Torkel (
Tyrgils or
Torgils)
Knutsson, known well as
Marshal Torkel, (?–1306) of Aranäs, was
constableThe Lord High Constable was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from the 13th century until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and, from 1630 and on, the head of the Swedish Council of War...
and virtual ruler of
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
during the early reign of King
Birger MagnussonThe name Birger Magnusson can refer to:* Birger of Sweden , King of Sweden* Birger jarl , founder of Stockholm...
(1280-1321).
Torkel hailed from an old noble family of
West Geat' is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
ish ancestry and was related to the
FolkungIn modern Swedish, Folkung has two meanings, which appear to be opposites:# The medieval House of Bjelbo in Sweden, which produced several Swedish statesmen and kings....
s, the royal family, and like them, he had a lion in his coat of arms. He was first mentioned in 1282, and in documents from 1288, he is mentioned as a
knightA knight was a "gentleman soldier" or member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe. In other Indo-European languages, cognates of cavalier or rider are more prevalent suggesting a connection to the knight's mode of transport...
and a member of the
privy council (riksråd)The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
.
When king Magnus Ladulas died, Torkel became
regentA regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor....
for the underage king Birger, being the highest state official and because Magnus' foreign-born widow
Helvig of HolsteinHelvig of Holstein, was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Magnus III of Sweden. She was the child of count Gerhard I of Holstein and Elisabet of Mecklenburg .- Biography :...
was not trusted to such powerful position yet.
When
TavastlandTavastland is the name of a geographical region in Finland which can refer to:*Tavastland - a historical Province of Sweden *Nyland och Tavastehus län - a former County of Sweden...
had been attacked by the Republic of Novgorod, in 1292, marshal Torkel led the
third Swedish crusadeThe Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were crusades undertaken by the Christian kings of Denmark and Sweden, the German Livonian and Teutonic military orders, and their allies against the pagan peoples of Northern Europe around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea...
against Novgorod, in 1293 and conquered parts of
KareliaKarelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
, where he founded the stronghold of
ViborgVyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, 130 km to the northwest of St. Petersburg, 38 km south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
.
Torkel (
Tyrgils or
Torgils)
Knutsson, known well as
Marshal Torkel, (?–1306) of Aranäs, was
constableThe Lord High Constable was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from the 13th century until 1676, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Swedish Privy Council and, from 1630 and on, the head of the Swedish Council of War...
and virtual ruler of
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
during the early reign of King
Birger MagnussonThe name Birger Magnusson can refer to:* Birger of Sweden , King of Sweden* Birger jarl , founder of Stockholm...
(1280-1321).
Torkel hailed from an old noble family of
West Geat' is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
ish ancestry and was related to the
FolkungIn modern Swedish, Folkung has two meanings, which appear to be opposites:# The medieval House of Bjelbo in Sweden, which produced several Swedish statesmen and kings....
s, the royal family, and like them, he had a lion in his coat of arms. He was first mentioned in 1282, and in documents from 1288, he is mentioned as a
knightA knight was a "gentleman soldier" or member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe. In other Indo-European languages, cognates of cavalier or rider are more prevalent suggesting a connection to the knight's mode of transport...
and a member of the
privy council (riksråd)The High Council of Sweden or Council of the Realm consisted originally of those men of noble, common and clergical background, that the king saw fit for advisory service...
.
When king Magnus Ladulas died, Torkel became
regentA regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor....
for the underage king Birger, being the highest state official and because Magnus' foreign-born widow
Helvig of HolsteinHelvig of Holstein, was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Magnus III of Sweden. She was the child of count Gerhard I of Holstein and Elisabet of Mecklenburg .- Biography :...
was not trusted to such powerful position yet.
