Ragnvald Knaphövde

Ragnvald Knaphövde had been elected king by the Swedes in Uppland and then acknowledged by the East Gothlanders in Östergötland on his Eriksgata, but when he entered Västergötland, he did so without taking Geatish hostages.

[2] In Karleby near Falköping, he was murdered by the Geats who instead had elected the Danish prince Magnus Nielsen as the king.

[2][3] The Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus explained later in the same century that the election of Magnus and the murder of a rightful king of Sweden was part of a Gothic (Geatish) plan to arrogate the right of electing the king from the Swedes: [1] Interea Sueticarum partium rege absumpto, Gothi summam, cuius omne penes Sueones arbitrium erat, Magno deferre ausi, alieni privilegii detrimento dignitatis sibi incrementa quaerebant.

[2] Quorum Sueones auctoritate contempta, veterem gentis suae praerogativam in aliquanto obscurioris populi invidia deponere passi non sunt.

[3] Igitur antiquae dignitatis speciem intuentes, titulum iniusta collatione praereptum novi regis electu cassarunt.

[10] In the regnal list of this law, they ignored the existence of any Magnus, but instead they defended the murder of Ragnvald as follows: Tiundi war Rangwaldær konongær.

[12] The 16th-century Swedish King John III would later have a damaged tombstone replaced for Ragnvald, over a grave at Vreta Abbey.

17th century numismatic pioneer Elias Brenner erroneously ascribed coins to Ragnvald, ^{[

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]} but the coins on the left have been shown to have been minted for King Magnus IV of Sweden ; Brenner's methods are not considered reliable on early medieval Swedish coins. ^{[

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