Early life Birger, likely born around the time of the
Battle of Gestilren in 1210, spent his childhood and adolescence in
Bjälbo, Östergötland. The exact date of his birth is uncertain and historical sources are contradictory, but examinations of his remains suggest he was around 50 years old at his death in 1266, which would indicate a birth year around 1216. However, since his father,
Magnus Minnesköld, is believed to have died no later than 1210, Birger's birth may have occurred a few years earlier. Birger's mother
Ingrid Ylva was, according to
Olaus Petri, a daughter of
Sune Sik and the granddaughter of King
Sverker I of Sweden. His brothers or half-brothers—
Eskil,
Karl, and —were born well before 1200, suggesting they likely had a different mother. Birger was named after his uncle
Birger Brosa, a jarl from the
House of Bjälbo and one of the most powerful men of the era, who died in 1202.
Expeditions to the east According to ''
Erik's Chronicle'', Birger led the so-called
Second Swedish Crusade across the Baltic Sea to Finland, where he defeated the pagan
Tavastians (Häme Finns), forcing them to convert to Christianity. Traditionally, this expedition has been dated to 1249–1250, but many scholars now believe it took place earlier, in 1238–1239, before Birger was made jarl (See ).
Southwest Finland had already been incorporated into the Swedish realm earlier, and a bishopric had been established in
Åbo (Turku) by the 1220s at latest. The expedition into Tavastia extended Swedish rule inland. To secure their control, the Swedes began constructing a castle in Tavastia. According to Russian sources, Birger was also responsible for a military campaign further east in
Ingria against the
Novgorod Republic in 1240; this campaign ended in a defeat by Prince
Alexander Nevsky at the
Battle of the Neva. This mention of a battle between Swedish and Novgorodian forces was initially found in a late 13th-century chronicle, and then the four chronicles of Novgorod as well as two other Russian sources. By c. 1330, it had grown into an event of national importance. While Swedish sources do not mention the battle, a 16th-century Russian manuscript called the
Life of Alexander Nevsky claims that the Swedish "king" was wounded in the face during a duel with Alexander. Some historians have speculated that traces of a sword blow found on Birger’s cranium may have originated from this battle. However, the original 14th-century Russian record of the battle gives no information on this at all, and the first sources linking Birger Jarl to the Neva campaign date from mid-15th century. It is probable that a lost Novgorodian chronicle was used by the author of the
Testament of
Magnus Eriksson to name Birger as the leader of the Swedish Neva campaign.
Career of Birger jarl in Stockholm is based on a fresco from
Häme Castle, depicting Christ with a
scourge and a
birch rod. When the papal diplomat
William of Modena visited Sweden around 1248, he urged the Swedish kings to fulfill the rules of the Catholic Church, an exhortation which Birger seems to have taken as a chance to strengthen his position by simply taking the side of the church against other members of his family (alternatively it's possible to interpret this as a manifestation of his pious side). This was a choice of historical importance as it was to make Birger a jarl powerful enough to ultimately wind up the office, thus making him the last Swedish jarl ever. This happened during an era when the inherited concept
Folkung became more of a political party and it also meant that other Swedish magnates lost most of their influence. In 1247, royal troops led by Birger at the
Battle of Sparrsätra fought
Folkung forces led by pretender
Holmger Knutsson, son of King
Knut Långe. The Folkungs lost the battle and were unable to resist the central government and its taxes. Holmger Knutsson fled to
Gästrikland and was captured there by Birger in the following year. Quickly brought to trial, he was beheaded. In 1249, Birger succeeded in ending a decades-long period of hostilities with Norway. As part of the
Treaty of Lödöse, he also managed to marry off his daughter
Rikissa, then only 11 years old, to
Haakon Haakonsson the Young, the eldest son of King
Haakon IV of Norway. On King Erik's death in 1250, Birger's son
Valdemar was elected the new king while Birger acted as regent, holding the true power in Sweden until his death. In 1252, a year after another victory over the Folkungs at the , Birger wrote two carefully dated letters, the first mention of
Stockholm interpreted as the foundation of the city or at least some sort of special interest in the location. Neither of the letters give a description of the location, however, and while archaeological traces of older defensive structures have been found there, what did exist on the premises before the mid-13th century remains debated. It has been suggested Birger chose the location for several reasons: Partly to curb domestic magnates by isolating them with a "lock of
Lake Mälaren", offering a defense to the lands around Mälaren from invading enemies in the process; and to create a commercial bridgehead to attract German merchants. While Birger's direct involvement in the foundation of the city remains speculative, it probably was no accident it was founded on the location at this time.
Later life and burial Ingeborg died in 1254. In 1261, Birger married Queen
Mechtilde of Holstein, the widow of the Danish king
Abel, who had allied herself with the Archbishop
Jakob Erlandsen to protect her sons' interitance against King
Christopher I of Denmark. The marriage produced no children. Birger died on 21 October 1266, at Jälbolung in
Västergötland. After Birger's death, Mechtilde returned to Denmark, where she died in 1288. Birger, his son Erik and Mechtilde were buried in
Varnhem Abbey. Following Birger's death, the title of jarl was replaced with
duke. == Legacy ==