Kings of Sweden

Eric the Victorious (Old Norse: Eiríkr inn sigrsæli, Modern Swedish: Erik Segersäll), was the first Swedish king (970–995) about whom anything definite is known. Whether he actually qualifies as king of Sweden is debatable as his son Olof Skötkonung was the first ruler documented to have been accepted both by the Svear around Lake Mälaren and by the Götar around Lake Vättern.

His original territory lay in Uppland and neighbouring provinces. He acquired the name "victorious" as a result of his defeating an invasion from the south in the Battle of Fýrisvellir close to Uppsala. The extent of his kingdom is unknown. In addition to the Swedish heartland round lake Mälaren it may have extended down the Baltic Sea coast as far south as Blekinge.

Eric the Victorious appears in a number of Norse sagas, historical stories which nonetheless had a heathy dose of fiction. In various stories, he is described as the son of Björn Eriksson, and as having ruled together with his brother Olof. It was claimed that he married the infamous Sigrid the Haughty, daughter of the legendary Viking Skagul Toste, and later divorced her and gave her Götaland as a fief. According to Eymund's saga he took a new queen, Auð, the daughter of Haakon Sigurdsson, the ruler of Norway.

Sjörup Runestone

• A1 = Edmund, King of Birka;
  • B1 = Erik, King of Sweden and Goten;
    • C1 = Björn 'the old', King of Sweden;
      • D1 = Eric VI 'the victorious', King of Sweden, d:995, m. Sigrid of Poland;  ==>  Piast Dynasty
        • E1 = Olaf Skötkonung, King of Sweden, lvd:994/1022, m. Estrid of the Obotrites;
          • F1 = Ingegurd, d:1050, m. Yaroslav of Kiev;  <==  Rurik Dynasty
          • F2 = Astrid, d:1050, m. Olaf Haraldsson, King of Norway;
            • G1 = Wulfhild, d:1071, m. Duke Otho Ordulf of Saxony;  <==  Billung Dynasty
      • D2 = Olof Björnsson;
        • E1 = Styrbjörn the Strong, lvd:994/1022, m. Thyra Haraldsdottir;
          • G1 = Thorgils Sprakalegg, d:1071, m. Sigrid of Halland;  <==  Kings of Denmark