Erik Magnusson (1339 – 20 June 1359), sometimes known as Erik XII, was King of Sweden and lord of Scania in 1344–1359. He was a co-ruler with his father, King

Magnus Eriksson Magnus Eriksson (April or May 1316 – 1 December 1374) was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII from 1319 to 1355, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By adversaries he has been called ''Magnus Smek'' (). Medi ...

, from 1356 until his death in 1359.

Early life

Erik was born in early 1339 as the eldest son of King

(1316–1374) who ruled both

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. When Magnus' second son, Haakon, was born the following year, Magnus decided to divide the kingdoms between his sons. Erik was designated to succeed his father as King of Sweden, while Haakon would become King of Norway during his father's lifetime. Although, by Norwegian law, Erik was the rightful heir to the Norwegian throne, the Norwegian Council of the Realm agreed to this arrangement in 1343. In 6 December 1344, Erik was formally elected King of Sweden at the Stones of Mora.

Marriage

In 1342, Magnus's brother-in-law Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg, approached Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV to propose a union between Erik and

Beatrix of Bavaria Beatrix of Bavaria (also of Brandenburg, of Wittelsbach; died 1359) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Erik Magnusson (1339–1359) who co-ruled Sweden with his father King Magnus Eriksson. Biography Beatrix was the daughter of Margrave ...

, Louis IV's granddaughter. Beatrix's parents were Louis I of Brandenburg, the eldest son of Emperor Louis, and Margrete, daughter of King Christopher II of Denmark. The marriage aligned with Magnus's strategic interests, as Beatrix's dynastic claims could strengthen his position in the ongoing conflicts with

Valdemar IV of Denmark Valdemar IV Atterdag, Valdemar Christoffersen or Waldemar (24 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance wars under previous rul ...

. Additionally, the union could also advance Magnus' ambitions in

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, which Valdemar had nominally ceded to Louis as compensation for Margrete's unpaid dowry. However, both Emperor Louis IV and Louis of Brandenburg had been

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

by the Catholic Church, and Magnus had to petition

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI (; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death, in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death (1 ...

regarding the marriage arrangement, as noted in a letter from the pope to the king in 1347. The exact date of the wedding is unknown. Beatrix is believed to have been around the same age as Erik, and one of Saint Bridget's revelations indicates that the marriage took place while she was still a minor. Some sources suggest that the wedding occurred as early as 1346, but the only certainty is that it took place before 25 October 1356.

Rebellion and death

In 1355, Haakon was declared of age, and after that, he was the sovereign ruler of Norway, although his father's influence remained significant. In contrast, Erik held no power while his father continued to reign as King of Sweden. In 1357, a Swedish rebellion forced King Magnus to share the rule of Sweden with his son Erik, who was allowed domain over most of Scania and Finland. Joint rule of Sweden was established again in 1359 when father and son became reconciled and co-ruled Sweden until Erik's death a few months later. Quite soon after his death his wife, Beatrix, died as well. It is generally believed that they both died of the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eric 12 of Sweden 1339 births 1359 deaths 14th-century Swedish monarchs 14th-century deaths from plague (disease) Sons of kings Roman Catholic monarchs