Magnus Ladulås

Before Magnus ascended the throne, it was his older brother Valdemar Birgersson, who held the title of king. Valdemar ended up in conflict with his brothers and allies with Magnus but Magnus and Valdemar also end up in a conflict and Valdemar resigns as king in 1275. Magnus was crowned king on July 22, 1275 in Uppsala Cathedral. The bishops of Sweden accepted Magnus as the new king and on Pentecost 24 May 1276 the coronation took place in Uppsala Cathedral.

Letter of privilege
Magnus' reign has been characterized as "the time for the definitive establishment of the privileged society". To further stabilize the political situation in the kingdom, Magnus chose to affirm privileges and benefits. In 1281, an extensive letter of privilege was issued for the church in connection with the coronation of Queen Helvig in Söderköping. In 1284, Jönköping was a growing trading place as many roads were crossed here. On May 18 of the same year, King Magnus Birgersson Ladulås wrote a letter of privilege which gave the city the right to hold two markets a year. One was held in January and the other in October. Bargaining in the countryside was forbidden because the king wanted to gain control of trade and thus be able to levy taxes and duties. Trade was now only allowed in market towns, and it is after this that it is usually said that Jönköping became a city.

Privacy
Magnus married Helvig of Holstein (died 1324) 11 November 1276, she was the daughter of Count Gerhard I of Holstein and Elisabet of Mecklenburg. Helvig died in 1324 and before that she gave birth to six children for Magnus.

Erik (c. 1277–1279)
Ingeborg (1277 / 1279–1319), married to the Danish king Erik Menved (1274–1319)
Birger (1280 / 1281–1321), King of Sweden, married to Princess Märta, daughter of the Danish King Erik Klipping.
Erik (c. 1282–1318), Duke of Södermanland m.m.
Valdemar (c. 1285–1318), Duke of Finland
Rikissa (1285 / 1287–1348), abbess of St Klara monastery in Stockholm

The youngest daughter Rikissa also became abbess in Klara kloster which father Magnus founded. In addition, she is buried in the same grave as both Magnus and her mother. In the year 1284, Magnus arranged for his son Birger to become heir to the throne and he married the daughter of the Danish king to create an alliance between Sweden and Denmark.

Royal powers
Magnus was king of Sweden 1275–1290. He expelled his brother Valdemar from the throne and established a relatively strong central power. During his reign, both spiritual and secular salvation were regulated as these took solid forms. It also meant that the obligations and rights of the peasants were confirmed. The Finnish landscapes were more closely linked to the Swedish kingdom through the construction work on the permanent castles of Turku Castle and Hämeenlinna.

During his first years as king, Magnus had to try to establish his position and the opportunities for an active foreign policy were limited. At the same time, however, the question of Gotland became relevant. In the late summer of 1284, King Magnus began negotiations with Gotland. The island was tied closer to the Swedish kingdom and the province was required to pay management lame (a kind of tax) in addition to an annual tribute. This would be paid as compensation in the years when the king did not convene the leadership (military). Magnus consolidated the Gotlanders' right to trade with the Karelians on the condition that they did not sell weapons to them

In domestic politics, Magnus continued with his father Birger's work, as he made sure to arrange the relationship between the great men and himself (the king) in Alsnöstadgarna which was added in 1280 and Skänningestadgar in 1284. The great men were not at all happy that King Magnus had some lords from abroad in their immediate circle, because it means that they became without certain benefits and gained less power. Therefore, there was also a revolt that the king quelled by giving benefits and executing the great men who did not want to be in his decision. The statutes stated, among other things, that the great men who served the king with warhorses were exempt from tax on the land they owned.

Magnus made large donations to Swedish monasteries and the church, at the same time as the church also received tax relief. It seemed that the Franciscans were close to Magnus' heart. He was, for example, behind the Gray Brothers Convention which belonged to the Franciscans and Klara Monastery which belonged to the Clarissas which was the female branch of the Franciscans. In addition, Magnus Franciskaner founded the convention in Jönköping, Nyköping, Linköping and Arboga.

The name Ladulås
The nickname "Ladulås", first documented in the 15th century, but is disputed. The interpretation has often been considered to refer to Magnus' introduction of the Alsnö charter. During the Middle Ages, the population had a duty to visit authorities, if, for example, the king and his entourage needed a night shelter and maintenance during a trip through the country, the population had a duty to assist with this. In the Alsnö statute before Magnus Ladulås, a restriction of this obligation to visit, which may have been perceived as figuratively putting a lock on the farmers' barns, so that they were protected from the great men's rape.

Another interpretation is that in 1442 the Franciscans received permission to build a chapel at Uppgränna in Hålaveden, when it was issued in honor of "Holy King Magnus Ladulås". Many of the interpretive attempts are found in the Little Rhyme Chronicle from about 1450: "The common people call me Ladulås, I protected rich and poor all and asked them to put a button on the barn".

Visingsö castle Näs
Magnus inherited the castle on Visingsö from his father but did not spend much time here during his life. He died here and he became the last king of the castle. He died on December 12, 1290 of soot death. After his death in 1290, civil war broke out between his sons and it was in connection with the battles in 1318 that the castle was attacked and destroyed.