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Erik VI Segersäll Bjornsson of Sweden


Preferred Parents:
Father: Björn III “the Old” ‘den Gamle’ King of Sweeden, b. 867 in Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden   d. 956 in Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
Mother: Queen of Sweeden, b. 872 in ,,,Sweden   d. 950 in Y, Somme, Picardie, France

Family 1: Sigrid Storrada Skoglar Testedot,    b. 950 in Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland    d. 2 FEB 1014 in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom
  1. Holmfrid Eriksdotter av Sverige, b. ABT 974 in Uppsala, Sweden     d. 1016
  2. Olof Skötkonung King av Sverige, b. ABT 950 in Ringerike, Baskerud, Norway     d. 29 JUL 1030 in Stiklestad, Nord-Trondelag, Norway
Sources:
  1. Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
    Publication: Name: https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SWEDEN.htm#ErikIdied994995A;
    Note: ERIK, son of [OLOF Erikson of Sweden] & his wife --- (-Uppsala [994/95]). Snorre names "Eirik the Victorious and Olaf, the father of Styrbjorn" as the sons of Bjorn Eriksson[29]. Saxo Grammaticus records that “Sturbionus, Suetici regis Biornonis filius” was deposed by “patrui Olaui filio, Erico”, despite help from “Haraldum [Harald I King of Denmark], cui Thyra mater extitit, cum sorore Gyritha supplex migravit...quanto illi eiusdem sororis sue matrimonium...permisit”, dated to [984/85][30]. The following source suggests that Erik received Polish help in deposing his cousin: one manuscript of Adam of Bremen records that "Hericus rex Sueonum" made a treaty with “rege Polanorum Bolizlao” and that “Bolizlaus” gave “filiam vel sororem” to “Herico”[31]. This treaty can probably be dated to [985], consistent with the likely birth date of Erik’s son Oluf (see below). At that time, although Bolesław’s father Mieszko still ruled Poland, he was old and his son was probably already active on his own account. This suggestion is also consistent with King Erik’s receiving Polish support when he expelled King Svend from Denmark in [987], and a Polish marriage being arranged as part of the terms of Svend’s later release from Jomsborg (see Chapter 4 in the document MECKLENBURG). He succeeded as ERIK "Segersäll/the Victorious" King of Sweden. Adam of Bremen records that "rex Sueonum Hericus" invaded Denmark and expelled “Suein, derelictus a Deo, frustra sperans in ydolis suis”, dated to after 987 when Svend succeeded as king[32]. Saxo Grammaticus provides some further detail[33]. Adam also records that King Erik was converted to Christianity and baptised in Denmark, but suggests that he may have relapsed into paganism on returning to Sweden[34]. According to Snorre, Erik died "in a sickbed at Uppsala 10 years after the death of Styrbjörn"[35], and in another passage that his wife was a widow in 994[36]. There is considerable confusion between the sources regarding King Erik’s marriage(s): [m firstly ([before 980?] [repudiated?]) [as her first husband,] SIGRID [“Storråda/the Haughty”], daughter of "Skoglar" Toste & his wife ---Snorre records that “Toste had a daughter...proud and high-minded...Sigrid” who married "the Swedish king, Eirik the Victorious, and had a son by him...Olaf"[37] and, in another saga, that after his first wife died [named Gunhild by Snorre] “the Danish king Svein Tjuguskeg” married “Sigrid the Haughty, a daughter of Skoglartoste, and mother of the Swedish king Olaf” noting that “by means of this relationship there was great friendship between the kings...”[38]. Fagrskinna also names Sigrid, mother of King Olof, as daughter of Skoglar-Tosta[39]. These reports directly contradict all the sources quoted below (and in the document DENMARK KINGS) which indicate the Polish princess as the widow of the Swedish king and second wife of Svend (and also that she was the lady who was “Storråda/the Haughty”). Hlawitschka, as part of his discussion about the wives of Erik King of Sweden and Svend King of Denmark, attempts to resolve the confusion by suggesting that King Svend married firstly the composite person “Gunhild, daughter of “Skoglar” Toste”[40]. This possibility cannot be dismissed, but the suggestion, in particular that Svend’s first wife was named “Gunhild”, is uncorroborated by primary sources except Snorre. The attempt also does not explain Snorre’s reference