You're Dead to Me, Eric and Valdemar Magnusson
10th December 1317.
On his way to Kalmar in the Autumn of 1317, Valdemar Magnusson, the Duke of Finland and Prince of Sweden was invited to spend Christmas with his brother King Birger and Queen Martha at Nyköping Castle. Ordinarily, one would think, he would have been delighted to attend. After all, who wouldn't want to be invited to spend Christmas in a Swedish castle? I would!
The only downside was that in 1306, in an incident that became known as the Håtuna Games, Duke Valdemar and his other brother, Duke Eric, had tried to stage a coup that ended with Sweden being divided between the three of them. Relationships between the three had been strained ever since Birger became king, and when he demanded loyalty from his brothers in 1304, they fled to Norway, where they spent several years launching raids into Sweden and generally being a pain in the arse.
Duke Valdemar spent the night at Nyköping and was treated like, well, a Prince. Delighted at the king's apparent change of demeanour, he sent word to Eric, convincing him to come for the enormous banquet planned for the evening of the 10th and 11th of December.
When the two dukes arrived at the castle, they were met at the gate by a beaming King Birger, who welcomed them with open arms and led them inside by their hands. Queen Amrtha was delighted to see them and threw her arms around her brothers-in-law, kissing each on the cheek.
Come in, come in! We've missed you so much!
When the dukes asked where their own retinue could stay, they were told that extensive and luxurious lodgings had been found for them in the village. It was Christmas, after all - the castle was packed full of important guests. The Dukes' men were shown to their rooms; everyone waved them off happily, and the Dukes were ushered inside.
And then they locked the gates behind them.
The banquet was sumptuous; the wine and mead flowed freely, and the food came on a seemingly never-ending train of giant silver platters. Roast meats, fresh fruits, fish, fowl and game - all of Sweden's finest fare, laid out for the happy family to celebrate Christmas together peacefully at last.
Sated and on slightly shaky legs, the dukes were guided to their palatial rooms. Fireplaces were lit, and they were tucked up warm and snug to sleep the night away.
They were rudely awoken in the crisp dark of a hungover early morning by a retinue of crossbowmen who slapped them in cuffs, King Birger at the front, grinning like a loon:
"Mynnes jder nakot aff hatwna leek? Fulgörla mynnes han mik
(Remember ye aught of the Håtuna Games? I remember them clearly)"
As they were dragged off to the dungeon, never to be seen again, Birger danced in glee; he clapped his hands together delightedly, laughed loudly, and behaved like a madman. He exclaimed: "Now I have Sweden in my hand!"
Ultimately, Birger had badly misjudged the mood in the country, and his plans of taking the whole of Sweden fell apart when he failed to take Stockholm. A popular uprising in favour of the dukes ultimately forced him to flee to exile in Denmark.
Thanks for reading! If you’re stuck for a Christmas gift for a loved one, or for someone you hate, or if you have a table with a wonky leg that would benefit from the support of 341 pages of Roman History, my new book “The Compendium of Roman History” is available on Amazon right now! Please check it out by clicking the link below!