Bo Jonsson Grip
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Bo Jonsson Grip (b. 1330) was head of the royal council and marshal under the regency of Magnus II of Sweden. His friend and colleauge, Karl Ulfsson av Ulvåsa, the oldest son of Saint Birgitta was also in the council.
Bo Jonsson dominated the political life of Sweden for decades. He was the most important representative of the council aristocracy that deposed Magnus Eriksson in 1365 and put Albert of Sweden on the Swedish crown. In 1369 he became officialis generalis (highest official).
Through inheritance and unprejudiced methods Bo came to control the largest wealth Sweden has ever seen. This lord usurped 1 500 farms in 350 parishes throughout Sweden from Kalmar to Falun through political and economical means. He owned over 1/3 of Sweden and that made him the largest landowner in Sweden, with more land than the king had. He is the largest non-royal landowner ever in Sweden
From the Gripsholm castle he governed the whole valley of Lake Mälaren, Helsingia, all of Finland, large parts of Westrogothia, Eastern Ostrogothia and the Smalandia coast including the city of Kalmar
Bo Jonsson Grip owned a dozen of fortresses, among else Finnish Åbo Slott, Tavastehus and Viborg, Swedish Kalmar Slott and Nyköpings Slott plus those he built himself, Bjärkaholm, Ringstaholm and Gripsholm, the apple of his eye.
As the head of the council he was the most important man in the struggle against the German influence from the king in Sweden.
Bo was married twice, first time with the rich Margareta Porse who died after a short time while she was giving birth. Bo Jonsson let deliver the baby who unfortunately died after one day. Rumours said that he let the surgery happen only because he wanted the inheritance right of his spouse.
The second marriage was with a beautiful German, Margareta Dume, who had many admirers. One of these were Karl Nilsson, a noble from Sudermannia. He was stabbed in front of the high altar in the Church of gray brothers in Stockholm. It was rumoured that Bo Jonsson Grip was guilty, although he had witnesses who swore that he hadn't been near the church. Nine days later however Karl Nilssons estate was in the hands of Bo.
Bo had one child, Knut Bosson Grip
