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- Erik Segers?ll (a.k.a. Erik the Victorious) is of the House of Ynglinga. There is an unauthenticated story to the effect that Svend Tvesk?g (a.k.a. Swein Forkbeard) waged an unsuccessful war against Erik, who had occupied parts of Denmark, and that Svend was captured by Slavs and finally ransomed at great cost.
Eric I the Victorious Old Norse: "Eir?kr inn sigrs?li", modern Swedish: Erik Segers?ll, (died c.995), was the first Swedish king (970-995) about whom anything definite is known. Referring to Eric the Victorious as Eric VI is a later invention. The Swedish kings Erik XIV (1560-68) and Charles IX (1604-1611) took their numbers after studying a highly fictitious History of Sweden.
His original territory lay in Uppland and neighbouring provinces. He was victorious over an invasion from the south in the Battle of the F?risvellir close to Uppsala. Reports that Eric's brother Olof was the father of Styrbj?rn the Strong belong to the realm of myth.
The extent of his kingdom is unknown. In addition to the Swedish heartland round lake M?laren it may have extended down the Baltic Sea coast as far south as Blekinge.
According to the Flateyjarbok, his success was due to the fact that he allied with the peasants against the nobility, and it is obvious from archeological findings that the influence of the latter diminished during the last part of the tenth century. He was also, probably, the introducer of the famous medieval Scandinavian system of universal conscription known as the ledung in the provinces around M?laren.
According to Adam of Bremen, Eric allied himself with the Polish prince Boleslav to conquer Denmark and chase away its king Sweyn Forkbeard. He proclaimed himself the king of Sweden and Denmark which he ruled until his death which would have taken place in 994 or 995. Adam says that Eric was baptised in Denmark, but later returned to the Norse gods. Adam of Bremen gives Emund Eriksson as Eric's predecessor. In all probability he founded the town of Sigtuna, which still exists and where the first Swedish coins were stamped for his son and successor Olof Sk?tkonung.
The Norse sagas relate that he was the son of Bj?rn Eriksson and that he ruled together with his brother Olof; and that he married Sigrid the Haughty, the daughter of the legendary Viking Skagul Toste, but would later divorce her and give her G?taland as a fief. According to Eymund's saga he took a new queen, Au?, the daughter of Haakon Sigurdsson, the ruler of Norway. Before this happened, his brother Olof died, and a new co-ruler had to be appointed, but the Swedes refused to accept his rowdy nephew Styrbj?rn the Strong as his co-ruler. Styrbj?rn was given 60 longships by Eric and sailed away to live as a Viking. Styrbj?rn would become the ruler of Jomsborg and an ally and brother-in-law of the Danish king Harold Bluetooth. Styrbj?rn returned to Sweden with a major Danish army, which Eric defeated in the Battle of the F?risvellir at Old Uppsala.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 21 July 2015.
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940 - 995 (~ 55 år)
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