Reign
When King Eric died suddenly in fever in 1216, the teen-aged John was hailed king by the Swedish aristocracy against the will of the Pope in Rome. John was crowned in 1219 and remained king until his death on March 10, 1222. John died unmarried and childless. In 1222, the rival dynasty's young heir, Erik Eriksson ascended the throne at the age of 6 to reign as King Eric XI of Sweden.
During the brief reign of King John, a Swedish presence was established in Estonia. John's cousin, Earl Karl Döve (the brother of Birger Brosa) and his chancellor, Bishop Karl Magnusson led an expedition to Saaremaa in Estonia which ended in a defeat in the Battle of Lihula on August 8, 1220. Defeat in the Battle of Lihula left no Swedish presence and discouraged the Swedish expansion to Estonia for more than 300 years. The events were described in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia and the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle.
Read more about this topic: John I Of Sweden
Famous quotes containing the word reign:
“Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.”
—John Milton (1608–1674)
“For sov’reign pow’r reign not alone,
Grace is the partner of the throne;
Thy grace and justice mighty Lord,
Shall well divide our last reward.”
—Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
“The reign of imagagology begins where history ends.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)