Hertigar i läder och siden: Resultaten från en undersökning av tillvarataget material ur Erik och Valdemar Magnussons grav i Uppsala domkyrka

Abstract

In this article, a collection of textile fragments kept in the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm is presented for the first time. The objects were found in 1906 in a partially emptied medieval grave close to the main altar in Uppsala Cathedral. Judging from the written sources, this grave originally contained the remains of the dukes Erik and Valdemar Magnusson who died imprisoned at Nyköpingshus Castle in 1318. A donation to their tomb is mentioned in a document from the 1320s. In 1729, the grave was rediscovered and obviously emptied of some of its contents. The material kept in the Swedish History Museum consists of pieces of leather, satin, silk and wool along with several fragments of wood and metal. These objects had apparently been put back into the grave after it was examined in 1729. In 2022 some of the textile and leather fragments were carbon-14 dated to the early 14th century. This time fixing supports the idea that they originate from the ducal grave. The leather was most likely used as a cover for the coffins, while some of the satin pieces may have formed a part of one or two burial cushions that were also decorated with silk tassels. Unfortunately, not enough material is preserved to determine whether the dukes’ corpses were covered with winding sheets or if they wore clothes and shoes. Despite this, the collection of fragments at the Swedish History Museum provides valuable information about the royal burial customs in early 14th century Sweden. Especially the satin cushions with silk tassels may be seen as a significant addition to our knowledge of high medieval material culture.