Ericus Olai () was a Swedish theologian and historian. He served as a professor of theology at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

and dean at

Uppsala Cathedral Uppsala Cathedral () is a cathedral located between the University Hall (Uppsala University), University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in t ...

. Ericus Olai was the author of the chronicle ''Chronica regni Gothorum'' and was an early proponent of Gothicismus.

Biography

Neither the date nor place of his birth are known with certainty. He was probably born during the 1420s. Olai studied at the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock () is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Se ...

(Magister Artium. 1452). After working as canon in Uppsala, he attended the

University of Siena The University of Siena (, abbreviation: UNISI), located in Siena, Tuscany, holds the distinction of being Italy's first publicly funded university as well as one of the oldest, originally established as ''Studium Senese'' in 1240. As of 2022, it ...

(Magister de Sacra Theologia. 1475). He became a professor of theology at Uppsala University in 1477 and dean at

in 1479. He died on Christmas eve in 1486 and was buried in Uppsala Cathedral. His tomb was the center of a substantial local tradition of veneration of the "holy doctor Ericius". His tombstone was destroyed in a fire in 1702. Olai initiated what would become the Gothicismus movement of Swedish

Romantic nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

in his ''Chronica Regni Gothorum'', an account of Swedish history until 1468 (completed before 1475). ''Chronica'' was first edited in 1615 by historian John Messenius (1579–1636) and became influential in early modern Swedish historiography. ''Chronica'' has been preserved in three medieval manuscript copies from the first decades of the sixteenth century at the Uppsala University Library in Uppsala, the

National Library of Sweden The National Library of Sweden (, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish association published ab ...

in Stockholm and in the

National Archives of Sweden The National Archives of Sweden (, RA) is the official archive of the Swedish government and is responsible for the management of records from Sweden's public authorities. Although the archives functions primarily as the government archive, it al ...

at Stockholm.

References

Additional sources

*Ella Heuman and Jan Oberg (eds.) '' Chronica Regni Gothorum'' (Almqvist & Wiksell International, Series: Studia Latina Stockholmiensia 35, Stockholm, 1993-1995) {{authority control 15th-century births 1486 deaths Swedish theologians 15th-century Swedish historians Academic staff of Uppsala University University of Rostock alumni University of Siena alumni