Eric XII of Sweden
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2018) |
| Eric XII | |
|---|---|
_seal_1905.jpg) The seal of King Erik Magnusson. | |
| Born | 1339 |
| Died | 21 June 1359 (aged 19–20) |
| Spouse | Beatrix of Bavaria |
| House | Bjelbo |
| Father | Magnus IV of Sweden |
| Mother | Blanche of Namur |
Eric "XII"[1] (Swedish: Erik Magnusson; 1339 – 21 June 1359) was a rival king of Sweden, competing against his father, Magnus IV, from 1356 to his death in 1359. He was married to Beatrix of Bavaria, daughter of Emperor Louis IV.
In 1343 Eric and his brother, Haakon, were elected heirs of Sweden and Norway, respectively. That Haakon got the Norwegian throne in 1355 (causing the union between Norway and Sweden to split) while Eric didn't get any position in the Swedish council might have affected his choice to lead a rebellion against his father in 1355. In 1357 the rebellion had forced Magnus to share Sweden with his son Eric who got to rule most of Southern Sweden and Finland. Sweden was reunited again in 1359 when father and son became reconciled, and co-ruled Sweden until Eric's death a few months later. Quite soon after his death his wife, Beatrix, died too. It is generally believed that they died of the Black Death.
References
- ^ Referring to Erik Magnusson as King Eric XII is a later invention, counting backwards from Eric XIV (1560–68). He and his brother Charles IX (1604–1611) adopted numerals according to a fictitious history of Sweden. The number of Swedish monarchs named Eric before Eric XIV (at least seven) is unknown, going back into prehistory, and none of them used numerals. It would be speculative to try to affix a mathematically accurate one to this king.