great earl of Gothland, became a famous warrior, and as the king had no
sons he made Birger a jarl, or earl, and chose him as his heir. One of
the exploits by which Birger had won fame was the following. The town of
Lübeck, in North Germany, was closely besieged by the king of Denmark,
who had cut it off from the sea by stretching strong iron chains across
the river Trave, on which the town is situated. He thus hoped to starve
the people into surrender, and would have done so had not Birger come to
their rescue. He had the keels of some large ships plated with iron,
loaded them with provisions, and sailed up the river towards the
beleaguered city. Hoisting all sail before a strong wind, he steered
squarely on to the great chains, and struck them with so mighty a force
that they snapped asunder and the ships reached the town with their
supplies, whereupon the Danish king abandoned the siege. This story is of
interest, as these are the first iron-plated ships spoken of in history.
By this and other exploits Birger grew in esteem, and when the Finns
began their terrible work in the north he and the king summoned the
people to arms, and the old warlike spirit, which had long been at rest,
was reawakened in the hearts of the Swedes. The Pope at Rome had
proclaimed a crusade against the Finns, promising the same privileges to
all who took part in it as were enjoyed by those then taking part in the
crusades to the Holy Land, and on all sides the people grew eager to
engage in this sacred war.
Then there was brushing and furbishing on all sides; ancestral swords,
which had long hung rusting on the walls, were taken down and sharpened
anew; helmets and cuirasses were burnished until they shone like silver
or gold; tight-closed purses were opened by those who wished to aid the
cause of Christ; and old ships were made ready for the waves and new ones
launched. Rosy lips were kissed by lovers who would never kiss them
again, and loud was the weeping of the maidens and mothers who saw those
they loved setting out for the war, but they consoled themselves as best
they could by the thought that it was all for the glory of God. Men of
Sweden had gone to the crusades in Palestine, but here was a crusade of
their own at home, and all were eager to take part in it.
A great fleet was got together and set sail under the command of Birger
Jarl. Its course lay up the Gulf of Bothnia, and where it came to land
Birger erected a great wooden cross as a sign that he had come for the
spread of the Christian faith. From this the place was called Korsholm.
The heathen Finns knew of his coming and had gathered in great numbers to
defend their country against its invaders, but nothing could stay the
fury of the crusaders, who were incensed with the cruelties these
barbarians had committed, and drove them back in dismay wherever they met
them, Birger Jarl showing the greatest skill as a leader. He made public
a law that all who became Christians should be protected in life and
property, and within two years he succeeded in introducing Christianity
into that country--perhaps more in appearance than reality. At any rate
he built forts, and settled a colony of Swedes in East Bothnia, and thus
did much towards making Finland a province of Sweden.
While this was going on King Erik the Lame died (in 1250). As he left no
heir there were many pretenders to the crown. The fact that Birger had
been named by the king two years before was lost sight of, and it looked
as if there would be civil war between the many claimants. To prevent any
such result a powerful noble named Iwar hastily summoned an assembly and
through his influence Valdemar, Birger Jarl's son, was chosen as king.
This was all done so quickly that it was completed in fourteen days after
Erik's death.
When the news of this hasty action reached Birger in Finland he was very
angry, and hastened home with all speed, bringing with him the greater
part of his army. He was highly displeased that he had not himself been
named king, as had been promised, instead of a boy, even if the boy was
his son. Calling together those who had made the choice of Valdemar, he
hotly asked them:
"Who among you was so bold as to order an election during my absence,
though you knew that King Erik named me Jarl and chose me for his heir?
And why did you choose a child for your king?"
Iwar answered that it was he that ordered the election and said:
[Illustration: From stereograph, copyright by Underwood and Underwood,
N.Y. VILLAGE LIFE AND HOMES IN SWEDEN.]
"Though you are indeed most worthy to wear the crown, you are advanced in
years and cannot live to rule us as long as your son."
This answer brought another angry outbreak from Birger and Iwar again
said:
"If you do not like this, do with your son what you please. There is no
fear but we shall be able to find another king."
For a time Birger sat in moody silence, and then asked:
"Who then would you take for your king?"
