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4. ERIC THE VICTORIOUS AND HIS FAMILY. 59
4. ENGLISH MISSIONARIES FROM NORWAY CHOSEN BY
THE KINGS REINFORCE THE GERMAN AND DANISH
MISSIONARIES. THE FIRST CHRISTIAN KING
AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES AND SONS.
The history of Sweden, as distinguished from learned
conjecture or doubtful legend, begins, as I have said,
with Eric the Victorious, father of Olof Skotkonung, the
first Christian king. In order to understand the course of
the forward movement for the conversion of Sweden, which
now undoubtedly commenced, we must make acquaintance
with two remarkable men, Olaf Tryggvason and Olaf
Haraldson, Kings of Norway, from whom the main
impulse to the conversion came. We must also under
stand their relation to the Danish kings, the conquerors
of England, Sven Forkbeard and his son Knut, as well
as to the royal family of Sweden. We must further
collect the few particulars which we can glean about the
English missionaries who worked with and under them.
For they are strangely shadowy personalities beside the
striking figures of the princes of that wild and heroic age.
It will be convenient first to sketch the political relations,
and then to add to our sketch what we know of the growth
of the Church In the country.
Eric the Victorious was a great warrior of the Ivar race,
grandson of that Eric Edmundson who had united the
Swedes and the Goths. He is said himself to have added
Finland, Livonia and Esthonia to the Swedish crown.
He and his brother Olof at first reigned together. After
his brother s death he not unnaturally refused to share the
kingdom with his nephew, Styrbiorn, then quite a boy.
But this boy, when only fourteen years of age, mastered
the great pirates stronghold of Jomsburg on the mainland
and made himself head of their remarkable celibate
brotherhood. He attacked his uncle in Malar Lake, but
was defeated at the important Battle of Fyrisvall in 983 A.D.
Eric, as you have heard, devoted himself on this occasion
to Odin, while Styrbiorn gave himself to Thor, and was
killed. After the victory Eric naturally wished to secure
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