John I of Sweden

Coin issued by King John I

John I (Swedish: Johan Sverkersson; c. 1201 – March 10, 1222) was a Swedish king elected in 1216.^[1]

Background

John was the son of King Sverker II of Sweden of the House of Sverker and Queen Ingegerd of the Bjälbo dynasty. King Sverker had been beaten in the Battle of Lena and later killed in the Battle of Gestilren in 1210. His rival Erik Knutsson, from the House of Eric, became King Eric X of Sweden.

Reign

When King Eric died suddenly in fever in 1216, the teen-aged John was hailed king by the Swedish aristocracy against the will of the Pope in Rome. John was crowned in 1219 and remained king until his death on March 10, 1222. John died unmarried and childless. In 1222, the rival dynasty's young heir, Erik Eriksson ascended the throne at the age of 6 to reign as King Eric XI of Sweden.^[2]

During the brief reign of King John, a Swedish presence was established in Estonia. John's cousin, Earl Karl Döve (the brother of Birger Brosa) and his chancellor, Bishop Karl Magnusson led an expedition to Rotalia in Estonia which ended in a defeat in the Battle of Lihula on August 8, 1220. Defeat in the Battle of Lihula left no Swedish presence and discouraged the Swedish expansion to Estonia for more than 300 years. The events were described in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia and the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle.

References

1. Johan Sverkersson, kung 1216-22 (Sverkerättens strid mot Eriksätten)
2. Johan 1. (I) Sverkersson (Nordisk familjebok)