"I also can shake out a king from under my cloak," was Iwar's haughty
answer.
This threw the Jarl into a dilemma. The faces of the people present
showed their approval of what Iwar had said, and at length, fearing that
if he resisted their action the crown might be lost both to himself and
his son, he gave in to their decision.
To give dignity to the occasion, he took steps to have his son crowned
with much magnificence, and shortly after sent his daughter Rikissa with
great pomp and a rich dower to the frontier of Norway, where she was met
by the king of that country and was married with stately ceremony to his
son. The next year Birger's mother died, and as there was a prophecy that
her family would remain in power as long as her head was up, he had her
buried upright, being walled up in a pillar in Bjelbo Church so that her
head should never droop.
Birger Jarl belonged to a great family called the Folkungers, who long
held all the power in Sweden, and many of whom had been aspirants for the
throne. These were so angry at being deprived of what they had hoped for
that they determined to take the throne by force, and their leaders went
to Denmark and Germany, where they collected a large army. When they
landed in Sweden many of the people of that country joined them, and
though Birger had also a large force he began to fear the result.
He therefore sent his chancellor, Bishop Kol, to ask for a personal
interview with the leaders of the opposite force, with solemn promises of
safety. Yielding to the bishop's persuasions, the chiefs accompanied him
across the river that separated the two armies. Then Birger did a
dastardly act. No sooner had the chiefs come within his power than he had
them seized and beheaded on the spot as rebels.
Thus fell a number of the leading men of Sweden, and, the leaders fallen,
Birger attacked and easily dispersed their army, sparing the Swedes, but
cutting to pieces all the Germans that could be overtaken. Thus he added
greatly to the power of his family, but by an act of treachery and
perjury for which Archbishop Lars laid upon him a heavy penance. As for
Bishop Kol, who had been made the innocent agent in this shameful deed,
he never read mass again, and finally resigned his office and left his
country, journeying as a pilgrim to the Holy Land in expiation for his
involuntary crime. He never found peace and rest until he found them in
the grave.
Birger Jarl by these means rose to be the mightiest man in the north. His
son was king of Norway, his daughter was queen of Sweden, and his
daughter-in-law was a princess of Denmark, for when Valdemar became
twenty years of age he sought and won for his bride the beautiful Danish
Princess Sophia. The marriage was one of great pomp, a great hall being
built for the occasion, where the courtiers appeared in new-fashioned
dresses of rich stuffs, and there were plenty of banquets, games, dances,
and even tilts and tournaments, all conducted according to the noblest
custom of the times.
Birger himself had a queen for his wife, having married the dowager Queen
Mechthild of Denmark, and to increase his importance he assumed the title
of duke, never before borne in Sweden. But many of the peasants called
him king, since he governed the kingdom and was married to a queen. But
meanwhile poor Bishop Kol was dying of grief for the deed of shame into
which this proud lord had led him.
Shall we here tell an interesting and romantic story about one of
Birger's brothers? He was a judge in East Gothland, his name being Bengt,
and had fallen deeply in love with a damsel named Sigrid, whose family
was not rich nor great, though she herself was so beautiful that she was
widely known as Sigrid the Fair.
Duke Birger was not pleased with the idea of such a match, thinking the
girl, though of noble birth, of far too lowly rank to mate with a member
of his family. But in such things Judge Bengt had a will of his own and
he married Sigrid without Birger's consent. This so displeased the proud
jarl that he sent Bengt a cloak, half of which was made of gold brocade
and the other of coarse and common baize. This was in token of the
difference in rank of the families of Bengt and Sigrid and a significant
hint that he should separate from his new wife.
But Bengt was equal to the situation. He covered the coarse half of the
cloak with gold, pearls and precious stones so as to make it more
valuable than the other, and this he sent to his brother with no other
answer. This only irritated Birger the more, and he sent back the
message, "that he would speak with his brother face to face about this
affair," adding some harsh words which were also repeated to Bengt.
Then, soon after this, the angry jarl saddled his horse and rode with a
large company to Ulfasa, where Bengt lived. When the judge saw the jarl's
train near at hand he fled from his house to the woods, leaving his wife,
whom he had carefully instructed how to act, to meet his irritated
brother.
