Canute I of Sweden (1146-1195) was King of Sweden from 1173 to 1195, succeeding Kol of Sweden and preceding Sverker II of Sweden.
Biography[]
Knut Eriksson was born in 1146, the son of King Eric IX of Sweden and the maternal great-grandson of Inge the Elder. His father was defeated and killed at Uppsala in 1160, forcing Knut to live in exile in Norway before returning to Sweden in 1167 and killing Charles VII of Sweden, followed by his successor Kol of Sweden in 1173. Canute then became King, and he brought Sweden closer to a Catholic-European state model by increasing the powers of the monarch and the bureaucracy. He entertained good relations with King Sverre of Norway, who married his sister Margareta, and Canute helped Sverre to fight against the pretender Erling Steinvegg. He continuously fought against the pagans of Sweden and attempted to enforce Christian rule, and he died in the fall of 1195 after a reign of 22 years.