Editing Sweyn II of Denmark

{{Short description|King of Denmark from 1047 to 1076}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Sweyn II
| succession   = [[King of Denmark]]
| image        = File:Svein Estridssons hode.JPG
| caption      = Reconstruction of Sweyn Estridsson's head based on the skull
| reign        = 1047–1076<ref name="kongehuset">[http://kongehuset.dk/lineage.php?id=58197&dogtag=k_dk_monarkiet_kongeraek&list_id=1 Monarkiet i Danmark – Kongerækken] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118011459/http://kongehuset.dk/lineage.php?id=58197&dogtag=k_dk_monarkiet_kongeraek&list_id=1 |date=2009-11-18 }} at [[Monarchy of Denmark|The Danish Monarchy]]</ref>
| predecessor  = [[Magnus the Good]]
| successor    = [[Harald III the Whetstone]]
| spouses      = {{plainlist|
*[[Gyda of Sweden]]
*[[Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir]]
*[[Tora Torbergsdatter]] (disputed)}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
*[[Harald Hen]]
*[[Canute the Saint]]
*[[Olaf Hunger]]
*[[Eric Evergood]]
*[[Niels, King of Denmark]]
*[[Ingerid of Denmark|Ingerid, Queen of Norway]]
*[[Sweyn the Crusader]]
*[[Svend Tronkræver]]
*[[Sigrid Svendsdatter]]}}
| issue-link   = #Family
| issue-pipe   = among others...
| full name    = Sweyn Estridsson<br>Sweyn Ulfsson
| house        = [[Estridsen]]
| father       = [[Ulf Thorgilsson]]
| mother       = [[Estrid Svendsdatter]]
| birth_date   = {{circa|1019}}
| birth_place  = [[England]]
| death_date   = 28 April 1076
| death_place  = [[Søderup]], [[:da:Hjordkær Sogn|Hjordkær Parish]], [[Denmark]]
| place of burial = [[Roskilde Cathedral]]
}}

'''Sweyn II''' ({{circa|1019}} – 28 April 1076),<ref name="death-year">{{Cite book |title=Dansk Biografisk Leksikon |title-link=Dansk Biografisk Leksikon |last=Steenstrup |first=Johannes C. H. R. |publisher=Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag (F. Hegel & Søn) |year=1903 |editor-last=Bricka |editor-first=Carl Frederik |volume=17 |location=Kjøbenhavn |pages=4 |language=Danish |chapter=Svend Estridsen |quote=Sweyn died at the royal estate Søderup in the [[Duchy of Schleswig]] April 28, 1076 (the Danish annals have, certainly incorrect, 1074) and was buried in Roskilde Cathedral. [S. døde paa Kongsgaarden i Søderup i Slesvig 28. April 1076 (de danske Aarbøger have, sikkert urigtig, 1074) og blev begravet i Roskilde Domkirke.] |access-date=2007-02-22 |chapter-url=https://runeberg.org/dbl/17/0006.html}}</ref><ref name="Ræder">{{cite web|title=Danmark under Svend Estridsen og hans Sønner (Copenhagen, pp. 202–203)|url=https://archive.org/stream/danmarkundersven00rd/danmarkundersven00rd_djvu.txt|first=J. G. F.|last=Ræder|date=1871|website=archive.org|quote=At Vilhelm er død før Kongen, meddeles af de ikke meget senere Skribenter Anonymus Roskild. (Lgb.I. S. 378) og Ætnothus (Lgb.III. S. 338). At fremdeles Svend Estridsen døde 1076 og ikke allerede 1074, er ligeledes hævet over enhver Tvivl; naar nu ikke destomindre en hel Række Kildeskrifter lader ham dø allerede 1074, saa synes dette at hænge sammen med det allerede tidlig opstaaede og hos Saxo opbevarede Sagn om, at Vilhelm døde faa Dage efter Kongen og af Sorg over hans Død. Det kan da tænkes , at man har draget Kongens Død tilbage til Bispens Dødsaar 1074, ligesom Nyere (t. Ex. Molbech, hist. Aarb. III S. 19) drage Bispens Dødsaar frem til 1076 for at faa Begges Dødsaar til at falde sammen." ... & ... "men derimod giver en ny Skrivelse, som Paven afsendte til Svend d. 17. April s. A. [1075], En det bestemte Indtryk, at der i Mellemtiden er foregaaet Noget, hvorved Svend har gjort sig Paven forbunden|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref> also known as '''Sweyn Estridsson'''{{efn|His first name is also spelled Swen, Swein, Svein and Sven, and the [[patronymic]] as Estridson, Estrithson or Estridsøn.}} ({{langx|non|Sveinn Ástríðarson}}, {{langx|da|Svend Estridsen}}) and '''Sweyn Ulfsson''', was [[King of Denmark]] from 1047 until his death in 1076. He was the son of [[Ulf Thorgilsson]] and [[Estrid Svendsdatter]], and the grandson of [[Sweyn Forkbeard]] through his mother's line. He was married at least two times, and fathered 20 children or more out of wedlock, including the five future kings [[Harald Hen]], [[Saint Canute]], [[Oluf Hunger]], [[Eric Evergood]], and [[Niels of Denmark|Niels]].

