The House of Munsö (Swedish: Munsöätten), also called the House of Björn Ironside (Swedish: Björn Järnsidas ätt), the House of Uppsala (Swedish: Uppsalaätten) or simply the Old dynasty (Swedish: Gamla kungaätten), is the earliest reliably attested royal dynasty of Sweden, ruling during the Viking Age. None of the names suggested for the dynasty are universally accepted and most are problematic; the name "House of Munsö" derives from a questionable and speculative theory that they would have ruled from the island of Munsö and the name "House of Björn Ironside" derives from the supposed founder of the dynasty, Björn Ironside, who is often seen as a legendary, rather than historical, figure.
A long and elaborate sequence of kings of the Munsö dynasty can be found in 12th and 13th century Icelandic sagas, but the sagas are overwhelmingly considered unreliable, with the kings that appear in them seen as legendary figures. The sequence of kings in the sagas is contradicted by more contemporary German sources such as the 9th century writings of Rimbert and the 11th century work of Adam of Bremen.
Due to a lack of preserved sources, little concrete information is known of Swedish kings during the Viking Age.[1] Although long and elaborate king lists are provided by Icelandic sagas, sometimes contradictory mixtures of myths and poetry, and poems, these works (including texts such as Ynglinga saga, Hervarar saga, Ynglingatal and Langfeðgatal) are not considered reliable sources by modern scholars.[1][2][3] Critically, a majority of them were written in the 12th to 13th century, centuries after the kings they described are supposed to have lived; what is genuine history and what is myth and legend is impossible to determine and everything contained in them must as such be regarded as legendary, if not fictional.[2] The 12th and 13th centuries was a time when royal power was being consolidated in Norway, Denmark and Sweden and as such, king lists may have been created out of a political and social needs (i.e. justifying the rule of a royal dynasty), rather than a desire to tell genuine history.[4] Many of Sweden's legendary kings would have preceded the Viking Age,[5] but historical evidence of early geopolitics in Scandinavia suggests that larger political structures, kingdoms such as medieval Sweden, Norway and Denmark, did not form until the late Viking Age. The centralization of power under one monarch is believed to have resulted from, or at the very least have been connected to, Viking expansion, with petty kings increasing their power through aggressive military ventures directed both to foreign lands (i.e. Viking raids) and against their neighbors.[6]
In his 12th-century work Gesta Danorum, Danish author Saxo Grammaticus wrote that the Swedish kings of the Viking Age were part of the dynasty of the Ynglings,[1] a possibly entirely invented line of ancient Scandinavian kings supposedly descended from Odin,[4] but this does not accord with the Icelandic sagas, which hold that the Ynglings were driven from Sweden in the middle of the 7th century and replaced by other dynasties.[1] There is no preserved contemporary name for the Viking Age dynasty, and there exists no universally accepted name for them in modern historiography. The name "House of Munsö" (Swedish: Munsöätten) derives from a questionable and speculative theory that the kings of the 9th century transferred their royal seat of power from Uppsala (an important early political center in Sweden) to the island of Munsö in the lake Mälaren. The supportive evidence for this theory; a large burial mound on Munsö and a contemporary account by German missionary Rimbert giving the impression that the Swedish king had his seat near the island-settlement of Birka, is quite thin. Since the name "House of Munsö" arguably takes a stand in favor of this theory, it is commonly avoided in modern Swedish scholarship. The name "House of Uppsala" (Swedish: Uppsalaätten) derives from the fact that the Icelandic sagas often designate legendary Swedish rulers as kings "in Uppsala", and is similarly problematic. The dynasty is thus sometimes simply designated as "the Old dynasty" (Swedish: Gamla kungaätten), a more neutral designation.[1] The rarely used name "House of Björn Ironside" (Swedish: Björn Järnsidas ätt) comes from the dynasty supposedly descending from the legendary Viking Björn Ironside according to the later Icelandic sagas. The big burial mound at Munsö was attributed, without evidence, to Björn Ironside by 18th-century historians, an identification that is not accepted by historians today.[7]
The line of Munsö dynasty kings presented by the Icelandic sagas is not accepted by modern historians, the legendary kings (including the supposed founder of the dynasty, Björn Ironside) typically not being recognized as actual historical figures.[8] The four kings of the dynasty whose existence is corroborated by multiple sources, and who are thus generally accepted as real historical kings of Sweden and recognized as such by the modern Swedish monarchy are Eric the Victorious, Olof Skötkonung, Anund Jacob and Emund the Old.[9] The answer to the question regarding who was Sweden's first king depends on what is meant with "Sweden"; the earliest king reliably known to have ruled both Svealand and Götaland, the core territories of the country, was Olof Skötkonung,[10] who is also listed first in most medieval Swedish king lists.[11]
Son of Eric the Victorious; the first Christian king of Sweden and the first Swedish king to mint coins; sometimes considered to be Sweden's first king. Earliest king who can be proven to have ruled both Svealand and Götaland, the core territories of Sweden.