When the angry jarl rode into the court, fully prepared to call his
erring brother severely to account, he was surprised to see the fairest
woman he had ever beheld come forward to meet him. She was adorned with
the most costly robes and precious ornaments she could command and
everything had been done to enhance the charm of her beauty. Stepping
forth before the jarl, who gazed at her with astonishment, she bowed low
and welcomed him with all honor and courtesy.
So astonished was Birger with the charming vision that he sprang from his
horse and seized Sigrid in his arms, saying, "Had my brother not done
this I should have done it myself."
Leading him to the house, she entertained him with the best cheer, and
Bengt being sent for to the wood, the two brothers were fully reconciled.
Such an effect have the charms of a fair woman over the pride and passion
of men.
A few words must serve to finish the story of Birger Jarl. The greatest
and most valuable service of his reign lay in the new laws he gave the
country and his doing away with many of the old barbarian customs to
replace them with the customs of civilization.
Before this time it was the common practice for the relatives of a
murdered man to avenge him on the family of the murderer, thus giving
rise to long and bloody feuds. This custom Birger forbade, ordering every
one to seek redress for injury at the courts of justice. He also passed
four Laws of Peace, viz.: for the Peace of the Church, of Women, of
House, and of Assize.
Every one was forbidden to assault another in the church or the
churchyard or on the way to or from church. Whoever did so was declared
outlawed, and if the assailed man killed his assailant he was held free
from blame or revenge. This was the Peace of the Church.
Another ancient custom was to carry away a desired bride by force,
without her consent or that of her parents, a fight often arising in
which the bride's father and brothers were killed. Or on the way of an
affianced pair to church the same outrage might take place, the
bridegroom being often killed. This, too, was forbidden under penalty of
outlawry, the new law being that of Peace for Women.
To promote general security he forbade, under the same penalty, the
attacking of any man, his wife, children, or servants, within his house
or on his property. This was the Law of Home-peace or House-peace. All
violence was in like manner forbidden to any one going to or attending an
assembly of the people, this being the Peace of Assize.
Birger Jarl improved the laws in many other ways and made Sweden a far
more civilized country than it had been before his time. Another of his
useful acts was the founding of the city of Stockholm, which before his
day was a mere village on an island, but which he made a stronghold and
city, inviting that commerce to which its situation so excellently
adapted it. This was one of the most important acts of Birger Jarl, who
died soon afterwards, not living to see the rapid growth in importance of
his new city.
_THE FIRST WAR BETWEEN SWEDEN AND RUSSIA._
In the last tale it was told how Birger Jarl subdued the Finns and
brought then to give up their heathen practices and accept Christianity.
But this refers only to the section of Finland bordering on the Baltic
Sea. Farther east the Finns were pagans still, worshipping idols and
living a savage life in their vast forests, and bitterly hating the
Christians. At times they would come in hordes out of their wild
woodlands and attack the settled people, killing them in the most cruel
way their distorted fancies could contrive.
They had two chief deities, Jumal, the great good one, and Perkel, the
great evil one, and these were supposed to meet in fierce encounters in
which they would throw each other over high mountains. The people kept
wooden images of these deities in their huts, and had also open places in
the forest, with a stone on the centre of each, on which they made
sacrifices to their divinities. When a Karelian, as these people were
called, came to within a fixed distance of the sacrificial stone, he took
off his cap and crawled up to it silently, making sacrifices there of the
bones and horns of elk and reindeer. In case of danger they would
sacrifice goats, cats and cocks, sprinkling their idols with the blood of
these animals.
At that time, shortly before the year 1300, Birger, heir to the throne of
Sweden, was very young, and the country was under the rule of Torkel
Knutson, regent of the kingdom and a wise and energetic man. Exasperated
by the cruelties committed by the Karelians on the Christians, he
determined to put a stop to them and sailed to Finland with a strong
army. Against this force the pagan foresters could not make head and they
were soon obliged to submit. A fort with a strong garrison was built at
Wiborg to keep them in order, and the churchmen who went with the
expedition strove to convert them.
