Inge I of Sweden

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Inge Stenkilsson (king 1079–1084 (?) and 1087–1105) ruled with his half-brother Halsten Stenkilsson, until Halsten died, in 1080. He had became co-ruler about 1079 because he is then mentioned as the king of the Swedes in a papal letter.

Inge had spent much of his youth in Russia at Staraja Ladoga. While in Russia he married his wife, Helena. Her origin is unknown but she was probably Russian or Greek. Their children were:

Kristina, married Grand Duke Mstislav of Kiev, and ancestress of several Kievan and Novgorod princes.
Ragnvald, died before 1105. His daughter, Ingigerd, was the mother of pretender (and alleged murderer) Magnus Henriksson
Margareta Fredkulla, married (1) Magnus Barefoot king of Norway; (2) king Niels of Denmark; through her second marriage, she was the mother of King Magnus the Strong of Westrogothia and claimant of Denmark
Katarina, married a Danish "Son of King", Björn Ironside Haraldsson with whom she had a daughter Christina Bjornsdatter who married the future Eric IX of Sweden.

He was a fervent Christian who had churches built and bishops appointed. This led to popular rebellion that forced him to leave the Swedish core provinces in Svealand, where the people instated his "brother-in-law" Blot-Sweyn. In a papal letter from Pope Gregory VII in 1081, Inge is no longer king of Sweden, only King of the Visigoths (rege wisigothorum)¹, i.e. the king of Västergötland.

In 1087, he travelled with his housecarls through Småland and Östergötland, riding both day and night, until he arrived in Sweden. Having arrived at Old Uppsala, he surrounded the hall of Blot-Sweyn, and set the hall on fire. When the king ran out, he was immediately slain. This is probably the date of the destruction of the Temple at Uppsala.

During the late part of his reign, Inge fought the Norwegian king Magnus Barefoot. At the ensuing peace of Kungahälla, he married his daughter Margareta to Magnus Barefoot whereupon she was given the cognomen Fredkulla, peace-maker. Inge died in his bed, and was succeed by his nephews Inge II and Philip, sons of his brother Halsten Stenkilsson.

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Note

Note 1: Jenssen (1998:114, 1999:11), Kaliff, A (2001:16)

Sources

Jensen, O. W. (1998) Gudomlighetens tidevarv. Arkeologiska horizonter. Red. Jensen, O. W. & Karlsson, H. Stockholm.
Jensen, O. W. (1999) Historiska forntider. En arkeologihistorisk studie över 1000-1600-talens idéer om forntid och antikviteter. Gotarc serie C. Arkeologiska skrifter No 29. Göteborg.
Kaliff, A. (2001) Gothic Connections, Contacts between eastern Scandinavia and the southern Baltic coast 1000BC-500AD. Occasional Papers in Archaeology 26. Uppsala.
Soloviev, Sergei. The History of Russia from the Most Ancient Times, 1959-1966
William, Abbot of Ebelholt. Scriptores Historiae Danicae Minores, 1195
Hervarar saga [link]

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