that he, hoping for a future son-in-law, offered to make them his heirs while passing over his own children, either because of the incompetence of his sons or the high birth of the distinguished wooer." Thus Canute V was betrothed to his host's daughter Helena. It also appears that Canute as well as Valdemar owned landed property in Sweden at the time. With the alliance with Sverker in their back, the two pretenders were able to attack Sweyn III successfully in the same year. The assassination of Sverker The short chronicle of the Westrogothic law says that Sverker was murdered in his own coach at the Alebäck bridge near Alvastra priory, going to the early religious service on Christmas Day, 1156. The assassin was his trusted servant, a detail that is confirmed by a papal letter. This was considered a shocking crime, even by medieval standards. According to Saxo, the pretender Magnus Henriksson, a Danish prince, "made the servant commit this murder out of clandestine desire to become king". Sverker was succeeded in parts of Sweden by a pretender from another family, Eric the Saint, under very obscure circumstances. However, Sverker's son Charles VII emerged as king in Östergötland by c. 1158. Skáldatal reports the names of two of Sverker's skalds: Einarr Skúlason and Halldórr skvaldri. Family By first wife Queen Ulvhild, widow of Inge the Younger, and who escaped from her second husband, King Niels of Denmark: Son John (Johan or Jon jarl), slain by enraged peasants during a meeting of the Thing in the early 1150s, possibly father of Cecilia Son Charles, Sverker's successor Daughter Ingegerd (died in 1204), prioress of Vreta convent Daughter Helena of Sweden (uncertain name), married to Canute V of Denmark, son of King Magnus I of Sweden By second wife Queen Richeza (after Ulvhild's death), previously married to Magnus I of Sweden and to Volodar of Minsk. Attested son of this marriage was: Son Boleslaw, possibly identical with Burislev of Sweden. By one of these queens or an unknown woman: Allegedly a son Sune, thought to have been born about 1154. References Literature Ahnlund, Nils. "Vreta klosters äldsta donatorer", Historisk tidskrift 65, 1945. Harrison, Dick. Sveriges historia 600–1350. Stockholm: Norstedts, 2009 (). Lagerqvist Lars O., Åberg Nils. Kings and Rulers of Sweden. Vincent Publications, 2002 (). Liljegren, Bengt. Rulers of Sweden. Historiska Media, 2004 (). Sawyer, Peter. När Sverige blev Sverige. Alingsås: Viktoria,