Son of Olof Skötkonung. Was according to later sources given the epithet Kolbränna ("coal-burner") because of allegedly burning down the houses of his opponents. Most early Swedish and German sources speak favorably of him.
Illegitimate son of Olof Skötkonung; the last king of the dynasty. Upon his death, Stenkil of the House of Stenkil became Sweden's king. Stenkil might have been related in some form, possibly either through a female line or through marriage, to the Munsö dynasty.
Rimbert, who travelled with the bishop Ansgar to Sweden as a missionary in the 9th century, wrote about several kings in Vita Ansgari. As Rimbert was a contemporary to the kings he writes about, the Vita is seen as a believable source. Adam of Bremen alludes to the kings mentioned by Rimbert and expands the list of kings to cover the following centuries. However, the distance in time is greater, and he is thus seen as a weaker source for the time before Eric the Victorious.[10] Though no genealogical information is provided by either which confidently connects the kings they mention with Eric the Victorious and his descendants, they are typically assumed to have been part of the same royal dynasty.[1] Attempts have been made to harmonize Rimbert's and Adam of Bremen's kings with the kings mentioned in the sagas (whose existence is otherwise seen as contradicted by their writings), but due to a lack of documented evidence, such attempts have to be considered unreliable and unverifiable.[15]
Kings from the Vita
Björn, who reigned c. 829 when Ansgar first visited Sweden at the important port-settlement of Birka. Björn was reportedly friendly to the missionaries but chose not to convert to Christianity (although one of his chief councilors, Hergeir, did).[15]
Anund, who is not mentioned as ruling over Birka (possibly ruling somewhere else in Sweden), having been driven from Sweden and taken refuge among the Danes. Anund promised Birka to the Danes as a reward for helping him gain revenge and attacked Birka c. 840. As Birka continues to be ruled by Swedish kings, it is unlikely that the attack succeeded.[15]
Eric, who was recently deceased by the time Ansgar visited Sweden for the second time c. 852. According to Rimbert's writings, some of the Anti-Christian Swedes suggested that Eric be worshipped as a god alongside the rest of the Nordic pantheon instead of the new Christian God.[15]
Olof, who reigned c. 852, during Ansgar's second visit to Sweden, having then only recently come to the throne.[15] Olof's position of power was weak, since he did not dare support Ansgar's and Rimbert's Christianization mission out of fear of upsetting his people. According to Rimbert, Olof had to negotiate with his own nobles and the will of the gods (i.e. what should be done) was eventually determined through a lottery-like system, the results of which was determined by a council of religious figures rather than the king. Olof apparently warred against Courland.[10]
Kings from Adam of Bremen
Ring, possibly together with his sons Eric and Emund. If he co-ruled with his sons, they reigned c. 936. If there was not a co-regency, Ring might have ruled earlier, with his second son Emund reigning c. 936.[10][15]
Eric, son of Ring and either his co-ruler or direct successor.[10][15]
Emund, son of Ring and either co-ruler with Ring and Eric Ringsson, or the direct successor of Eric Ringsson.[10][15]
Emund, son of Eric and the direct successor of Emund Ringsson (or some co-ruler arrangement of the previous three monarchs).[15] Adam of Bremen gives this king as Eric the Victorious's predecessor.[16]
Other kings
There are also a few kings mentioned in various sources, but which are inconsitenstly placed in the regnal list, or not at all. These include:
Frisk, Mattias (2015). "Concerning Mass Graves: the Use, Development and Identities Within Mass Graves During the Scandinavian Iron Age and Middle Ages" (PDF). Master's Thesis – Uppsala University.
