The Nyköping banquet was king Birger of Sweden's Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 celebration December 11, 1317 at the Nyköping Castle

Nyköping Castle

Nyköping Castle in Nyköping, Sweden, is a Mediaeval castle from the Birger Jarl era, partly in ruins. The castle is mostly known for the ghastly Nyköping Banquet which took place here in 1317.-Construction:...

 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....

. Among the guests were his two brothers Duke Valdemar and Duke Eric, who later that night were imprisoned and starved to death in the dungeon

Dungeon

A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...

 of Nyköping Castle.

Prelude

The dukes and brothers, Valdemar and Eric had earlier staged a coup

Coup d'état

A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

 against king Birger (Håtuna games

Håtuna games

The Håtuna games were a 1306 conflict between king Birger Magnusson and his two brothers, the dukes Eric and Valdemar.-Background:...

). After the intervention of the Danish and Norwegian kings a settlement was reached in 1310 and Sweden was divided among the brothers into three sovereign states.

The Banquet

Seven years later the dukes Valdemar and Eric were invited as a sign of reconciliation to celebrate Christmas with King Birger and Queen Märta at Nyköping Castle. The banquet that was to go to history was held on the night between December 10 and 11, 1317. The dukes' retinue

Retinue

A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble or royal personage, a suite of "retainers".-Etymology:...

s were lodged not in the castle, but in the town of Nyköping, the pretext being lack of space. After both dukes had retired to bed, the king's drost

Drost

Seneschal of the Realm, Riksdrots , Rigsdrost , or Valtakunnandrotsi is a Danish and Swedish name of a supreme state official, with at least a connotation to administration of judiciary, who in medieval Scandinavia was often a leader in the government.The word drots/drost...

 Brunke (Johan von Brunkow) arrived with a company of crossbow

Crossbow

A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...

men and manacled them. The following morning, the dukes' retinue was also apprehended.

According to the Eric Chronicles

Eric Chronicles

Eric's Chronicle is the oldest surviving Swedish chronicle. It was written by an unknown author between about 1320 and 1335....

, king Birger himself was present, reminding the dukes of the Håtuna Games:

Mynnes jder nakot aff hatwna leek fulgörla mynnes han mik

The dukes imprisoned

The dukes were imprisoned in the castle's dungeon

Dungeon

A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...

. However King Birger had misjudged the political situation in the country. A rebellion broke out in 1318 against his rule and he was forced to flee to Gotland

Gotland

Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...

 from whence he soon had to continue his flight to 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...

. The dukes knew that no mercy

Mercy

Mercy is broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts.The concept of a "Merciful God" appears in various religions from Christianity to...

 would be forthcoming from Birger, so they had their testament

Will (law)

A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...

s drawn up after five weeks in the dungeon. It was dated January 18, 1318 and is preserved to this day. One of the executor

Executor

An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...

s was Birger Persson. Soon thereafter both died in the dungeon, according to tradition by drawn-out starvation

Starvation

Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...

.

According to legend, king Birger threw the key of the dungeon to Nyköpingsån. A large Medieval key was indeed found in the 19th century nearby the castle.

Aftermath

The three year old son of Duke Eric, Magnus

Magnus IV of Sweden

Magnus Eriksson as Magnus IV was king of Sweden , including Finland, as Magnus VII King of Norway , including Iceland and Greenland, and also ruled Scania . He has also vindictively been called Magnus Smek...

 was elected King in 1319 by the Stone of Mora in Uppland

Uppland

Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...

. King Birger's son Magnus resisted forces that tried to take the Castle of Nyköping but was defeated and fled with the drost Brunke. They lost a sea action, and were captured and executed in 1320. The drost Brunke was executed in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

 on the sandy ridge that has since been known as Brunkeberg. The deposed king Birger died 1321 in exile

Exile

Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...

 in Denmark.

Thus remained only the old queen mother Helvig of Holstein

Helvig of Holstein

Hedwig of Holstein was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Magnus III of Sweden. She was the child of Gerhard I, Count of Holstein and Elisabeth of Mecklenburg .-Biography:...

 (spouse of Magnus Ladulås), the exiled Queen Märta, and the young king Magnus Eriksson

Magnus IV of Sweden

Magnus Eriksson as Magnus IV was king of Sweden , including Finland, as Magnus VII King of Norway , including Iceland and Greenland, and also ruled Scania . He has also vindictively been called Magnus Smek...

, son of the dead Duke Eric.