Jarl in Sweden
Encyclopedia
In Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, members of medieval royal families, such as the House of Stenkil
House of Stenkil
The House of Stenkil was a dynasty on the Swedish throne from c. 1060 to c. 1125. Stenkil probably originated from Västergötland.Line before Stenkil, according to the Norse sagas:...

 and House of Bjelbo
House of Bjelbo
The House of Bjelbo , also known as the House of Folkung , was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided for several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings.- Name and origin :...

, held the title of jarl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...

before their accession to the throne. Since the early 12th century, there usually was only one holder of the title at a time, second only to the King of Sweden.

For special occasions, regional jarls outside of Sweden could be nominated as well. An example of this is Jon jarl
Jon Jarl
Jon Jarl was a legendary Swedish jarl at the end of the 12th and in the early 13th centuries. He is mentioned in Eric's Chronicle from the 1320s to have spent years fighting against Russians and Ingrians in the early Swedish-Novgorodian Wars...

, who allegedly conducted pirate operations against Novgorod in the east. When the House of Bjelbo (alt. Bjälbo) succeeded in becoming the royal family in 1250, the title was subsumed into that of duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

 and the powers were merged into the kingship soon after Birger jarl
Birger jarl
, or Birger Magnusson, was a Swedish statesman, Jarl of Sweden and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, which established Swedish rule in Finland. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed to have...

's death in 1266.

History

According to Procopius
Procopius
Procopius of Caesarea was a prominent Byzantine scholar from Palestine. Accompanying the general Belisarius in the wars of the Emperor Justinian I, he became the principal historian of the 6th century, writing the Wars of Justinian, the Buildings of Justinian and the celebrated Secret History...

, the heruli
Heruli
The Heruli were an East Germanic tribe who are famous for their naval exploits. Migrating from Northern Europe to the Black Sea in the third century They were part of the...

, after having raided the European continent for several generations, returned to Scandinavia in 512 AD as a result of military defeats. As their old territory was now occupied by the Danes, they settled next to the Geat
Geat
Geats , and sometimes Goths) were a North Germanic tribe inhabiting what is now Götaland in modern Sweden...

s in present-day Sweden. While the Proto-Norse word for this mysterious tribe, erilar, is etymologically
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...

 near "jarl" and "earl", and it has often been suggested they introduced the runes in Scandinavia, no elaborate theory exist to explain how the word came to be used as a title. Arguably, their knowledge in interpreting runes also meant they were gifted in martial arts and, as they gradually integrated, eril or jarl instead came to signify the rank of a leader. As described in the Icelandic sagas, such as Rígsthula, a jarl was a sort of chieftain next in rank to the king. Under any circumstance, when jarls are finally mentioned in medieval documents, it clearly was a title signifying a leader ranked directly under the king.

In Swedish history Jarls are described as either local rulers or viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...

s appointed by a king, ruling one of the historical Swedish provinces
Provinces of Sweden
The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....

, such as Västergötland
Västergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, 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....

, Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...

, or Svitjod. In Norway, the jarls apparently kept this role and the kings attempted to introduce one in each Fylke before the title was used exclusively on the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...

 in the 14th century. In Sweden, however, by the mid-10th century the title was used exclusively by a single person and the local leaders were gradually being referred to as dux or duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

. Before the title was finally discontinued in the mid 13th century, Swedish jarls were powerful men, such as Birger Brosa
Birger Brosa
Birger Brosa , jarl of Sweden 1174-1202, d. 9 January 1202 on Visingsö, was a son of Bengt Snivil and a member of the powerful House of Bjälbo...

, Ulf Fase
Ulf Fase
Ulf Fase was the jarl of Sweden c 1221-47. His nickname "Fase" has not been convincingly explained but may indict "The Dreadful". Ulf belonged to the House of Bjelbo....

, and Birger Jarl
Birger jarl
, or Birger Magnusson, was a Swedish statesman, Jarl of Sweden and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, which established Swedish rule in Finland. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed to have...

 (actual surname "Magnusson"), often the true rulers of the Swedish kingdom.

Jarls of Sweden

From diverse families:
  • Jon Sverkersson, eldest son and heir of king Sverker I of Sweden
    Sverker I of Sweden
    Sverker I or Sverker the Elder was King of Sweden from about 1130 till his death.-Biography:Sverker was a mighty landowner from Östergötland...

  • Karl Sverkersson, next son of king Sverker I - jarl in Gothenland
  • jarl Ragvald Henriksson, riksjarl during the brief reign of his brother Magnus (II)
  • Ulf Jarl
    Ulf Jarl
    Ulf was a Danish earl, in Scandinavia known as a jarl. As a Viking chieftain he participated in Cnut the Great's conquest of England as one of his most trusted men. He married Cnut's sister Estrid Svendsdatter and from c. 1024 he was his appointee as regent of Denmark, probably as the guardian of...

    , jarl in 1160s
  • jarl Guttorm, in 1160s


From the House of Bjelbo
House of Bjelbo
The House of Bjelbo , also known as the House of Folkung , was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided for several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings.- Name and origin :...

:
  • Folke the Fat
    Folke the Fat
    Folke the Fat , according to Gesta Danorum by the 12th century Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, was the most powerful man in Sweden around 1100. He married Ingrid Knutsdotter, daughter of the Danish king Canute IV of Denmark who was murdered in 1086. Folke and Ingrid had the sons Knut and...

    , jarl around 1100
  • Bengt Snivil
    Bengt Snivil
    Bengt Snivil from the House of Bjelbo was a Swedish magnate in mid-12th century.Some more or less romantic later literature has given him the title of jarl, although no proper historical source attests to such...

