Benedict, Duke of Halland

Duke Benedict of Halland and Finland, aka "Bengt Algotsson" (c 1330 - c 1360) was a medieval Swedish lord, and royal favourite.

He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter. Svantepolk had been the younger son of Canute, Duke of Reval, Laland and Belinge (possibly also Halland), a bastard of Valdemar II of Denmark with Helena Guttormsdatter, daughter of a Swedish earl. Benedikta was the sister-in-law of King Eric XI and daughter of earl Sune Folkason, justiciar of Västergötland, with his wife Helena Sverkersdotter, herself the daughter of Sverker II of Sweden and his first wife Benedikte Ebbesdotter of the Galen. This made Benedict as one of the noblest blood of Sweden of his time.

His success was due to him being favorite of king Magnus IV of Sweden and Norway.

His Coat of Arms was a standing lion, wherefore the family has in some later reconstructions called "Lejon". This may also mean they were kin with the Folkunge, his line's ancestress belonged to those siblings of Boberg family who were nephews and nieces of Birger jarl.

His male-line great-grandfather had been Bengt Magnusson, justiciar of Östergötland, according to conclusions of researchers.

Kinship with the royal family (he was at least a distant cousin of Magnus, fourth cousin counted from Danish kings) and with other highest families of the country are presumed as reasons for the young man's exceptionally rapid rise.

From 1352 he is known to had a seat in the kingdom's Privy Council.

Duke Benedict was married with Ingeborg Ulvsdotter of Tofta (sparre), much senior to him, possibly already a widow, daughter of Ulf Abjörnsson, justiciar of Tiohärad, younger half-sister of lord Karl of Tofta, maternal niece of Erengisle, Earl of Orkney, and the aunt of the future Margaret Sparre of Tofta, mother of Charles VIII of Sweden and ancestress of Gustav Vasa. The duke however repudiated his wife sometime in c 1356, which was one of reasons his noble relatives did not protect him and wife's relatives became his enemies, and the duke was driven to exile.

In c 1353 the king created him as Duke of Finland and Halland, Halland coming from his descent from Duke Canute of Reval whose male line, held Halland as compensation to Reval and Laland, had gone extinct some fifty years earlier. Previous holders of Halland duchy during that interval had been king's own father Duke Eric, mother duchess Ingeborg, Ingeborg's second husband Knut Porse as well as king's half-brothers.

Also he was appointed as Viceroy of Scania, the newly-acquired group of provinces mostly Danish.

Most probably chief reasons for the king to do those were to stop the spiritual and secular "frälse" to gain yet more power at royal expense, and Hanseatic power in Nordic commerce. (Also personal relationship was rumored at the time as the reason.) The Viceroy confiscated much of properties of the Archdiocese of Lund upon the death of Archbishop Peder Jensen in 1355. Also Hanseatic privileges were urbed in Skanish ports.

However, a civil war started quite the same time: leaders of Swedish nobility used king's eldest son Eric as claimant and pressed the favorite's exceptional privileges as an insult to the younger king. In 1356 a revolt started, nominally against duke Benedict, but really to weaken the king and his centralizing grip.

In 1357, Benedict was exiled and Scania as well as several other Swedish and Finnish provinces were given to young king Eric.

Also Duke Benedict's elder brother Lord Knut was exiled, he to Norway with his wife Märta Ulvsdotter, a daughter of St Bridget of Sweden.

Benedict probably lived in Denmark. In c 1360, Benedict returned towards Sweden, but in Rönneholm castle in Scania he was besieged and eventually killed, according to tradition by his brother-in-law Lord Karl Ulvsson and a Magnus Nilsson Röde.

Duke Benedict died without any children.