Arvid Birgersson

Arvid Birgersson, Lord of Bergkvara (c. 1440 – 20 February 1505) was a Swedish magnate and politician in the last decades of Middle Ages. He was justiciar of Östergötland and then of Tiohärad, as well as a Lord High Councillor of Sweden, and once a candidate for the Regentship.

Arvid Birgersson was born as second son of Birger Birgersson, Lord of Bo and Bergkvara, and his royally-descended wife Cecilia Knutsdotter of Aspenäs. His family coat of arms depict a headless troll whereby some have retrospectively called him Arvid Trolle. His elder brother Erik Birgersson was murdered in Lübeck in c 1460, which left Arvid as the heir of their parents' lands.

In 1460s, Arvid sympathized and somewhat supported King Charles VIII of Sweden in his opposition against the Kalmar Union. He was married with Beate, daughter of Iver Axelsen of Lilloe in Skåne, fiefholder of Gotland, who was in almost open opposition against Danish central government, and himself became a son-in-law of Charles VIII.

Iver Axelsen, Charles' mightiest and chief ally in late 1460s, had once been promised succession after him by King Charles, but Charles' nephew Sten Sture the Elder managed to wrest the regentship. Iver supported Arvid's election to regent to replace Sten Sture. They actually succeeded once in a coup in , so the Swedish High Council chose Arvid, but they soon lost their base to Sten Sture who had the support of burghers and peasantry.

In 1487, Iver Axelsen died and his daughter Beate inherited his lands in Skåne. It had been the intention that Beate and Arvid succeed him also in Gotland, but Iver had lost it to the Danish king during his last year and the island was never recovered. Soon Beate died, and her sizable inheritance in Eastern Denmark became property of the couple's underage children, under guardianship of Arvid.

After Arvid's third marriage with daughter of High Constable Ture Turesson of Kråkerum, the leading union-supporter in Sweden, Arvid took a clear stance in support of union with Denmark.

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