Sverker the Elder
Sverker the Elder (c. 1100–1156), of non-royal birth, became king of Sweden around 1130 after Stenkil's line ended and founded the House of Sverker, rival of the House of Erik for the next century. In 1142 a Swedish fleet entered the Gulf of Finland, breaking the long peace with Novgorod.
When Sweyn III of Denmark invaded Småland in 1153, Sverker avoided battle until winter and peasant resistance forced the Danes out. On Christmas Day 1156 he was murdered at Alebäck bridge near Alvastra; his son Charles later became king of Sweden.