Charles VIII of Sweden

Charles VIII of Sweden, Charles I of Norway, or Karl Knutsson (Bonde), king of Sweden (1448 – 1457, 1464 – 1465 and from 1467 to his death in 1470); king of Norway (1449 – 1450).

Related Topics:
Sweden - 1448 - 1457 - 1464 - 1465 - 1467 - 1470 - Norway - 1449 - 1450

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Karl Knutsson was born in 1409, the son of Knut (Tordsson) Bonde, knight and member of the privy council (riksråd), and Margareta Karlsdotter (Sparre av Tofta). He died may 14, 1470. His first marriage, in 1428, to Birgitta Turesdotter (Bielke) (died 1436) gave him his daughter Kristina. His second marriage, in 1438, to Katarina Karlsdotter (Gumsehuvud) (died in 1450) produced his second daughter Magdalena, who married Ivar Axelsson (Tott). He also had two children by his third wife (and former mistress) Kristina Abrahamsdotter, Anna and Karl. His father was said by contemporary legends to descend from a younger brother of King Eric IX - Saint Eric. His mother, an important heiress, descended from Jarl Charles The Deaf and consequently from some ancient Folkunge earls of Sweden, as well as from a daughter of Canute IV of Denmark and Adela of Flanders.

Related Topics:
1409 - Privy council - May 14 - 1470 - 1428 - 1436 - 1438 - 1450 - Ivar Axelsson (Tott) - Eric IX - Saint Eric - Charles The Deaf - Folkunge - Canute IV of Denmark

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Karl Knutsson Bonde

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Regency1438-1440 in Sweden

Related Topics:
1438 - 1440

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ReignJune 20, 1448-1457,

Related Topics:
June 20 - 1448 - 1457

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1463-1465 and

Related Topics:
1463 - 1465

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1467-May 15, 1470 in Sweden.

Related Topics:
1467 - May 15 - 1470

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1449-1450 in Norway

Related Topics:
1449 - 1450

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HailedJune 28, 1448 in Sweden

Related Topics:
June 28 - 1448

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CoronationNovember 20, 1449 in Norway

Related Topics:
November 20 - 1449

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Royal HouseBonde

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ConsortsBirgitta Turesdotter (Bielke) (died before he became king)

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Katarina Karlsdotter

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PredecessorsEric of Pomerania in Sweden

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Christopher of Bavaria in Norway

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InterregnumChristopher of Bavaria

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Christian I

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(See List of Swedish monarchs)

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SuccessorsChristian I in Norway

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Christian II in Sweden

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Date of Birth1408 or 1409

Related Topics:
1408 - 1409

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Date of DeathMay 15, 1470

Related Topics:
May 15 - 1470

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In 1434 he became member of the Privy Council of Sweden and in October of the same year he assumed one of its most senior offices, Lord High Constable of Sweden, or Riksmarsk. Due to the growing dissatisfaction over King Eric of Pomerania among the Swedish nobility, Charles was in 1436 made Rikshövitsman, an office as Military Governor of the Realm and finally replacing the king as an elected regent from 1438 to 1440, as the result of the rebellion by Engelbrekt Elgelbrektsson. During Charles' brief regentship, the so-called rebellion of David (a peasant rebellion) took place in Finland. Eric of Pomerania was forced to step down from the throne and in 1440 Christopher of Bavaria, was elected king in the Sweden, Norway and Denmark. At the coronation of Christopher in September 1441, Charles was dubbed a knight and appointed Lord Chief Justice of Sweden, or Riksdrots. In October he resigned as Lord Chief Justice and resumed his office as Lord High Constable. From 1442 he was the military governor, hövitsman, at Vyborg in Finland.

Related Topics:
1434 - Privy Council of Sweden - Lord High Constable of Sweden - Eric of Pomerania - Rikshövitsman - Realm - Engelbrekt - Christopher of Bavaria - Sweden - Norway - Denmark - Lord Chief Justice of Sweden - Vyborg - Finland

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Charles acquired extensive fiefs, for example in Western Finland. His first seat was in Turku. Soon, Christopher's government began to take back fiefs and positions and Charles was forced to give up the castle of Turku. Charles' next seat was the castle of Vyborg, on Finland's eastern border, where he kept an independent court, taking no heed of Christopher and exercising his own foreign policy in relation to such powers in the region as the Hanseatic League, the Russian city of Novgorod and the Teutonic Knights in the Baltic states.

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At the death of Christopher in 1448, without a direct heir, Charles was elected king of Sweden on June 20 and on June 28 he was hailed as the new monarch at the Stone of Mora, not far from Uppsala, mostly due to his own military troops being present at the place, against the wishes of regents Bengt and Nils Jönsson (Oxenstierna). His election as king of Sweden resulted in an effort to reestablish the Kalmar Union, this time under Swedish initiative, and in 1449 he was elected king of Norway and received the coronation at Trondheim on November 20. The Danish had in September 1448 elected Christian I as their new monarch. Soon, in 1450, Charles was forced to cede Norway to Christian. From 1451, Sweden and Denmark were in state of war against each other. Because of devastating warring, a growing opposition against Charles emerged in Sweden. The strongest opponent was the Swedish church which opposed Charles's efforts to concentrate royal and secular power. Other opponents were the family group of Oxenstierna and Vasa, which had been in the opposing side in the election of king and lost.

Related Topics:
June 20 - June 28 - Stone of Mora - Uppsala - Kalmar Union - Trondheim - November 20 - Christian I

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During the next 20 years, Charles was deposed twice, only to regain the throne and reign three times (1448-57, 1464-65, 1467-70).

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In 1457, a rebellion took place, lead by archbishop Jöns Bengtsson (Oxenstierna) and a nobleman, Eric Axelsson Tott. Charles went into exile to Danzig. The two leaders of the revolt took the regentship, and organized the election of Christian I of Denmark as king (firstly in Turku, then in Stockholm).

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In 1463, King Christian quarreled with the archbishop because of his taxation policies. The archbishop was imprisoned, which resulted in a rebellion by his relatives, and led to Christian being driven out of Sweden. Charles was recalled by the rebels, and reigned about half a year, but was then again exiled. In 1467, the regent Eric Axelsson Tott, now having reverted to the support of Charles, once more had him crowned. Charles reigned for three years, under power of riksrad, until his death in 1470.

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He left only one infant son, born of a mistress whim he married on his deathbed. The Swedish government did not allow the boy to succeed him, but appointed one of their number, Sten Sture the Elder (who was Charles's nephew) as regent.

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See also: Engelbrekt

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