It is not with these savage woodsmen, however, that we are concerned, but
with the Russians, with which people the Swedes now first came into
warlike contact. The forest Russians of that day were as savage as the
Finns and as hard to deal with. They came to the help of the Karelians in
this war, and to punish them the regent took Castle Kexholm, their chief
stronghold, and left in it a garrison under Sigge Lake. It was this that
brought on the first war between the Swedes and the Russians, some of the
events of which are so interesting that it is worth telling about.
After the Swedes had held Kexholm for some time their food supply ran
very low, and as no aid came from home many of them wished to abandon the
fort. This Sigge Lake would not listen to. He had been left there to hold
the place and did not intend to give it up. But only the bravest of his
men remained with him, the others leaving under pretext of sending food
and reinforcements from home.
Neither men nor supplies arrived and the Russians, learning of the state
of affairs, gathered in multitudes around the fort, laying close siege to
it. In the end, after a brave resistance lasting many days, food became
so scarce that the Swedes dared not stay any longer and they determined
to try and cut their way through the besiegers.
The gates were thrown open and Sigge rushed out at the head of his
company, with such force and fury that for a time it seemed as if they
would succeed. But they were weakened by semi-starvation and in the end
the swarming Russians killed them all but two, who alone made their
escape and carried the news of the disaster back to Sweden.
The regent was greatly distressed at the loss of the brave men whom he
had left so long without support. It was too late to save their lives but
he felt it his duty to avenge them. To do so he set sail with another
army, making his way up the river Neva, the stream on which the city of
St. Petersburg was afterwards built. No enemy was seen and the regent
landed on an island in the river, where he built a strong fort which he
named Landscrona, furnishing it plentifully with provisions.
The Russians, when they found what was being done, were infuriated. A
great multitude of them, thirty thousand in number, gathered on the Neva
and made a vigorous effort to burn the Swedish fleet, sending rafts down
the stream on which were great heaps of blazing wood. But the regent
caught these by iron chains which he stretched across the stream, holding
the fire-floats until they burned out.
This effort failing, the Russians made a fierce attack on the fortress,
with such savage violence that though many of them fell the others would
not give up the assault. But so strong and so well defended was the place
that they failed in this also, and in the end were obliged to retreat,
leaving great numbers of dead behind them. Then a young and brave knight
in the garrison, named Matts Kettilmundson, made a sortie against the
Russians and drove them back in panic flight, many more of them being
killed.
Shortly after this a party of Russian cavalry, one thousand strong,
appeared in the edge of a wood, not far from the fort, their armor
gleaming brightly in the sunlight. While the garrison were looking at
them from the walls, the brave knight Matts Kettilmundson asked
permission of the regent to ride out against them, saying that "he would
venture a brush with the bravest among them."
The regent having consented, the daring fellow put on his armor and had
his horse led through the gate. Leaping on it he rode out, and when he
had passed the moat, turned back to his friends who lined the wall.
"Strive to live happily," he said, "and do not be troubled about me, for
it depends on God in heaven whether I shall return with a captive foe or
fail to return at all."
He then rode boldly on and sent an interpreter to the Russian lines,
challenging the bravest of the Russians to fight with him for life, goods
and freedom. It must be borne in mind that those were the days of
chivalry and knight-errantry, when such adventures and challenges were
common things and good faith was kept with those who made them. So no
force or treachery was attempted against the daring knight, although we
should hardly have looked for knightly deeds and chivalrous ways in the
Russia of that day.
However, as the story goes on to say, the Russian king appealed in vain
for a knight to try conclusions with the Swedish champion. Not a man in
the troop was ready to make the venture, and Sir Matts sat his horse
there all day long waiting in vain for an antagonist. As evening
approached he rode back to the fortress, where every one congratulated
and praised him for his courage. The next morning the Russians had
disappeared.
Soon after this, the army growing weary and longing for home, the regent
set sail down stream, leaving three hundred men and abundant supplies in
the fort, under a knight named Swen. But as contrary winds detained the
fleet Sir Matts landed with a strong party of horsemen and made long
raids into the country, gathering much booty, with which he returned to
the ships. Then the army continued its way home, where it was received
with much joy.