to “Skoglar” Toste’s daughter marrying the Swedish king, by whom she was mother of his successor (which also contradicts other sources). Another possibility is presumably that Sigrid, daughter of “Skoglar” Toste, married firstly the Swedish king (as his first wife) who repudiated her, and secondly married the Danish king (also as his first wife) who may have repudiated her as well, in which case the confusion in the sources could be attributed to both Svend’s wives being named Sigrid. That is the solution which is shown here, for presentational purposes only, with no guarantee that it is correct.] m [secondly] ([985?]) as her first husband, SIGRID [Syritha] [Czcirada/Czirada/Šwiętosława] of Poland, daughter of MIESZKO I Prince of Poland & his [first/seventh wife --- or [eighth] wife Dobrava [Dobroslawa] of Bohemia] (-[after Summer 1015]). Thietmar refers to the mother of "filiis Suenni" as "Miseconis filia ducis, soror Bolizlavi successoris eius et nati [=cognati?, [eius?] referring to Svend?]", commenting that “a viro suimet [=Svend] diu depulsa non minimam cum cæteris perpessa est controversiam” ("long exiled by her husband…this woman suffered no small amount of controversy") [suggesting her repudiation, as discussed further below][41]. As these events occurred only about 15/20 years before Thietmar was writing (in [1012/18?]), his report is probably as reliable as could be expected. Adam of Bremen (writing [1075/85]) broadly reflects the same information, recording the marriage of King Svend and "Herici relictam, matrem Olaph"[42], another manuscript stating that "Hericus rex Sueonum" had made a treaty with “rege Polanorum Bolizlao”·and that “Bolizlaus” gave “filiam vel sororem” to “Herico”[43]. Her two marriages are further confirmed by Adam who records that [her son by her first marriage] Olof King of Sweden (“Olaph sane, qui post obitum patris Herici regnum super Suevos accepit”) invaded Denmark, expelled “infelicem Suein a regno” and conquered the kingdom (“et ipse optinuit Daniam”), but that Olof restored Svend “in regnum suum, eo quod matrem suam habuerit"[44]. Neither Thietmar nor Adam name the Polish king’s supposed daughter. Saxo Grammaticus (writing about a century after Adam) confirms her name (but not her family origin) and two marriages, noting that King Svend married "Syritha Suetiam" after she was unsuccessfully wooed by Olav I King of Norway, and naming Olof King of Sweden as King Svend's stepson[45]. Morkinskinna names "Sigridr en stórráda" as mother of “the lady Ástrídr…sister of two kings, Knútr the Great and Óláfr the Swede” who married “Jarl Úlfr sprakaleggr”[46]. Her name and second marriage are confirmed, and her first marriage suggested, by Saxo Grammaticus who states that King Svend married "Syritha Suetiam" after she was unsuccessfully wooed by Olav I King of Norway, and also refers to Olof King of Sweden as King Svend's stepson[47]. The name “Sigrid/Syritha” could of course be a Norse/German adaptation of a Polish name. Hlawitschka analyses secondary sources which discuss Sigrid’s Polish origin, including those which propose alternative Polish names “Czcirada/Czirada” or “Šwiętosława”[48]. She married secondly ([995?]) as his second wife, Svend I "Tveskæg/Forkbeard" King of Denmark. Thietmar’s reference to Svend repudiating his second wife appears corroborated by Saxo Grammaticus who records that, after his father's death, Olof returned to Sweden [from Denmark] with "his mother Syritha, and stayed there exercising his sovereignty under his mother's tutelage" (“Erici filius Olavus cum matre Syritha Suetiam repetivit, ibique degens regnum materno arbitrio subiectum habuit”)[49]. This passage suggests that Olof arrived in Denmark with his mother on her second marriage and returned to Sweden with her (presumably after Svend repudiated her), when he was still a minor. At some point, Sigrid presumably left Scandinavia and returned to her native homeland as the Encomium Emmæ Reginæ records that "Cnuto" [and his brother?] visited “Sclavoniam” in [Summer] 1015 and brought back “matrem suam, quæ illuc morabatur” [“who was staying there”][50]. The date of Sigrid’s death is not known. Sigrid of Poland was studied by Rafal T. Prinke (his article has not been studied in detail as it is in the Polish language)[51]. King Erik & his [second] wife had [two] children: 1. OLOF ([985/86?]-[1022]). 2. [HOLMFRID.
