Emund the Old
Emund den gamle | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1060 |
| Other names | Emund the Old |
| Title | King of Sweden |
| Predecessor | Anund Jakob |
| Successor | Stenkil |
| Spouse | Astrid Njalsdotter |
| Parent(s) | Olof Skötkonung, Estrid of the Obotrites |
Emund the Old or Edmund (Swedish: Emund den gamle, Old Swedish: Æmunðær gamlæ, Æmunðær gammal, Æmunðær slemæ) was king of Sweden 1050–1060.[1]
Emund was an illegitimate son of Olof Skötkonung. Emund's wife was Astrid Njalsdotter of Skjalgaätten (d. 1060). Astrid was the daughter of Norwegian nobleman Nial Finnsson (d. 1011) and Gunhild Halvdansdotter of the Skjalga family in Hålogaland, Norway. They became the parents of three known childen: sons Anund and Ingvar, who both died before their father, and a daughter, whose name is not known but who was the Queen Consort of King Stenkil of Sweden and mother of the three more Swedish kings Inge I, Alstan and Eric.[2]
Emund succeeded his brother Anund Jakob c. 1050. Emund was reportedly called Slemme, meaning the bad, because he actively opposed the priests from the Archbishopric of Bremen in favour of the English missionary Osmundus[citation needed]. The Westrogothic law states that Emund was a disagreeable man when wanting to pursue a goal, and that he marked the border between Sweden and Denmark.
The cognomen "Gamle" is known from Adam of Bremen, although he mistakes it as a proper name and mentions in one episode a "King Gamle" when it is in fact Emund. The name means "old" and could signify that he was old when he became king or that he was the older brother to his predecessor Anund Jakob.
Emund was the last king of the House of Munsö. Adam of Bremen relates in his work Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum (Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church) that his son Anund Emundsson died when leading a Swedish attack against Terra Feminarum and the attack ended in Swedish defeat. Emund was succeeded by his son-in law, Stenkil.
The Hervarar saga says that Emund was king only a short time:
|
Eymundr hét annarr sonr Óláfs sænska, er konungdóm tók eptir bróður sinn. Um hans daga heldu Svíar illa kristnina. Eymundr var litla hríð konungr.[3] |
Olaf the Swede had another son called Eymund, who came to the throne after his brother. In his day the Swedes neglected the Christian religion, but he was King for only a short time.[4] |
References
- ^ Odelberg, Maj (1995), "Emund gamle", Vikingatidens ABC, Swedish Museum of National Antiquities, ISBN 91-7192-984-3
- ^ Stenkil, Kung i Sverige (Nordisk familjebok)
- ^ Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Guðni Jónsson's og Bjarni Vilhjálmsson's edition at «Norrøne Tekster og Kvad».
- ^ The Saga of Hervör and Heithrek, in Stories and Ballads of the Far Past, translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese), by N. Kershaw.Cambridge at the University Press, 1921.
Other sources
- Sawyer, Peter The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings (Oxford University Press, 1997)
- Ohlmarks, Åke Alla Sveriges drottningar