Eric II of Norway (1268-15 July 1299) was King of Norway from 9 May 1280 to 15 July 1299, succeeding Magnus VI and preceding Haakon V.
Biography[]
Eric Magnusson was born in Norway in 1268, the son of King Magnus VI of Norway and the maternal grandson of Eric IV of Denmark. He succeeded his father as King of Norway at the age of 12, and he was dominated by his royal council even after coming of age. He married Margaret of Scotland, a daughter of King Alexander III of Scotland in 1281, and he fathered Margaret, Maid of Norway, whose death in 1290 led to the Wars of Scottish Independence. From 1287 to 1295, he went to war with Denmark after claiming his mother's inheritance (burning Elsinore in 1289), and he was also unsuccessful in claiming the Scottish throne by right of his daughter; he went on to marry Robert Bruce's sister Isabel Bruce. He died in 1299, and he was succeeded by his brother Haakon V of Norway.