He was courageous in battle, but did not have much success as a military commander.<ref name="bricka"/> His skeleton reveals that he was a tall, powerfully built man who walked with a limp.

==Biography==
===Accession to the throne===
Sweyn was born in [[England]],<ref name="bricka">[[Bricka, Carl Frederik]], ''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon'', vol. XVII [Svend Tveskjæg – Tøxen], 1903, [https://runeberg.org/dbl/17/0005.html pp.3–5].</ref> as the son of [[Ulf Thorgilsson]] and [[Estrid Svendsdatter]], the latter of whom was the daughter of King [[Sweyn I Forkbeard]] and sister of Kings [[Harald II of Denmark|Harald II]] and [[Canute the Great]]. Sweyn grew up a military leader, and served under king [[Anund Jacob of Sweden]] for a time.<ref name="bricka"/> He pillaged the [[Elbe-Weser Triangle|Elbe-Weser]] area in 1040, but was caught by the [[Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen]], who released him shortly thereafter.<ref name="pajung">Stefan Pajung, [http://danmarkshistorien.dk/leksikon-og-kilder/vis/materiale/svend-estridsen-ca-1019-107476/ Artikel: Svend Estridsen ca. 1019-1074/76], danmarkshistorien.dk, [[Aarhus University]], January 19, 2010</ref>

Svend was made a ''[[Earl|jarl]]'' under Danish king [[Harthacnut]] (the two were [[first cousins]]),<ref name="bricka"/> and led a campaign for him against Norway, but was beaten by [[Magnus I of Norway]].<ref name="pajung"/> When Harthacnut died in 1042, Magnus claimed the Danish throne and made Svend the ''jarl'' of [[Jutland]].<ref name="vsm">Louise Kæmpe Henriksen, [https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/fagligt/e-laering/vikingetidens-mennesker/historiske-personer/svend-estridsen-af-danmark Historiske Personer – Svend Estridsen – konge af Danmark 1047–74.], ''vikingeskibsmuseet.dk''</ref> In 1043, Sweyn fought for Magnus at the [[Battle of Lyrskov Heath]] at [[Hedeby]], near the present-day [[Denmark–Germany border|border of Denmark and Germany]].<ref name="pajung"/> Sweyn won a great reputation at Lyrskov Heath, and had the Danish nobles crown him king in [[Viborg, Denmark|Viborg]] in Jutland.<ref name="vsm"/> He was defeated by Magnus on several occasions, and had to flee to [[Sweden]]. Eventually he managed to return and establish a foothold in [[Scania]].<ref name="pajung"/>

The war between Magnus and Sweyn lasted until 1045, when Magnus' uncle [[Harald Hardrada]] returned to Norway from exile. Harald and Sweyn joined forces, and Magnus decided to share the Norwegian throne with Harald.<ref name="bricka"/> In 1047 Magnus died, having stated on his deathbed that his kingdom would be divided: Harald would get the throne of Norway, while Sweyn would be king of Denmark.<ref name="vsm"/> Upon hearing of Magnus' death Sweyn said, "Now so help me God, I shall never yield Denmark".<ref name="huitfeldt">[[Arild Huitfeldt|Huitfeldt, Arild]]. Danmarks Riges Krønike</ref>