When
TavastlandTavastland is the name of a geographical region in Finland which can refer to:*Tavastland - a historical Province of Sweden *Nyland och Tavastehus län - a former County of Sweden...
had been attacked by the Republic of Novgorod, in 1292, marshal Torkel led the
third Swedish crusadeThe Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were crusades undertaken by the Christian kings of Denmark and Sweden, the German Livonian and Teutonic military orders, and their allies against the pagan peoples of Northern Europe around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea...
against Novgorod, in 1293 and conquered parts of
KareliaKarelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
, where he founded the stronghold of
ViborgVyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, 130 km to the northwest of St. Petersburg, 38 km south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
. In 1300, he led an attack against the Novgorodians, and on the
Neva RiverThe Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast and the city of Saint Petersburg to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland...
, he founded the fortress of Landskrona
He showed the same concerns about Swedish interior politics. During his regency, the law of
UpplandUppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
was established. He acted as
Birger Jarl, born Birger Magnusson , was a Swedish statesman, a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden while a jarl from 1248 until his death...
had done in the conflict against the church, in order to abolish the clergy's tax exemption. The clergy's discontent became apparent in 1303.
The old trade treaties with
LübeckThe Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World...
were re-established, on condition that the town did not provide Novgorod with weapons or provisions.
In the struggles between king
Birger MagnussonThe name Birger Magnusson can refer to:* Birger of Sweden , King of Sweden* Birger jarl , founder of Stockholm...
and his brothers, the dukes Eric and
ValdemarValdemar Magnusson , was Duke of Finland, a Swedish prince and the third son of king Magnus I of Sweden and his queen Helvig of Holstein.He was born in the 1280s...
, Torkel was faithfully on the king's side. At Torkel's castle Aranäs, in 1304, the two dukes had to sign a declaration that they would neither in Sweden, nor abroad, work against the king nor cause him harm. In spite of this declaration, the two dukes fled abroad and with the support of the Norwegian king
Haakon V of NorwayHaakon V Magnusson was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319. He was married to Eufemia of Rügen, and father to Ingeborg Håkonsdotter who married duke Eric Magnusson of Sweden. He is considered to be the last Norwegian king in the Fairhair dynasty.He was the younger surviving son of Magnus the...
, they attacked
Västergötland' is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
. Torkel helped the king conquer the castle of
NyköpingNyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 27,720 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
, which belonged to duke Eric, and in Kolsäter (1305), he forced the two dukes to sign a declaration that they would not cause any harm to Torkel either.
When the power of the dukes was on the rise again, the marshal had to reconcile with the church, and he ordered a charter on the renewal of the church's old rights, in 1305.
However, Torkel was finally struck by the vengeance of his enemies. The dukes managed to win the trust of the king and poisoned the king's mind against his marshal. In December 1305, King Birger and the dukes arrived at Torkel's estate Lena (where formerly the
Battle of LenaThe Battle of Lena took place January 31 1208, and it was probably located near Kungslena which is located in the Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland....
had taken place) in
Västergötland' is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
, and arrested Torkel who was taken to
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
in chains. In February 1306, the faithful marshal's head was cut off. The dukes were so hateful against Torkel that his body was entered on the place of execution. It was later moved and properly buried at the
FranciscanThe term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders, also known as the Orders of Friars Minor, that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St. Francis", or a member of one of these orders. As well as Roman Catholic there are also small Old Catholic and...
church in Stockholm.
Family
Torkel was married twice. His first wife, whose origins are unknown, gave him a daughter named Kristina, who married Torkel's godson and later enemy duke Valdemar. She appears to have been repudiated by the duke upon her father's execution (as Valdemar is soon reported to have married with
Ingeborg Eriksdottir of NorwayIngeborg Eriksdottir of Norway , was a medieval Norwegian and by marriage Swedish princess and duchess, with a seat in the regency government of king Magnus IV of Sweden....
). Torkel's second wife was the countess Hedvig of Ravensberg.
Remembrance
Torkel's powerful personality and tragic end has been the matter of poetry, in e.g. B. v. Beskow's tragedy
Torkel Knutsson. A statue of Torkel was raised, in 1908, on the square Rådhustorget in Stockholm.