Eric the Victorious
Eric the Victorious (Old Norse: Eiríkr inn sigrsæli; Swedish: Erik Segersäll) was the first Kingdom of Sweden. There is debate about whether or not he was actually the first king.[1]
He is sometimes called Eric V or Eric VI. He is called this by people who count back from Eric XIV (1560–68).
Eric the Victorious originally controlled the area around Uppland. His kingdom may have extended down to Blekinge. He got the name "victorious," because of his victory in the Battle of Fýrisvellir.[2]
According to Adam of Bremen, he was also the King of Denmark after the defeat of Sweyn Forkbeard. He probably also founded the town of Sigtuna, 38 km northeast from downtown Stockholm.[3]
Adam also dated Eric the Victorious's death as between 992 and 995. He is remembered as a war-like and successful ruler.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Lindkvist, Thomas (2003), "Kings and provinces in Sweden", The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, p. 223, ISBN 0-521-47299-7
- ↑ Jones, Gwyn (1973), A History of the Vikings, Oxford University Press, p. 128, ISBN 0-19-285063-6
- ↑ Ros, Jonas (2002) "Sigtuna och folklanden; den tidiga Sigtunamyntningen och den politiska geografin", Fornvännen 97:3, p. 170 [1] Archived 2017-10-20 at the Wayback Machine