Gurevich, Aron Ia. (1978). "The Early State in Norway". In Claessen, Henri J. M.; Skalnik, Peter (eds.). The Early State. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN978-9027979049.
Hall, Alaric (2005), "Changing style and changing meaning: Icelandic historiography and the medieval redactions of Heiðreks saga", Scandinavian Studies, 77
Lagerquist, Lars O. (1997). Sveriges Regenter, från forntid till nutid. Norstedts. ISBN91-1-963882-5.
Sawyer, Birgit (2010). "Snorre Sturlason som balanskonstnär". Collegium Medievale: Interdisciplinary Journal of Medieval Research (in Swedish). 23: 33–57.
Sävborg, Daniel (2015). "Kungalängder och historieskrivning: Fornsvenska och fornisländska källor om Sveriges historia". Historisk Tidskrift (in Swedish). 135 (2): 201–235.
The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise(PDF), translated by Tolkien, Christopher, 1960
Cited web sources
Baldwin, Stewart. "Early Swedish Kings". RootsWeb. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
Harrison, Dick (2017-04-08). "Vilka var våra äldsta svenska kungar?". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-06-29.
Martinsson, Örjan. "Gamla kungaätten". Tacitus (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-06-30.
"Kings and Queens of Sweden — A thousand year succession". Swedish Royal Court. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
"Snorres Ynglingasaga". Foteviken Museum (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-06-27.
External links
Media related to House of Munsö at Wikimedia Commons
house, munsö, swedish, munsöätten, also, called, house, björn, ironside, swedish, björn, järnsidas, ätt, house, uppsala, swedish, uppsalaätten, simply, dynasty, swedish, gamla, kungaätten, earliest, reliably, attested, royal, dynasty, sweden, ruling, during, v. The House of Munso Swedish Munsoatten also called the House of Bjorn Ironside Swedish Bjorn Jarnsidas att the House of Uppsala Swedish Uppsalaatten or simply the Old dynasty Swedish Gamla kungaatten is the earliest reliably attested royal dynasty of Sweden ruling during the Viking Age None of the names suggested for the dynasty are universally accepted and most are problematic the name House of Munso derives from a questionable and speculative theory that they would have ruled from the island of Munso and the name House of Bjorn Ironside derives from the supposed founder of the dynasty Bjorn Ironside who is often seen as a legendary rather than historical figure House of MunsoMunsoattenRoyal dynastyCoin of Anund Jacob r c 1022 1050 CountryKingdom of SwedenFoundedc 9th 10th centuryFounderBjorn Ironside legendary Eric the Victorious earliest accepted Final rulerEmund the OldTitlesKing of the SwedesTraditionsNorse Paganism until 10th century Roman Catholicism 10th 11th century Depositionc 1060A long and elaborate sequence of kings of the Munso dynasty can be found in 12th and 13th century Icelandic sagas but the sagas are overwhelmingly considered unreliable with the kings that appear in them seen as legendary figures The sequence of kings in the sagas is contradicted by more contemporary German sources such as the 9th century writings of Rimbert and the 11th century work of Adam of Bremen Contents 1 Etymology and historiography 2 Kings of the Munso dynasty 2 1 Legendary kings 2 2 Hervarar saga ok Heidreks 2 3 Vita Ansgari and Adam of Bremen 2 3 1 Kings from the Vita 2 3 2 Kings from Adam of Bremen 2 4 Other kings 3 See also 4 References 4 1 Cited bibliography 4 2 Cited web sources 5 External linksEtymology and historiography Edit Eric the Victorious praying to Odin before the legendary Battle of Fyrisvellir as envisioned by 20th century artist Jenny Nystrom Due to a lack of preserved sources little concrete information is known of Swedish kings during the Viking Age 1 Although long and elaborate king lists are provided by Icelandic sagas sometimes contradictory