    , jarl in the mid-12th century - probably never jarl
  • Birger Brosa
    Birger Brosa
    Birger Brosa , jarl of Sweden 1174-1202, d. 9 January 1202 on Visingsö, was a son of Bengt Snivil and a member of the powerful House of Bjälbo...

    , 1174-1202
  • Johan Sverkersson
    John I of Sweden
    John I of Sweden was a Swedish king elected in 1216. -Background:John was the son of King Sverker II of Sweden of the House of Sverker and Queen Ingegerd of the Bjälbo dynasty. King Sverker had been beaten in the Battle of Lena and later killed in the Battle of Gestilren in 1210...

    , 1202-120?
  • Jon Jarl
    Jon Jarl
    Jon Jarl was a legendary Swedish jarl at the end of the 12th and in the early 13th centuries. He is mentioned in Eric's Chronicle from the 1320s to have spent years fighting against Russians and Ingrians in the early Swedish-Novgorodian Wars...

    , ?-1206?
  • Knut Birgersson
    Knut Birgersson, Riksjarl of Sweden
    Knut Birgersson was Riksjarl of Sweden. He was the eldest surviving son of Riksjarl Birger Brosa and a member of the powerful House of Bjälbo....

    , 120?-1208, killed in 1208 at the Battle of Lena
    Battle of Lena
    The Battle of Lena occurred on January 31, 1208, and probably took place near Kungslena , which is located in the Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland, Sweden....

  • Folke Birgersson, 1208-1210, killed in 1210 at the Battle of Gestilren
    Battle of Gestilren
    The Battle of Gestilren took place on July 17, 1210. The battle was fought between the exiled King of Sweden Sverker and the ruling King Eric. Sverker had been beaten in the previous Battle of Lena, but had returned with new forces. Sverker was killed in the battle...

  • Charles the Deaf
    Charles the Deaf
    Charles the Deaf from the House of Bjelbo was the jarl of Sweden during 1216–1220. His father was magnate Bengt Snivil. He was the brother of Magnus Minnesköld and jarl Birger Brosa and father of jarl Ulf Fase...

     (Karl Döve), 1210?-1220, killed at the Battle of Lihula
    Battle of Lihula
    Battle of Lihula was fought between invading Swedes and Estonians for the control of a castle in Lihula, Estonia in 1220. The exact date remains uncertain, though some historians suggest that the battle took place on August 8...

  • Ulf Fase
    Ulf Fase
    Ulf Fase was the jarl of Sweden c 1221-47. His nickname "Fase" has not been convincingly explained but may indict "The Dreadful". Ulf belonged to the House of Bjelbo....

    , 1220?-? and 1231–1240, died 1248
  • Birger Magnusson
    Birger jarl
    , or Birger Magnusson, was a Swedish statesman, Jarl of Sweden and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, which established Swedish rule in Finland. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed to have...

    , 1248-1266, last jarl (Dux Sweciae)

Jarls of Västergötland

From the House of Stenkil
House of Stenkil
The House of Stenkil was a dynasty on the Swedish throne from c. 1060 to c. 1125. Stenkil probably originated from Västergötland.Line before Stenkil, according to the Norse sagas:...

:
  • Ulf Tostesson
    Ulf Tostesson
    Ulf Tostesson was a jarl and the son of the legendary Viking Skogul Toste. He was the brother of Sigrid the Haughty, and his son, Ragnvald Ulfsson, a jarl, was the father of Stenkil, who was elected king when the old House of Munsö died out....

  • Ragnvald Ulfsson
    Ragnvald Ulfsson
    Ragnvald Ulfsson the Old was a jarl of Västergötland or Östergötland, and married to a sister of Olav Tryggvason.Ragnvald is mentioned in the skaldic poem Austrfaravísur, ascribed to Sigvatr Þórðarson, skald of King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway , who had been on a diplomatic mission to Sweden...

     (c. 1010-20), later jarl of Staraja Ladoga and Ingria
    Ingria
    Ingria is a historical region in the eastern Baltic, now part of Russia, comprising the southern bank of the river Neva, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, Lake Peipus in the west, and Lake Ladoga and the western bank of the Volkhov river in the east...

    . Father 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...

    .

Jarls of Östergötland

  • Totil, fictional Jarl i Kind.
  • Kettil unchristian, fictional Jarl i Kind.

Jarls of Skåne

From 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....

.
  • Ulf Torgilsson, died 1026. Father of king Sweyn Estridson
    Sweyn II of Denmark
    Sweyn II Estridsson Ulfsson was the King of Denmark from 1047 to 1074. He was the son of Ulf Jarl and Estrid Svendsdatter. He was married three times, and fathered 20 children or more, including the five future kings Harald III Hen, Canute IV the Saint, Oluf I Hunger, Eric I Evergood and Niels...

     of Denmark
    Denmark
    Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

    .

Others, unclear position

  • Jon jarl
    Jon Jarl
    Jon Jarl was a legendary Swedish jarl at the end of the 12th and in the early 13th centuries. He is mentioned in Eric's Chronicle from the 1320s to have spent years fighting against Russians and Ingrians in the early Swedish-Novgorodian Wars...

     (possibly several ones)
  • Guttorm jarl 1165-1174. Buried in Sorö
    Soro
    Soro may refer to:* Soro , 1987 album by Salif Keita* Soro , fictional extraterrestrial race in David Brin's Uplift Universe* Soro, Denmark ,town* Soro, Baleshwar, town in Orissa, India* Soro , Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia...

    , Denmark.
  • Sigvard jarl
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