Posted by M.Sjostrom on 17/8/2009, 0:19:50, in reply to "Folkunge - Bjälbo"
82.181.239.182
well, it is understood to be a mistaking between two earls Folke.
'All' of them descended from the first earl Folke - and some historians centuries ago thought that the name Folkunge meant that whole clan. In that sense, Birger jarl would have been a Folkunge.
However, the second jarl Folke (slain in c1210 or so) also flourished, though some century and more later than the first. And the magnates who were enemies of Birger jarl, were for most part Birger's own cousins (of various degrees), sons, grandsons, various in-laws, and various-degree nephews of that later earl Folke. I understand that the political meaning of 'Folkunge' meant at Birger's lifetime that bunch, of his opponents, and most likely got to be known as Folkunge because of THAT Folke.
And, this does not actually change the perhaps-mistaken thing, that for several centuries Swedes have called the royal dynasty as Folkunga dynasty, however technically incorrect that would be.
I chose to use the same name as the article, for nnot to cause any more confusion to readers of this thread - they may be ill-equipped to deal with correctness of later appellations to things high-medieval in Swedish history.
--Previous Message--
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: As you probably know, Birger Jarl was not
: really a Folkunge. They were his enemy. He
: was a Bjälbo. But for some mysterious
: reason, Birger Jarls descendants became
: known as Folkungar.
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