HE was an Englishman, and preached the faith in the North with his
countryman, cardinal Nicholas Breakspear, the apostle of Norway, and
legate of the holy see, afterwards pope Adrian IV., by whom he was
raised to this see, in 1148. St. Eric, or Henry, (for it is the same
name,) was {181} then the holy king of Sweden.[1] Our saint, after
having converted several provinces, went to preach in Finland, which
that king had lately conquered. He deserved to be styled the apostle of
that country, but fell a martyr in it, being stoned to death at the
instigation of a barbarous murderer, whom he endeavored to reclaim by
censures, in 1151. His tomb was in great veneration at Upsal, till his
ashes were scattered on the change of religion, in the sixteenth
century. See John Magnus, l. 1, Vit. Pout. Upsal. Olaus Magnus, l. 4.
Bollandus, and chiefly his life published by Benzelius. Monum. Suec. p.
33.
Footnotes:
1. Stiernman, in his discourse, "On the State of Learning among the
ancient Swedes," observes, that Sweden was chiefly converted to
Christianity by English Saxon missionaries. The principal among
these were Ansgar, Sigfrid, Roduard, Richolf, Edward, Eskil, David,
and Henric, as he gives their names.
In the history of the bishops and archbishops of Upsal, published by
Benzelius in his Monum. Suec. p 37, the first whose name is recorded
is Everin, whom Benzelius supposes to be the person whom St. Sigfrid
consecrated to this see. He seems to have been one of his English
colleagues. Stephen, the sixth bishop of Upsal, was the first
archbishop. See the life of St. Sigfrid, and Benzelius's notes on
the catalogue of the bishops of Upsol, p. 186.