The Children of Sweyn, Part 3

After the untimely death of King Eric the Evergood in Cyprus, his brother Niels became King of Denmark, the latest and last of the sons of Sweyn II to become king. He was born c.1063, and his reign began in 1104.

In 1105 Niels married the daughter of Inge I "the Elder," King of Sweden. Her name was Margaret Fredkulla "Maiden of Peace"), and she had previously been married to King Magnus III "Barefoot" of Norway (who died in 1103) as part of a peace treaty. Rumor said Niels was not interested in the details of administration and left many of the affairs of state in Margaret's hands. Margaret even minted her own coins. (The illustration shows a coin with Niels' image.) They had a son, Magnus "the Strong" Nielsen, who became ruler of Geatland in southern Sweden in the 1120s. 

There was trouble with Eric the Memorable, the son of Niels' older brother Eric Evergood. Eric rebelled against Niels' reign, losing several battles against Niels and Magnus the Strong. Eric hoped to make an ally of the Holy Roman Emperor Lothair III, who was busy trying to depose a pope, but later did support him. With the help of Lothair and other allies and German mercenaries, Eric defeated Niels' army in 1134.

Niels died a year later, slain by the townspeople of Schleswig as he sought refuge.

Niels was the last surviving son of Sweyn—whose sons reigned for a combined 60 years—and the reign passed to Eric the Memorable, who reigned as King Eric II of Denmark. He was a ruthless man who met a sudden end after only a few years. I'll share that story next time.

Kingdom of the Isles

North and west and south of Scotland are numerous islands, the Shetlands and Orkneys, the Hebrides, and the Isle of Man, respectively. From the 9th to 13th centuries, they were collectively known as the Kingdom of the Isles.

Their widely spread locations made them vulnerable to invasion and take-overs. Ireland looked at the Hebrides and Man with desire, and Norway was interested in the Orkneys. Magnus Barefoot of Norway managed to conquer the Kingdom for a time in the 11th century, until the previously ruling family reclaimed the rulership.

We might know very little about this part of the world, but the Isle of Iona had a prominent monastery, whence came many prominent religious figures like Adomnán and others whose activities are recorded starting in the 6th century, although Viking invasions starting in the mid 9th century disrupted life and record-keeping.

The Norse referred to the islands as Suðreyjar ("Southern Isles"). The Laxdaela Saga (one of the Icelandic sagas) refers to people coming to Iceland from Sodor, meaning the southern isles. "Sodor" remains in the name of the Church of England diocese for some of the isles.

The natives of the Isles were Gaels, and Gaelic remained the spoken language even under Norse occupation, although Gaelic place-names all but disappeared in favor of Norse names. Norse occupation on the Isle of Man left 26 runestones, when all of Norway has only 33!

Possession of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man came to a head in the war between Magnus VI of Norway and Alexander III of Scotland. Their conflict ended with the Treaty of Perth in 1263, which recognized Scotland's ownership of the Isles.

Next, let's go into a little more detail on runestones.