mixtures of myths and poetry and poems these works including texts such as Ynglinga saga Hervarar saga Ynglingatal and Langfedgatal are not considered reliable sources by modern scholars 1 2 3 Critically a majority of them were written in the 12th to 13th century centuries after the kings they described are supposed to have lived what is genuine history and what is myth and legend is impossible to determine and everything contained in them must as such be regarded as legendary if not fictional 2 The 12th and 13th centuries was a time when royal power was being consolidated in Norway Denmark and Sweden and as such king lists may have been created out of a political and social needs i e justifying the rule of a royal dynasty rather than a desire to tell genuine history 4 Many of Sweden s legendary kings would have preceded the Viking Age 5 but historical evidence of early geopolitics in Scandinavia suggests that larger political structures kingdoms such as medieval Sweden Norway and Denmark did not form until the late Viking Age The centralization of power under one monarch is believed to have resulted from or at the very least have been connected to Viking expansion with petty kings increasing their power through aggressive military ventures directed both to foreign lands i e Viking raids and against their neighbors 6 In his 12th century work Gesta Danorum Danish author Saxo Grammaticus wrote that the Swedish kings of the Viking Age were part of the dynasty of the Ynglings 1 a possibly entirely invented line of ancient Scandinavian kings supposedly descended from Odin 4 but this does not accord with the Icelandic sagas which hold that the Ynglings were driven from Sweden in the middle of the 7th century and replaced by other dynasties 1 There is no preserved contemporary name for the Viking Age dynasty and there exists no universally accepted name for them in modern historiography The name House of Munso Swedish Munsoatten derives from a questionable and speculative theory that the kings of the 9th century transferred their royal seat of power from Uppsala an important early political center in Sweden to the island of Munso in the lake Malaren The supportive evidence for this theory a large burial mound on Munso and a contemporary account by German missionary Rimbert giving the impression that the Swedish king had his seat near the island settlement of Birka is quite thin Since the name House of Munso arguably takes a stand in favor of this theory it is commonly avoided in modern Swedish scholarship The name House of Uppsala Swedish Uppsalaatten derives from the fact that the Icelandic sagas often designate legendary Swedish rulers as kings in Uppsala and is similarly problematic The dynasty is thus sometimes simply designated as the Old dynasty Swedish Gamla kungaatten a more neutral designation 1 The rarely used name House of Bjorn Ironside Swedish Bjorn Jarnsidas att comes from the dynasty supposedly descending from the legendary Viking Bjorn Ironside according to the later Icelandic sagas The big burial mound at Munso was attributed without evidence to Bjorn Ironside by 18th century historians an identification that is not accepted by historians today 7 Kings of the Munso dynasty EditFor the legendary kings placed in this dynasty by the Icelandic sagas see List of legendary kings of Sweden Munso dynasty The line of Munso dynasty kings presented by the Icelandic sagas is not accepted by modern historians the legendary kings including the supposed founder of the dynasty Bjorn Ironside typically not being recognized as actual historical figures 8 The four kings of the dynasty whose existence is corroborated by multiple sources and who are thus generally accepted as real historical kings of Sweden and recognized as such by the modern Swedish monarchy are Eric the Victorious Olof Skotkonung Anund Jacob and Emund the Old 9 