Ulf Fase (died 1247) was 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 ...

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 until his death in 1247.

Biography

Ulf Fase was probably the son of jarl

Karl the Deaf Karl the Deaf (; died 1220) of the House of Bjälbo (''Folkungaätten'') was the jarl of Sweden from 1216 to 1220. Biography His father was magnate Bengt Snivil. He was the brother of Magnus Minnesköld and jarl Birger Brosa and father of jarl ...

(''Karl Döve'') and member the House of Folkung (''Folkungaätten''). After jarl Karl had been killed during the Swedish attack against

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people () are a Finnic ethnic group native to the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, primarily their nation state of Estonia. Estonians primarily speak the Estonian language, a language closely related to other Finni ...

at the

Battle of Lihula The Battle of Lihula or Battle of Leal was fought between invading Sweden, Swedes and Estonians for the control of a castle in Lihula, Estonia in 1220. The exact date remains uncertain, though some historians suggest that the battle took place ...

in 1220, Ulf as his closest relative was soon selected as the new jarl. An ephemeral jarl may have served briefly before Ulf's appointment. Before the death of King

Johan Sverkersson Johan Sverkersson ( – 10 March 1222), also known as John I, was King of Sweden from 1216 until his death in 1222. He was the last king from the House of Sverker, leaving no heirs. During his reign, an expedition was launched from Sweden agains ...

of Sweden in 1222, Ulf certainly held the office. In 1222, the rival dynasty's young heir, King

Erik Eriksson Erik Eriksson (; 1216 – 2 February 1250), sometimes known as Erik XI or with the epithet the Lisp and Lame (), was King of Sweden from 1222 to 1229 and again from 1234 to 1250. Being the last ruler of the House of Erik, he stood in the shado ...

ascended the throne at the age of 6. His minority meant that Jarl Ulf gained more importance along with

Knut Långe Knut Långe ("the Tall"), also known as Canute II, was King of Sweden from 1229 until his death in 1234. He was the father of Holmger Knutsson, a later pretender for the Swedish throne. Both father and son were members of the House of Folkung. He ...

. The nominal regent was Ulf's cousin Bengt Birgersson. In 1229, Knut Långe usurped the throne and exiled the young Erik. Ulf continued to hold the position of jarl. Upon Knut's death in 1234, King Erik, now 18, was restored to the throne. His supporters did not appreciate Ulf's "treachery" in accepting an usurper over Erik five years earlier. Ulf however was too powerful to be deposed from his office. There are clear records to show that Ulf Fase had the right to mint money, an otherwise exclusively royal prerogative. Several pieces of such coins, bearing his signs, are preserved. In 1247, there was an attempted coup against King Erik. The rebels were crushed at the

Battle of Sparrsätra The Battle of Sparrsätra was fought in 1247 between the forces of King Eric XI of Sweden and rebels led by Holmger Knutsson near Enköping in Sweden. It occurred during a poorly documented period in Swedish history; as a result, many details are ...

. Sources do not reveal whether Ulf was already dead at that time, or if alive, what was his role in the revolt. It has been speculated that he participated in the revolt and was therefore executed. Several rebel leaders were beheaded in 1247-48, including Knut's son Holmger (1210s – 1248). After Ulf's death, the office of jarl was held by his relative

Birger Magnusson Birger Magnusson (1280 – 31 May 1321) was King of Sweden from 1290 to 1318. His reign was marked by unrest and civil strife; he was imprisoned by his brothers Erik Magnusson (duke), Erik and Valdemar Magnusson, Valdemar following the "Håtuna g ...

(better known as Birger Jarl). Ulf Fase left one well-attested son, who had bad relations with Birger Jarl. He later left into voluntary exile by joining the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

in Livonia. Karl was killed in 1260 at the Battle of Durbe near

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fase, Ulf 1247 deaths 13th-century Swedish people Year of birth unknown Swedish jarls House of Bjälbo