But the garrison in Landscrona did not find their lot much better than
had the former garrison in Kexholm. The new walls were damp and the
advancing summer brought hot weather, so that their provisions began to
spoil. As a consequence scurvy and other diseases broke out and many of
the men died. Some of those who remained wished to send home for help,
but others objected to this, saying that "they preferred waiting for help
from heaven and did not wish to trouble the regent, who had enough to
attend to at home."
When the Russians gathered around the fort to attack it, as they soon
did, only twenty men in the garrison were fit to bear arms in defence.
These could not properly guard the walls and the Russians steadily
advanced, all losses being made up from their great numbers, until in no
great time the walls were taken. The Swedes retired to their houses,
continuing to fight, but as the Russians set fire to these, the governor
and some others threw down their arms, offering to surrender. They were
at once cut down by the assailants.
The few who remained alive now took refuge in a stone cellar, where they
defended themselves manfully; and refused to submit until the enemy had
offered them their lives. Then they yielded and were carried as captives
into the country, the fortress being razed to the ground. Thus, in the
year 1300, ended the first war between Russia and Sweden. The Swedes
fought well and died nobly, but they lost their lives through the neglect
of their countrymen and rulers.
_THE CRIME AND PUNISHMENT OF KING BIRGER._
When the events narrated in the last tale took place, there were three
young princes in the kingdom, Birger, Erik and Valdemar, Torkel, the
regent, ruling in their name. But when the princes grew up Birger, the
oldest, was crowned king, the other two becoming dukes. But very early in
Birger's reign there arose many complaints about the conduct of his
brothers, who showed themselves haughty and insubordinate. The ill-blood
in time grew to such an extent that the king dismissed his brothers from
his presence, giving them until sunset to leave.
"After that," he said, "if you shall fall into my hands, it will go ill
with you."
This gave rise to bitter enmity and the two dukes gave King Birger no end
of trouble, there being war between them three times in succession,
bringing the country into a miserable state. During the second war King
Birger was taken prisoner by his brothers, but he was afterwards set free
under the promise that he would no more disturb Sweden, a third part of
which was left under his rule.
He did not intend to keep his word, but was no sooner set free than he
sought aid from his brother-in-law, the king of Denmark, and invaded the
kingdom with a Danish army. This was the third war above spoken of. It
ended without the king gaining anything but the third of the kingdom,
which had already been promised to him. After each of these wars the
brothers became reconciled, and lived for a time peacefully in their
dominions, but they laid such heavy taxes on the people to support their
extravagant courts that great misery prevailed.
After the last outbreak all remained quiet for nearly ten years, and the
dukes thought that their brother was friendly towards them, not dreaming
that his heart was full of hate and treachery.
In 1317, when Duke Valdemar made a journey to Stockholm, which was in his
section of the kingdom, he stopped at Nyköping to visit his brother
Birger, whom he had not seen for a long time. Birger met him with a great
show of friendliness, making him welcome in every way. Queen Martha was
equally kind, and Valdemar was highly pleased with these tokens of
regard. Before he left the queen complained to him that it gave her great
pain that Duke Erik avoided his brother, saying that God knew she loved
him as much as if he were her own brother.
After spending the night with them Valdemar rode away very well pleased.
His men were equally pleased, for they had been well entertained. On
leaving Stockholm he went to Erik's home in Westmoreland, who told him
that he had just been invited to visit Birger's court, and asked if he
thought it safe to make such a visit.
Valdemar said he had no doubt of it, telling of what a pleasant visit he
had made. Erik, however, had doubts, being distrustful of the queen and
Chancellor Brunke, whom he looked upon as his enemies. But in the end the
brothers decided to accept the invitation and rode away towards Nyköping.
When six miles distant they met a knight who advised them to go no
farther, saying:
"You will cause yourselves and your friends much sorrow if both of you
trust yourselves in the king's hands at the same time."
Valdemar indignantly replied to this that "there are too many who seek to
breed disunion between the king and his brothers."