The answer to the question regarding who was Sweden s first king depends on what is meant with Sweden the earliest king reliably known to have ruled both Svealand and Gotaland the core territories of the country was Olof Skotkonung 10 who is also listed first in most medieval Swedish king lists 11 Image Name Approximate reign Succession and Notes RefEric the VictoriousEirikr inn sigrsaeli c 970 995 c 25 years 9 10 Olof Skotkonungolafr skautkonungr c 995 1022 c 27 years Son of Eric the Victorious the first Christian king of Sweden and the first Swedish king to mint coins sometimes considered to be Sweden s first king Earliest king who can be proven to have ruled both Svealand and Gotaland the core territories of Sweden 9 10 Anund JacobAnundr Iacob c 1022 1050 c 28 years Son of Olof Skotkonung Was according to later sources given the epithet Kolbranna coal burner because of allegedly burning down the houses of his opponents Most early Swedish and German sources speak favorably of him 9 Emund the OldAEmundaer gamlae c 1050 1060 c 10 years Illegitimate son of Olof Skotkonung the last king of the dynasty Upon his death Stenkil of the House of Stenkil became Sweden s king Stenkil might have been related in some form possibly either through a female line or through marriage to the Munso dynasty 9 Legendary kings Edit Hervarar saga ok Heidreks Edit The Hervarar saga ok Heidreks has in some versions an addition which gives a regnal list of Sweden following the death of Ingjald Illrade the last king of the Yngling dynasty Sweden was first ruled by Ivar Vidfamne then Harald Wartooth and his son Eysteinn Beli before Bjorn Ironside conquered Sweden He founded the House of Munso and the saga then follows his descendants until Philip of Sweden 12 13 The following chart maps the descendants of Bjorn Ironside according to the saga 14 House of Munso Family treeBjorn IronsideErik BjornssonRefil BjornssonBjorn at HaugiAnund UppsaleErik RefilssonErik AnundssonBjorn ErikssonSigrid the HaughtyEric the VictoriousOlof BjornssonOlof SkotkonungStyrbjorn the StrongAnund JacobEmund the OldDaughter married to StenkilVita Ansgari and Adam of Bremen Edit Rimbert who travelled with the bishop Ansgar to Sweden as a missionary in the 9th century wrote about several kings in Vita Ansgari As Rimbert was a contemporary to the kings he writes about the Vita is seen as a believable source Adam of Bremen alludes to the kings mentioned by Rimbert and expands the list of kings to cover the following centuries However the distance in time is greater and he is thus seen as a weaker source for the time before Eric the Victorious 10 Though no genealogical information is provided by either which confidently connects the kings they mention with Eric the Victorious and his descendants they are typically assumed to have been part of the same royal dynasty 1 Attempts have been made to harmonize Rimbert s and Adam of Bremen s kings with the kings mentioned in the sagas whose existence is otherwise seen as contradicted by their writings but due to a lack of documented evidence such attempts have to be considered unreliable and unverifiable 15 Kings from the Vita Edit Bjorn who reigned c 829 when Ansgar first visited Sweden at the important port settlement of Birka Bjorn was reportedly friendly to the missionaries but chose not to convert to Christianity although one of his chief councilors Hergeir did 15 Anund who is not mentioned as ruling over Birka possibly ruling somewhere else in Sweden having been driven from Sweden and taken refuge among the Danes Anund promised Birka to the Danes as a reward for helping him gain revenge and attacked Birka c 840 As Birka continues to be ruled by Swedish kings it is unlikely that the attack succeeded 15 Eric who was recently deceased by the time Ansgar visited Sweden for the second time c 852 According to Rimbert s writings some of the Anti