===Feud with Harald Hardrada===
Harald, unwilling to relinquish Denmark, attacked Sweyn and fought a long war. Harald sacked [[Hedeby]]  in 1050, and also sacked [[Aarhus]].<ref name="pajung"/> Sweyn almost captured Harald in 1050, when Harald attacked the coast of Jutland and loaded his ships with goods and captives. Sweyn's flotilla caught up with the Norwegians and Harald ordered his men to throw out the captured goods, thinking the Danes would stop to get the goods. Sweyn ordered his men to leave the goods and go after Harald. Harald then ordered his men to throw the captives overboard. For them Sweyn was willing to let Harald slip away.<ref name="huitfeldt"/>
Sweyn came close to losing his life at the naval [[Battle of Niså]] off the coast of [[Halland]] in 1062.<ref name="bricka"/> According to the sagas Harald urged Sweyn to meet him in a final and decisive battle at Elv in the spring of 1062.<ref>[http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html], p.61</ref> When Sweyn and the Danish army did not show up, Harald sent home a large part of his army, only keeping the more professional warriors in his fleet. When Sweyn finally came to meet Harald, his fleet numbered 300 ships to Harald's 150.<ref>[http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html], p.63</ref> The fleets met at night and the battle lasted until morning, when the Danes started to flee. In the sagas the Norwegian victory is largely credited to earl Haakon Ivarsson, who disengaged his ships from the Norwegian flanks and started attacking the weakened ships on the Danish flanks.<ref>[http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html http://mcllibrary.org/Heimskringla/hardrade2.html], p.65</ref> This might be the aiding Norwegian chieftain that Saxo Grammaticus refers to, as turning the tide in Norwegian favour.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jomsborg.eu/Saxobog11.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-09-01 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304223123/http://www.jomsborg.eu/Saxobog11.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sweyn managed to escape the battle, reached land and stopped at the house of a peasant to ask for something to eat. "What was the terrible rumbling in the night?" she asked. "Didn't you know the two kings were fighting all night?" asked one of Sweyn's men. "Who won, then?" the woman asked. "Norwegians," came the reply.  "It's a shame on us, for a king we already have. He limps and is timid."  "No," King Sweyn explained, "Timid the king of the Danes is assuredly not,"{{Clarify|date=September 2009}}<!--who said this??--> defended another of the king's men, "but luck isn't with him and he lacks a victory." The housecarl brought the men water and a towel to wash themselves. As the king was drying his hands, the woman tore the cloth from him, "You should be ashamed of yourself for using the whole towel for yourself," she scolded. "The day will come when I will have your permission to use the whole cloth," was the king's comment. Her husband gave the king a horse and Sweyn continued on his way to Zealand.

Some time later the peasant was called to Zealand and given lands there for his service to the king, but his wife had to remain behind in Halland.<ref name="huitfeldt"/> Sweyn had a reputation for generosity and kindness that helped him on several occasions to win the trust of his people. Harald relinquished his claims to Denmark in 1064,<ref name="bricka"/> in exchange for Sweyn's recognition of Harald as [[Harald III of Norway]].<ref name="vsm"/> Harald then sailed off to England to claim the [[Monarchy of England|crown of England]], and was killed [[battle of Stamford Bridge|there]].

===Consolidation of power===
[[File:Coin king of denmark sven estridsen.jpg|thumb|right|140px|Coin of Sweyn II.]]
[[File:Sven Estridson coin pendant from Mildenhall Suffolk.jpg|thumb|right|140px|Sven Estridson coin pendant, found in [[Mildenhall, Suffolk|Mildenhall]], [[Suffolk]]. [[British Museum]].]]
[[File:Sven Estridssen.jpg|thumb|140px|Coin of Sven Estridson. [[British Museum]].]]
Sweyn's connection to the Danish kings was his mother Estrid Svendsdatter, and he took the [[matronymic]] surname Estridsson after her, emphasizing his link to the Danish royal house.<ref name="pajung"/> He also minted his own coins.

