Emund of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Emund the Old or Edmund was king of Sweden 1050–1060.
Emund was an illegitimate son of Olof Skötkonung. Emund's wife was Astrid Njalsdotter
of Skjalgaätten (d. 1060). Astrid was the daughter of Norwegian nobleman Nial Finnsson (d. 1011) and Gunhild Halvdansdotter of the Skjalga family in Hålogaland
, Norway
. They became the parents of two sons: Anund and Ingvar, who both died before their father. Their daughter was Saint Ingamoder Emundsdotter of Sweden
. Ingamoder was the Queen Consort
of King Stenkil of Sweden
and mother of Inge I of Sweden
, Halsten Stenkilsson and Eric Stenkilsson, all three kings of Sweden.
Emund succeeded his brother Anund Jakob c. 1050. Emund was reportedly called Slemme, meaning the bad, because he actively opposed the priests from the Archbishopric of Bremen in favour of the English missionary Osmundus
. The Westrogothic law states that Emund was a disagreeable man when wanting to pursue a goal, and that he marked the border between Sweden and Denmark.
The cognomen
"Gamle" is known from Adam of Bremen
, although he mistakes it as a proper name and mentions in one episode a "King Gamle" when it is in fact Emund. The name means "old" and could signify that he was old when he became king or that he was the older brother to his predecessor Anund Jakob.
Emund was the last king of the House of Munsö
. Adam of Bremen
relates in his work Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum
(Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church) that his son Anund Emundsson died when leading a Swedish attack against Terra Feminarum
and the attack ended in Swedish defeat. Emund was succeeded by his son-in law, Stenkil.
The Hervarar saga
says that Emund was king only a short time:
Emund was an illegitimate son of Olof Skötkonung. Emund's wife was Astrid Njalsdotter
Astrid Njalsdotter
Astrid Njalsdotter of Skjalgaätten was a Swedish queen, consort of king Emund the Old of Sweden and mother-in-law of king Stenkil of Sweden.-Biography:...
of Skjalgaätten (d. 1060). Astrid was the daughter of Norwegian nobleman Nial Finnsson (d. 1011) and Gunhild Halvdansdotter of the Skjalga family in Hålogaland
Hålogaland
Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the mediaeval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a petty kingdom extending between Namdalen in Nord-Trøndelag and Lyngen in Troms.-Etymology:...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. They became the parents of two sons: Anund and Ingvar, who both died before their father. Their daughter was Saint Ingamoder Emundsdotter of Sweden
Saint Ingamoder Emundsdotter of Sweden
Ingamoder is a name invented in modern times for the wife of King Stenkil of Sweden.Ingemo was a local saint only known from customs at the Ingemo Well near Skövde in Sweden. Modern genealogical speculation made her the daughter of King Emund the Old who was married to King Stenkil, and whose...
. Ingamoder was the Queen Consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King Stenkil of Sweden
Stenkil of Sweden
Stenkil was a King of Sweden who ruled c. 1060 until 1066. He succeeded Emund the Old and became the first king from the House of Stenkil...
and mother of Inge I of Sweden
Inge I of Sweden
Inge the Elder was a King of Sweden.-Biography:Inge was the son of the former King Stenkil and a Swedish princess. Inge shared the rule of the kingdom with his probably elder brother Halsten Stenkilsson, but little is known with certainty of Inge's reign...
, Halsten Stenkilsson and Eric Stenkilsson, all three kings of Sweden.
Emund succeeded his brother Anund Jakob c. 1050. Emund was reportedly called Slemme, meaning the bad, because he actively opposed the priests from the Archbishopric of Bremen in favour of the English missionary Osmundus
Osmundus
Osmundus was a clergyman favoured by Emund the Old, the king of Sweden in the mid-11th century.King Emund appointed Osmundus as archbishop of the Swedish church in Skara, probably to make Sweden independent from Adalbert of Hamburg, the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen...
. The Westrogothic law states that Emund was a disagreeable man when wanting to pursue a goal, and that he marked the border between Sweden and Denmark.
The cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
"Gamle" is known from Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
, although he mistakes it as a proper name and mentions in one episode a "King Gamle" when it is in fact Emund. The name means "old" and could signify that he was old when he became king or that he was the older brother to his predecessor Anund Jakob.
Emund was the last king of the House of Munsö
House of Munsö
The House of Munsö is one of the names of a protohistoric Swedish dynasty. Its early members of the 8th or 9th century are legendary or semi-legendary, while its later scions of the 10th to 11th centuries are historical....
. Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
relates in his work Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum
Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum
Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum is a historical treatise written between 1075 and 1080 by Adam of Bremen. It covers the period from 788 to the time it was written. The treatise consist of:*Liber I...
(Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church) that his son Anund Emundsson died when leading a Swedish attack against Terra Feminarum
Terra Feminarum
Terra feminarum is a name for a land in Fennoscandia that appears in Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum by Adam of Bremen 1075 AD...
and the attack ended in Swedish defeat. Emund was succeeded by his son-in law, Stenkil.
The Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas. It is a valuable saga for several different reasons beside its literary qualities. It contains traditions of wars between Goths and Huns, from the 4th century, and the last part is used as...
says that Emund was king only a short time:
Eymundr hét annarr sonr Óláfs sænska, er konungdóm tók eptir bróður sinn. Um hans daga heldu Svíar illa kristnina. Eymundr var litla hríð konungr. |
Olaf the Swede had another son called Eymund, who came to the throne after his brother. In his day the Swedes neglected the Christian religion, but he was King for only a short time. |
Other sources
- Sawyer, Peter The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings (Oxford University Press, 1997)
- Ohlmarks, Åke Alla Sveriges drottningar