Christian Swedes suggested that Eric be worshipped as a god alongside the rest of the Nordic pantheon instead of the new Christian God 15 Olof who reigned c 852 during Ansgar s second visit to Sweden having then only recently come to the throne 15 Olof s position of power was weak since he did not dare support Ansgar s and Rimbert s Christianization mission out of fear of upsetting his people According to Rimbert Olof had to negotiate with his own nobles and the will of the gods i e what should be done was eventually determined through a lottery like system the results of which was determined by a council of religious figures rather than the king Olof apparently warred against Courland 10 Kings from Adam of Bremen Edit Ring possibly together with his sons Eric and Emund If he co ruled with his sons they reigned c 936 If there was not a co regency Ring might have ruled earlier with his second son Emund reigning c 936 10 15 Eric son of Ring and either his co ruler or direct successor 10 15 Emund son of Ring and either co ruler with Ring and Eric Ringsson or the direct successor of Eric Ringsson 10 15 Emund son of Eric and the direct successor of Emund Ringsson or some co ruler arrangement of the previous three monarchs 15 Adam of Bremen gives this king as Eric the Victorious s predecessor 16 Other kings Edit There are also a few kings mentioned in various sources but which are inconsitenstly placed in the regnal list or not at all These include Eric attested by the Sparlosa Runestone from c 800 as a king at Uppsala 15 Eric Weatherhat Erik ArsallSee also EditList of Swedish monarchsReferences Edit a b c d e f Tacitus a b Foteviken Museum Ynglinga saga Sawyer 2010 p 34 a b Sawyer 2010 p 35 Frisk 2015 p 31 Gurevich 1978 p 405 Lagerquist 1997 p 24 Lagerquist 1997 p 26 a b c d e Kings and Queens of Sweden a b c d e f g h Harrison 2017 Savborg 2015 pp 204 205 Hall 2005 p 14 15 Henrikson 1984 p 70 Tolkien 1960 p 60 62 a b c d e f g h i j Baldwin Savborg 2015 p 212 Cited bibliography Edit Frisk Mattias 2015 Concerning Mass Graves the Use Development and Identities Within Mass Graves During the Scandinavian Iron Age and Middle Ages PDF Master s Thesis Uppsala University Gurevich Aron Ia 1978 The Early State in Norway In Claessen Henri J M Skalnik Peter eds The Early State Walter de Gruyter ISBN 978 9027979049 Hall Alaric 2005 Changing style and changing meaning Icelandic historiography and the medieval redactions of Heidreks saga Scandinavian Studies 77 Henrikson Alf 1984 Svensk historia Bonniers ISBN 9100463949 Lagerquist Lars O 1997 Sveriges Regenter fran forntid till nutid Norstedts ISBN 91 1 963882 5 Sawyer Birgit 2010 Snorre Sturlason som balanskonstnar Collegium Medievale Interdisciplinary Journal of Medieval Research in Swedish 23 33 57 Savborg Daniel 2015 Kungalangder och historieskrivning Fornsvenska och fornislandska kallor om Sveriges historia Historisk Tidskrift in Swedish 135 2 201 235 The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise PDF translated by Tolkien Christopher 1960Cited web sources Edit Baldwin Stewart Early Swedish Kings RootsWeb Retrieved 2020 06 29 Harrison Dick 2017 04 08 Vilka var vara aldsta svenska kungar Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish Retrieved 2020 06 29 Martinsson Orjan Gamla kungaatten Tacitus in Swedish Retrieved 2020 06 30 Kings and Queens of Sweden A thousand year succession Swedish Royal Court Retrieved 2020 06 29 Snorres Ynglingasaga Foteviken Museum in Swedish Retrieved 2020 06 27 External links Edit Media related to House of Munso at Wikimedia Commons Royal house House of MunsoFounding year 9th centuryDissolution 1060New titleEarliest attested Swedish dynasty Ruling House of Swedenc 970 1060 Succeeded byHouse of Stenkil Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title House of Munso amp oldid 1113474799, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
