Kol (died about 1173) was a Swedish prince who, together with his brother Burislev was a contender for the throne of

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 ...

from 1167 until his violent death a few years later. The struggle was a stage in the rivalry between the

House of Sverker The House of Sverker were a powerful political force in medieval Sweden, contesting for royal power. Their origins were in Östergötland. After the extinction of the House of Stenkil and the ascension of Sverker I of Sweden in 1130, a civil wa ...

, to which Kol and Burislev belonged, and the House of Eric.

Background

In most older literature Kol is called ''Kol Sverkersson'', based on an unverifiable assumption that he was a son of King

Sverker I of Sweden Sverker the Elder (Old Swedish: ''Swærkir konongær gambli''; c. 1100 - 25 December 1156), also known as Sverker I, was King of Sweden from about 1132 until his murder. Of non-royal descent, he founded the House of Sverker, the rulers of which ...

. The only source that says anything about his parentage is, however, a medieval genealogy copied by

Olaus Petri Olof Persson, sometimes Petersson (6 January 1493 – 19 April 1552), better known under the Latinisation of names, Latin form of his name, Olaus Petri (or less commonly, Olavus Petri), was a clergyman, writer, judge, and major contributor to the ...

in the 16th century: "Suercherus Rex senior ... genuit Carolum Regem et Johannem ducem et Sunonem Sijk ... Johannes dux genuit Koll Regem, Ubbe fortem et Burislevum Regem". In other words, the genealogy claims he was a grandson of Sverker and a son of Prince

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, and that his brothers were Ubbe the Strong and King Burislev. digitized July 9, 2008 A medieval list of donations indicates that the mother of Kol was called Ragnhild. She might have been a relative of the

jarl Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. The institution evolved over time and varied by region. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", specifically one appointed to rule a territory in a king's stea ...

Guttorm who donated land to

Vreta Abbey Vreta Abbey (), in operation from the beginning of the 12th century to 1582, was the first nunnery in Sweden, initially Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine and later Cistercian, and one of the oldest in Scandinavia. It was located in the present- ...

on her behalf.Nils Ahnlund, "Till frågan om den äldsta Erikskulten i Sverige", ''Historisk tidskrift'' 68, 1948, p. 318. The suggestion that he was a son of Sverker is based on a Danish source which mentions that Sverker had a son Boleslaw (Burislev). This son has been identified by some historians (such as Nathanael Beckman in '' Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'') as the throne contender by the same name, and thus Kol has also been assigned Sverker I for a father.

Strife for kingship

Prince John was killed in an incident by the Swedish peasantry around 1152. Since he was a young man at his death, his sons must still have been infants. Kol's uncle Charles VII of Sweden was killed by

Canute I of Sweden Knut Eriksson (; born before 1150 – died 1195/96), also known as Canute I, was King of Sweden from 1173 until his death (rival king since 1167). He was a son of King Erik the Saint and Queen Christina, who was a granddaughter of the Swedish k ...

Visingsö Visingsö is an island in the southern half of Lake Vättern in Sweden. Visingsö lies north of the city Jönköping and west of Gränna from which two car ferries connect the island. The island is long and wide, with a total area of . A ...

in 1167. Now Kol was recognized at least in parts of Sweden, presumably in

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

which was the basis of the dynasty's power. He held the throne in opposition to Canute for a few years, in tandem with his brother or uncle Burislev. The short chronicle of the Westrogothic law relates the few known details: " ing Canute Iwon Sweden by sword and killed King Karl, King Kol and King Burislev, had many fights in Sweden and was victorious in all". A little more is known about Kol from medieval donation lists. He owned land in Frönäs on

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Oland'' internationally) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. ...

and donated it to his mother Ragnhild, who in turn gave it to Vreta Abbey when she entered the abbey as a nun. A papal letter from 1171 or 1172 mentions a "K." who was king of the Swedes and Geats; it is not clear whether Kol or Canute (Knut) is meant. Kol was probably killed in battle or murdered by Canute's men around 1173. A 14th-century source claims that he was killed at Bjälbo. After his death, his kinsfolk donated land to Vreta Abbey for his soul, indicating that they were able to keep properties after Canute's victory.Nils Ahnlund, "Vreta klosters äldsta donatorer", ''Historisk tidskrift'' 65, 1945, p. 321. Though some sources affirm that Kol actually was King of Sweden for a few years, the Swedish Royal Court does not recognize him as such in its official list of rulers.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kol Sverkersson 12th-century Swedish monarchs 1170s deaths Year of birth unknown