Erik, the third son of Birger Magnusson, widely known as
Birger Jarl, was born into a powerful Swedish family. His father served as
Jarl of Sweden from 1248 to 1266, while his mother,
Ingeborg Eriksdotter, was the daughter of King
Erik Knutsson and sister of King
Erik Eriksson. In 1250, his eldest brother
Valdemar was elected King of Sweden as a minor, with their father Birger effectively ruling as regent until his death in 1266. Unlike his brothers, Erik did not initially receive a formal title. His second brother, Magnus (later known as
Magnus Ladulås), was appointed
iunior dux ("junior jarl") in 1255, while the youngest brother
Bengt advanced within the clergy. According to the
Magnúss saga lagabœtis, Erik referred to himself as
Allsintet ('Nothing of anything') because of this. However,
Erikskrönikan claims that this nickname was instead given by Queen
Sofie, Valdemar's wife. After Birger Jarl’s death, tensions arose between King Valdemar and his brothers. The
Magnúss saga lagabœtis depicts Erik as the main instigator of the conflict, while
Erikskrönikan attributes the blame to Magnus. By 1275, the discord had escalated into open warfare. Erik and Magnus, with the support of Danish troops, defeated Valdemar at the
Battle of Hova. After the victory, Magnus was crowned king, and Erik was made Duke of Sweden, a role similar to Magnus’s under Valdemar. This elevation brought Erik a position of significant authority, but his prominence was short-lived—he died on 17 December 1275. Erik was buried at
Varnhem Abbey alongside his father Birger Jarl and his father's second wife,
Mechtilde of Holstein. In May 2002, an archaeological examination of the grave by osteologist Torbjörn Ahlström of
Lund University revealed three sets of remains, believed to be Birger, Mechtilde, and Erik. His father's skeleton was about 172 cm long, while Erik was a few inches longer but with a much thinner build. Erik's muscular attachments were poorly developed, and in the vertebrae and sternum there were some signs of pathological changes.{{cite web|url= https://portal.research.lu.se/portal/en/publications/skeletten-fraan-jarlen-birger-magnussons-grav-i-varnhems-klosterkyrka-osteologiska-resultat-och-historiska-konsekvenser-baserade-paa-undersoekningen-i-maj-2002(045226f3-e333-47ec-bcb8-8b57384c1f58).html == References ==