The Folkungs
Three brothers.
One crown.
King Magnus is dead. His eldest son Birger is the new king, but the boys' lives are now in the hands of a powerful regent.
At Nyköping Castle, Birger, Erik, and Valdemar await the arrival of the man who will guide them in the arts of ruling, warfare, and knighthood. Erik's talent and judgment begin to shine. Valdemar admires him. Birger, already burdened by his crown, grows uneasy at the shadow his brothers cast.
The regent's young daughter Kristina also enters the fortress, and with her comes another perspective on a world where marriages are made for dynastic advantage and the decisions of kings can remake entire families.
As the princes become men, differences turn into accusations and alliances stretch across Scandinavian borders. The question is no longer simply who should rule, but what a kingdom must endure when those closest to the throne cannot trust each other.
Folkungs
Decorative rendering — not the publisher's printed cover
The road from childhood to conflict.
A kingdom in mourning
Sweden's young king takes his place after his father's death, with the regency shaping the royal household.
Lessons in power
Birger, Erik, and Valdemar come of age under the weight of expectation, education, and fierce comparison.
Love enters politics
Dynastic marriages and cross-border loyalties make personal choices matters of state.
Brothers become rivals
Suspicion and competing visions for Sweden threaten family and country alike.
The cost of ambitionNot just the battles.
The lives between them.
The novel is historical fiction. It draws on real royal figures, traditions, and events, while imagined conversations and scenes bring the human drama to life. Explore the historical background separately from the novel's storytelling.
History behind the story ↗One kingdom. Three brothers.
Countless loyalties.
Discover the sweeping historical novel inspired by medieval Sweden's royal past.