House of Sverker

  Swedish Royalty
  House of Sverker
Sverker I
Children
   Prince John, Charles VII, Princess Ingegerd, Boleslas, Kol
Charles VII
Children
   Sverker II
Sverker II
Children
   Princess Helena, John I
John I

After the extinction of the House of Stenkil and the ascension of Sverker I of Sweden in 1130, a civil war commenced. In the beginning, there were several pretenders, of whom Sverker I emerged as victorious, for a time. The antagonists in long run were finally the House of Sverker in Östergötland and the House of Eric in Västergötland and Uppland (Saint Eric was killed and buried in the latter province, others in the dynasty were buried in Varnhem Abbey in the former province as later also Birger Jarl was, a relative to the dynasty), which alternated on the throne for several generations, until in the 1220s the Eric dynasty got the upper hand, and the Sverker dynasty became extinct (at least in the male line).

As usual in medieval succession rivalries, the final outcome combined the blood of rival lines, as in 1250 Valdemar of the Folkungs (then a minor, his father Birger Jarl acting as regent) ascended the throne, having inherited the Eric dynasty claim from Valdemar's mother (who was sister of Eric XI of Sweden, the last Eric-dynast) and some of the Sverker dynasty claim from Birger's mother (who was daughter of a younger son of Sverker I).

See also

House of Sverker
Preceded by
House of Stenkil
Ruling House of the Kingdom of Sweden
c. 1130 – 1156
1161 – 1167
1196 – 1208
1216 – 1222
Succeeded by
House of Eric