Kalmare ledung

Kalmare ledung was a Crusade lead by the Norwegian king Sigurd the Crusader performed in 1123 to Christianize the Swedish province of Småland.

While the rest of Sweden had become at least Christian by appearance by the 1080s, the province of Småland had experienced very little contact with Christianity and remained openly Pagan in the 1120s, with the inhabitants still openly worshiping the Norse gods. Sigurd the Crusader made a pact with king Niels of Denmark to perform a crusade against Småland and force Christianity upon the Pagans. The (Christian) Swedish king is not mentioned, even though the crusade took place against a Swedish province, but the Danish king was married to a Swedish princess, Margaret Fredkulla. The Danish king did not follow the agreement and never performed the crusade, but the Norwegian king performed the crusade in 1123. Contemporary Swedish sources does confirm warfare between pagans and Norwegians in the south eastern corner of Småland and on the island of Öland. The Norwegian crusader army reportedly successfully forced the inhabitants to submit to the Christian faith, and brought 1500 cattle and many valuables with them back to Norway.

References
  • Lagerqvist, Lars: "Sverige och dess regenter under 1000 år" Bonniers förlags AB 1982. ISBN 91-0-075007-7
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