some Swedish nobles joined forces with Magnus Henrikson, great-great-grandson of the at that time late king Sweyn EstridsonSweyn II of DenmarkSweyn II Estridsson Ulfsson was the King of Denmark from 1047 until his death. He was the son of Ulf Thorgilsson and Estrid Margarete Svendsdatter, daughter of Sweyn I of Denmark and sister of Canute the Great. He was married three times.-Background:He is known in Denmark as Svend Estridsen...
of Denmark. Magnus the Strong son of the Danish king Niels of DenmarkNiels of DenmarkNiels of Denmark , was king of Denmark following his brother Eric I. He was presumably the youngest son of king Sweyn Estridson and married Margaret Fredkulla, princess of Sweden, with whom he had Magnus the Strong, and later Ulvhild Håkansdotter.Four of Niels' older brothers had ascended to the...
(c. 1064 – 1134) has been confused with Magnus Henrikson but he did not outlive his father. Eric was accosted near Uppsala at Ostra Aros as he was leaving church after hearing Mass on Ascension Day by the rebelling Swedish nobles. He was thrown to the ground from his horse, tortured, ridiculed, then beheaded.
The king was buried in the church of Old Uppsala, which he had rebuilt around the burial mounds of his pagan predecessors. In 1167, his body was enshrined; and his relics and regalia were translated to the present cathedral of Uppsala, built on the site of Eric's martyrdom, in 1273.
In an effort to consolidate his position, Eric's son Knud encouraged the worship of his father as a martyr. Facts and fiction about his life were inseparably mixed together. The translation of Eric's relics extended the depth of his religious following. On his feast there were processions from the cathedral to Old Uppsala to petition for a good harvest.
Saint Eric is portrayed in art as a young king being murdered during Mass with the bishop Henry of Uppsala. In Uppsala Cathedral there is a series of late medieval paintings depicting Eric and Henry of Uppsala.