Sweyn sought to consolidate his power through links to the church as well as foreign powers, and actively sought the friendship of the popes.<ref name="bricka"/> He wanted his eldest son [[Knud Magnus]] crowned by the Pope, but Knud died on the journey to Rome. He also unsuccessfully pressed for [[Harald Bluetooth]], the first Christian king of Denmark, to be [[Sanctification|sanctified]]. He was an ally of [[Emperor Henry III]] against Count [[Baldwin V of Flanders]] in 1049, and Sweyn assisted his son-in-law [[Gottschalk (Obotrite prince)|Gottschalk]] in the [[Liutizi Civil War]] of 1057.<ref name="pajung"/>

After Harald Hardrada was killed, and [[William the Conqueror]] had conquered England, Sweyn turned his attention to England, once ruled by his uncle Canute the Great. He joined forces with [[Edgar Atheling]], the last remaining heir of the [[Anglo-Saxon]] royal house, and [[Danish attacks on Norman England|sent a force]] to attack king William in 1069. However, after capturing [[York]], Sweyn accepted a payment from William to desert Edgar, who then returned into exile in [[Scotland]]. Sweyn failed another attempt in 1074/1075.<ref name="pajung"/>

===Relationship with the church===
Sweyn feared that Archbishop [[Adalbert of Hamburg]] would fill the upper ranks of Denmark's churches with Germans, so he brought Anglo-Danes over from England to keep the Danish church independent. Under the influence of Sweyn,<ref name="gyldendal"/> Denmark was divided into eight dioceses around 1060.<ref>[[Diocese of Lund]], [[Diocese of Odense]], [[Diocese of Ribe]], [[Diocese of Roskilde]], [[Diocese of Schleswig]], [[Diocese of Viborg]], [[Diocese of Vestervig]], and [[Diocese of Aarhus]].</ref> He set the dioceses up by donating large tracts of land, with the [[Diocese of Roskilde]] being the most-favoured one, as he had a good relationship with [[William of Roskilde|Bishop Vilhelm]].<ref name="pajung"/> When Archbishop Adalbert died in 1072, Sweyn was able to deal directly with the [[Holy See]].

He brought scholars to Denmark to teach him and his people [[Latin]] so they could converse with the rest of Europe on equal terms. [[Adam of Bremen]] travelled to meet this learned king and came away with greater respect for the king's patience and wisdom. Sweyn encouraged the building of churches all over Denmark, and Adam of Bremen was astounded that there were 300 churches in [[Scania]] alone, more than in all the other countries of the north put together.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

===Death===
King Sweyn died at the royal estate Søderup, {{convert|10|km}} west of [[Åbenrå]] at the [[Little Belt]] strait. The Danish chronicles inaccurately date his death to 1074, but it is known that he received and answered letters in 1075 and died in 1076.<ref name="Ræder"/><ref name="death-year"/> The king's body was carried to [[Roskilde Cathedral]] where he was interred in a pillar of the choir next to the remains of [[William of Roskilde|Bishop Vilhelm]] (who was the actual person who died in 1074). Later he was called the "father of kings" because five of his fifteen sons became kings of Denmark.<ref name="huitfeldt"/>

He was the last Viking ruler of Denmark and an ancestor of all subsequent Danish kings.<ref name=iGenea>[https://www.igenea.com/en/famous-people iGenea – DNA profiles and haplogroups of famous persons: Sven II Estridsen – the last Viking King], accessed July 2018.</ref> The remains of other Danish kings are also entombed in Roskilde Cathedral. According to the saga, Sweyn's mother was entombed inside a pillar across from the chapel. However, analysis of mitochondrial DNA proved that this person was not the king's mother, as his [[mtDNA]] indicated Haplogroup H, HVR1 7028C.<ref name=iGenea />

==Legacy==
One of the legacies of King Sweyn was a fundamental change in Danish society which had been based on whether a person was free or a bondsman. Sweyn is often considered to be Denmark's last Viking king as well as the first [[medieval]] one. A strengthened church in alliance with the land-owning noble families begin to pit their power against the royal family. The peasants were left to fend for themselves.<ref>Danmarks Historie II perbenny.dk</ref>

Sweyn built a strong foundation for royal power through cooperation with the church. He completed the final partition of Denmark into [[dioceses]] by corresponding directly with the [[pope]], bypassing the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. During his reign hundreds of small wooden churches were built throughout the kingdom; many were rebuilt in stone in the 12th century.<ref name="pajung"/> Sweyn sought to create a Nordic Archbishopric under Danish rule, a feat which his son Eric I accomplished.<ref name="gyldendal"/>

Sweyn seems to have been able to read and write, and was described as an especially educated monarch by his personal friend [[Pope Gregory VII]].<ref name="gyldendal"/> He is the source of much of our current knowledge about Denmark and Sweden in the 9th and 10th centuries, having told the story of his ancestry to historian Adam of Bremen around 1070.

