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- BIOGRAPHY
His eldest brother Philip predeceases their father the riksjarl Birger Brosa. This leaves Knut as the powerful family's head in his generation, when riksjarl Birger passes away in 1202.
The mighty family, and Knut himself, have expectations that the position of Riksjarl belongs to them. However, the family's borther-in-law the King Sverker attempts to melt powers of the postion of the Riksjarl to the king himself. For this purpose, King Sverker appoints his own one-year-old son Jon to hold the title of Riksjarl.
Knut and family members are unhappy about the decision and about the threatening loss of power and protection as the family's powers get shrinking. Knut Birgerson already has a son, Magnus broke, growing into adulthood.
At the time, in 1205 the rival Eric dynasty fails miserably in their attempt to depose King Sverker who gets to centralize so much power to himself. Three of the four sons of the Eric dynasty are killed in the 1205 internal war, in the Battle of the Älgarås. Only one of their sons, Eric Knutson, survives - and there possibly are one or two sisters in existence, too. The young Eric has female royals available to marriage market, to allure or commit new allies in the desperate situation.
The family of the late riksjarl Birger Brosa, led by Knut, allies itself with the young royal claimant Erik, and the Eric dynasty. Knut and others are appalled over King Sverker's cruelty that caused the 1205 slaughter of three royal young men at Ålgarås. After all, already Birger Brosa had progressed to success with supporting the Eric dynasty (already in the 1160s) and received his appointment to the position of Riksjarl from King Knut Erikson, the father of the slaughtered youngsters. The claimant Erik now appoints Knut as his Jarl and they prepare for taking over the kingdom of Sweden.
There is a Sjöström hypothesis on marriages of King Knut's daughters into jarl Kunt's family. More about its details later.
Their new alliance successed in winning the Battle of Lena on 31 January 1208 and King Sverker flees to exile. Erik Knutson becomes King in all Sweden, However, in the battle, Knut jarl loses his life.
[Author: Sjöström]
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