Inge I of Svealand (The Kalmar Union)

Inge I was king of Svealand in the late 1000s. He was one of King Stenkil's sons.

It was not long after Stenkil succeeded Emund as king of Svealand that Inge was sent there to act as Stenkil's regent, possibly alongside his elder brother Halsten.

When Stenkil died in 1066 Inge and Halsten presumably took over the while their younger brother Eric took Gothenland. Halsten may have ruled solely but the sources are poor and scant. His/their early reign seems to have been beset with trouble, especially after Sweyn II of Denmark had just ousted Inge's brother Eric from the Gothenlandic throne.

In 1084 Inge's (or perhaps Halsten's) pro-Christian policies led to rebellion after he refused to take part in pagan rites. Inge was driven out of Svealand and took refuge with Olaf I in Gothenland. For three years Svealand would be ruled by a succession of half-legendary figures including 'Blot-Sweyn' whom was said to be Inge's brother-in-law and a pagan to boot.

Weak and in need to support, Inge probably came to gather support to retake Svealand and in 1087 succeeded in capturing Blot-Sweyn, setting fire to the house in which he and some of his support had been trapped. Thereafter Inge ruled carefully, not breaking any of the traditional laws and tactfully dealing with religious matter.

Inge died of old age, probably in 1105. He outlived his son Ragnvald so the Svealandic crown passed to his eldest nephew Philip. His daughter Christina was married off to Grand Duke Mstislav I of Kiev. His daughter Margaret would marry Niels I of Viken. Katarina meanwhile would marry Bjorn Ironside of Denmark.