In the long list of Swedish kings, as well as among Russian princes, there are those whose existence has always been questioned. In Sweden they are called "kings from the sagas", and in Russia - "heroes of the chronicles."
Eric IX The Saint, although he does not belong to the classic "kings of the sagas", but little is known about him. The main source of information was a life written in the XIII century, more than 100 years after his death.
Historians believe that he did not belong to the royal family, but married Christine, the daughter of the representative of the Danish royal family Björn Haraldsen and the granddaughter of the Swedish king Inge I. After the rightful king Sverker I was killed by his own groom in 1156, Eric was put on throne.
He was an active, brave and fair monarch. One of his most famous deeds was a campaign in Finland, where Eric converted many pagans to Christianity. It was Eric who created the set of Swedish laws, which, unfortunately, has not survived to our time. This work, on the one hand, brought him fame and nickname - Eric the Legalist. On the other hand, it became the cause of death: since the laws adopted by him enshrined the payment of church tithing, Eric had many enemies who killed him.
On May 18, 1160, Eric arrived at Uppsala Cathedral for the Ascension Feast. While he was praying, the cathedral was surrounded by his enemies, about which Eric was informed. He had two choices: either to stay in the cathedral and hope for the mercy of the enemy (murder in the church at that time was regarded as sacrilege), or to meet fate and engage in an unequal battle. Eric went out and even managed to mount a horse, after which he was killed.
This treacherous murder gave him the status of a martyr. Eric was buried in Uppsala Cathedral and even set his commemoration day to May 18.
However, for a long time, the Swedes had doubts about how everything really was. Were they not victims of a historical legend?
Therefore, in 2014, the tomb of St. Eric was opened, and the remains were subjected to radiocarbon analysis. Fortunately, the historical legend turned out to be true.
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Eric was indeed killed in 1160. At the time of his death, he was 35-40 years old. It was also revealed that his height reached 171 centimeters, he had a powerful physique, ate well and led an active lifestyle. Together with the remains, they also discovered royal regalia - in particular, a crown.
She disappointed some of the king's admirers, who expected that the crown would be expensive, exquisite and magnificent. Eric was a real king - a brave warrior and a humble man.
Therefore, the crown turned out to be the most ordinary one, made of copper and covered with gilding. Several precious stones and primitive chasing did not add grace or beauty to the crown. But once again they recalled courage and royal honor, which are dearer to a true monarch than any treasure.