List of Dukes of Halland

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This lists those feudal magnates (counts, dukes, and other sort of princes) who have held Halland as fief, or its southern or northern part, titled as duke.

1 List
2 Coat of arms
3 References
4 External links

[edit] List

Charles Eriksen, maternal grandson of Canute IV of Denmark, son of Eric, Earl of Falster
Knud Valdemarsen, crown prince, as prince of Halland 1177-92
Niels I, Count of Halland, 1218^[1] (died the same year), bastard son of Valdemar II of Denmark

Duke Skule of Norway, fiefholder of Northern Halland 1228-40

Niels II, Count of Northern Halland 1241-51^[1]
James, Count of Halland (northern) 1283-1305

Eric Knudsen of Skarsholm (c. 1235-1304), Duke of Southern Halland 1284-1304, titularly of Reval, eldest son of Canute, Duke of Reval, Lolland and Blekinge, bastard son of Valdemar II of Denmark and grandson of Swedish Earl Guttorm

Eric, Duke of Sudermannia, fiefholder of Northern Halland (seat in Varberg castle) 1305(/10)-18
Magnus Ericsson, Duke, fiefholder of Northern Halland 1318-, king 1319 and 1320 and overlord of the entire Terra Scania since 1332
Ingeborg of Norway, Duchess

Christopher, brother of Eric VI of Denmark, Duke of Southern Halland 1307-26

Canute Porse, Duke of Halland (southern) 1326-30
Haakon, Duke of Halland 1330-50
Knud Knudsen Porse, Duke of Halland 1330-50

Benedict, Duke of Halland and Finland, Duke 1353-1357, died 1360

Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland 1912-1997

[edit] Coat of arms

The first known coat of arms of Halland consisted of a crowned heraldic leopard over 10 hearts and was used by Niels II and James I and most likely also by Niels I although no examples are preserved from the latter's reign.^[1] The colours of this first symbol are uncertain. In 1305, James used a seal showing a lion and 20 hearts. Knud Porse used his family's arms depicting three red sea leaves in a gold shield. One of the seals used by Duchess Ingeborg of Sweden, Halland, and Samsø represents Halland by an arms party per fess, with an unspecified colour in chief and a leopard in the larger lower base. This seal dates from 1336, and the figure was repeated in her seal used 1340-1352. A fresco in Søborg Castle, Denmark, dates from her stay there 1331-36 and shows the arms of Halland as a crowned upstanding silver lion on blue.^[1] This insignia Azure, a lion rampant Argent crowed Argent is closely related to the current arms of the province although the current lion is no longer crowned but has two tails.

From 1449-1972 a modified version Halland's first arms was represented in the coat of arms of Denmark now symbolizing the monarch's title King of the Goths. This title referred to the possession of the island Gotland. Occationally, Gotland was represented in the Danish arms with an additional arms as well, an Agnus Dei.

Duke Benedict's personal escutcheon, from his family, depicted a lion of the Bjelbo dynasty.