    Page: Ancestry
  2. Title: Wikipedia.org - Eric the Victorious (English)
    Author: References Liljegren, Bengt (2004) "Rulers of Sweden". Lund: Historiska Media. (translated by Adam Williams) p.11 ISBN 91-8505763-0 Lindkvist, Thomas (2003), "Kings and provinces in Sweden", The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, p. 223, ISBN 0-521-47299-7 Listing the Royal Court of Sweden Bolin, Sture, "Erik segersäll" Hervarar saga, Saga of Harald Fairhair and Styrbjörn's saga Lagerqvist & Åberg in Kings and Rulers of Sweden ISBN 91-87064-35-9 pp. 8–9 Harrison, Dick (2009), Sveriges historia 600-1350, pp. 21, 121, ISBN 978-91-1-302377-9 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. Jones, Gwyn (1973), A History of the Vikings, Oxford University Press, p. 128, ISBN 0-19-285063-6 et.al....
    Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_the_Victorious;
    Note: Eric the Victorious (Old Norse: Eiríkr inn sigrsæli, Modern Swedish: Erik Segersäll; c. 945 – c. 995) was a Swedish monarch 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.[2][3] 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,[4] and the Norse sagas' accounts of a Björn Eriksson[5] are considered unreliable. Some sources have referred to Eric the Victorious as either King Eric V or Eric VI, modern inventions by counting backwards from Eric XIV (1560–1568), who adopted his numeral according to a 16th-century work on the history of Sweden, Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus. Whether or not there were any Swedish monarchs named Eric before Eric the Victorious is disputed, with some historians claiming that there were several earlier Erics,[6] and others questioning the reliability of the primary sources used and the existence of these earlier monarchs.[7] The list of monarchs after him is also complicated and sketchy in some early periods, which makes the assignment of any numeral problematic (see Eric and Eric and Erik Årsäll) whether counting backward or forward. Eric's kingdom His original territory was in Uppland and neighbouring provinces.[8] 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.[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. [11][12] 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, he was also King of Denmark after defeating King Sweyn Forkbeard. 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.[13] 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.[14] Saga sources Another example of King Eric in fantasy art, this published by Gustaf Henrik Mellin in 1850 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.[15] 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.[4] Various sources and sagas (see above) list King Eric's wives as Sigrid, Świętosława, Gunhild and Aud, of which two or three may have been the same person but depicted differently and under different names. Such sources have also given Eric a total of four known children: Olof Skötkonung d. 1022, Eric's only historically attested child Emund, allegedly ruled over part of the realm under his brother Olof Holmfrid, sometimes credited as a daughter, not a sister, of Olof and married to Sweyn Haakonsson Daughter, married to an Åke and grandmother of Ingvar the Far-Travelled Eric's nephew Styrbjörn and niece Gyrid were allegedly children of his semi-legendary brother and co-ruler Olof, mentioned in connection with Styrbjörn above.
    Page: Ancestry
  3. Title: Wikipedia.org - Erik Segersäll (Svenska)
    Author: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Segers%C3%A4ll
    Publication: Name: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Segers%C3%A4ll;
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