Treaty of Lödöse

The Treaty of Lödöse (Norwegian: Freden i Lödöse, Swedish: Freden i Lödöse) was a peace treaty between the Swedish king Eric XI and the Norwegian king Haakon IV. The treaty was negotiated between King Haakon and the Jarl of Sweden, Birger Magnusson, in the town of Lödöse, during the summer of 1249. The main purpose of the treaty was to prevent mutual hostility from escalating into war. Some factions of the Swedish nobility wanted to attack Norway in retribution for a raid by King Haakon, which had targeted Norwegian rebels in the Swedish province of Värmland 24 years earlier.

In Lödöse, the two parties sworn that from then on fraternity and peace should prevail between the two kingdoms and that neither of the two would support or provide a haven for enemies of the other. It was also decided that Birger's daughter Rikissa, would marry the son of Haakon, Haakon the Young.

The Nordic royal families were closely related during the Middle Ages, and the formation of different alliances constantly threatened stability in Scandinavia. All three kingdoms sought to prevent the other two from dominating the region. Domestic politics in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden was above all shaped by the struggle between different clans for possession of the throne. In Sweden, the House of Eric (supported by Denmark) and the House of Sverker (supported by Norway) had been contesting for power since the murder of King Sverker the Elder in 1156.

Norway was at the time plagued by a prolonged civil war. Several pretenders to the throne were challenging King Haakon IV. Forces supporting the pretender Sigurd Ribbung used the Swedish province of Värmland as a safe haven for operations into Norway. Emissaries of the Norwegian king complained to the lawspeaker of Värmland and the Swedish king several times, but to no avail. Since the Swedes took no action against Ribbung, King Haakon led his army into Värmland during the winter of 1225. There he plundered the region in an attempt to quell Ribbung's rebellion. Haakon's incursion angered the Swedes, but because of their internal conflicts they were unable to retaliate.

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