==Family==
Sweyn's first marriage was to [[Gyda of Sweden]], daughter of king Anund Jacob of Sweden. His second marriage, in 1050, was to [[Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir]], the stepmother of Gyda. The Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen ordered that the union be dissolved,<ref name="pajung"/> which was effectuated by [[Pope Leo IX]].<ref name="gyldendal">[http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Danmarks_geografi_og_historie/Danmarks_historie/Danmark_f%C3%B8r_Reformationen/Svend_2._Estridsen Svend 2. Estridsen] at Gyldendal Åbne Encyklopædi</ref> According to [[Adam of Bremen]], Sweyn had a certain "Tora" at his court. Historian [[Sture Bolin]] argues that this "Tora" is actually [[Tora Torbergsdatter]], the mother of king [[Olaf III of Norway]], linking this to a passage about a king marrying the mother of a king named Olof.<ref>Sture Bolin, "Kring Mäster Adams text", ''Scandia'' 4, 1932.</ref> He took one mistress after another during his life. Sweyn fathered at least 20 children, of whom only one was born in wedlock.<ref name="bricka"/>

With Gunnhildr:
#[[Svend Svendsen]], who died young<ref name="bricka"/>

With various concubines:<ref name="bricka"/>
#[[Knud Magnus]]
#[[Harald III of Denmark|Harald III Hen of Denmark]] (d. 1080)
#[[Canute IV of Denmark|Canute IV the Saint of Denmark]] (d. 1086)
#[[Olaf I of Denmark|Olaf I Hunger of Denmark]] (d. 1095)
#[[Eric I of Denmark|Eric I Evergood of Denmark]] (d. 1103)
#[[Svend Tronkræver]] (d. 1104)
#[[Ulf Svendsen]] (Ubbe) (d. 1104)
#[[Benedict Svendsen]] (d. 1086)
#[[Bjørn Svendsen]], [[Duke of Nordalbingien]] from 1099 (d. 1100)<ref name="jmarcussen">[http://www.jmarcussen.dk/historie/reference/dan.html#svendii Kings and Queens of Denmark] at JMarcussen.dk</ref>
#[[Niels of Denmark]] (d. 1134)
#[[Sigrid Svendsdatter]] (d. 1066), wife of prince [[Gottschalk (Obotrite prince)|Gottschalk]]
#[[Ingerid of Denmark|Ingerid]], wife of [[Olav III of Norway]]
#[[Sweyn the Crusader]] (d. 1097)
#[[Thorgils Svendsen]]
#[[Sigurd Svendsen]], died in war against the [[Wends]]<ref name="bricka"/>
#[[Guttorm Svendsen]]
#[[Ømund Svendsen]]
#[[Ragnhild Svendsdatter]], wife of [[Svein Aslaksson]]

===Previously alleged children===
#Gunhild (Helene), whose existence is only known from the [[Gunhild Cross]], used to be considered a daughter of King Sweyn II<ref name="bricka"/> due to the inscription of the cross mentioning a great King Sweyn, but modern scholarship suggest she was a daughter of [[Sweyn III of Denmark|Sweyn III Grathe]].<ref name="Nat-1">{{cite web|url=https://runer.ku.dk/VisGenstand.aspx?Titel=Gunhild-korset|title=Titel: Gunhild-korset|language=Danish|publisher=National Museum of Denmark|access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commons category|Sweyn II of Denmark}}
* [[List of Danish monarchs]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Cite book|last=Sturlason|first=Snorre|title=Heimskringla – The Norse King Sagas}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Estridsen]]||c. 1019|April 28|1076||name=Sweyn Estridson}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Magnus the Good]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Denmark]]|years=1047–1076}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Harald III of Denmark|Harald III]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Monarchs of Denmark}}
{{Norman conquest of England}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweyn 02 Of Denmark}}
[[Category:House of Estridsen]]
[[Category:1010s births]]
[[Category:1076 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Roskilde Cathedral]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:11th-century kings of Denmark]]