Nericia

Nericia, also Nerike or Närke, is a historical Province or landskap in middle Sweden. It borders to Westrogothia, Wermelandia, Westmannia, Sudermannia and Ostrogothia.

Template:Infobox Landskap

County

For current affairs see: Örebro County

The province of Nericia makes up the southern part of Örebro County.

History

Main article: History of Nericia

• The exiled Norwegian King Olaf the Holy, stayed in Nericia for some time, 1028-1029, with Sigtrygg, before departing for Russia and its ruler Yaroslav I the Wise. Olaf may have initiated the Christianization of the province (see also Culture of Nericia).
• In the year 1170, Nericia was incorporated into the diocese of Strängnäs.
• In around 1200 A.D., the Castle of Örebro was built to protect the bridge crossing the ford (öre means "sand bank" and bro means "bridge"), as well as the borough on the south side of the bridge. It was to withstand many sieges, and acquired a reputation for being impregnable.
• In 1316 the future Saint Birgitta of Sweden was married to Ulf Gudmarson, lord of Nericia, to whom she bore eight children, one of whom was afterwards honoured as St Catherine of Sweden.
• In 1435, Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson, the leader of a popular uprising against the German sheriffs, was given the castle of Örebro as a fief. In the following year he was assassinated.
• From 1525 to 1554, it was a fiefdom belonging to Lars Siggesson Sparre. Later in belonged to Duke Charles from 1560 to 1598 and to his son Duke Charles Philip from 1611 to 1622.
• During the 16th and 17th centuries the territory was under a number of fiefs where iron bars were manufactured. As the farming activities gave very little, the iron manufacturing became even more attractive to the farmers, as well as trade with oxen. The oxen were sold in Bergslagen as well as Dalecarlia, where the skin of the oxen were important items in the mines.
• The surplus of oxen was also one of the reasons why the shoe-making business took shape and became a most important industry in Nericia up until the middle of the 20th century.

Nericia was renowned for its warlike peasants and when coat-of-arms for the province was granted for the funeral of King Gustav Vasa in 1560 two crossbow darts was the central symbol - the crossbow being the favourite weapon of the peasants.

In Nericia there are also a number of ancient castles. The most important and best preserved one is located in Tarsta at Sköllersta.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Nericia

Nericia was historically divided into chartered cities and hundreds. A small part also belonged to Bergslagen.

Cities

• Askersund (1643)
• Kumla (1942)
• Örebro (approximately 1200)

Hundreds

• Asker Hundred
• Edsberg Hundred
• Fellingsbro Hundred
• Glanshammar Hundred
• Grimsten Hundred
• Hardemo Hundred
• Kumla Hundred
• Skyllersta Hundred
• Sundbo Hundred
• Örebro Hundred

Fellingsbro Parish that formed a part of Nericia, was in turn divided between Fellingsbro Hundred and Linde and Ramsberg, which was a mountain district (bergslag).

Facts

• Highest mountain: Kilsbergen
• Largest lake: Vättern
• National parks: Garphyttan

Culture

Main article: Culture of Nericia

The name of the province is partly derived from an old name for the people of the province, the Njarar (Njars) or Nerikjar (today Närkingar). The root nari, neri is cognate to English narrow and refers to the narrow inlets that caracterized the geography in the south and the north-east.

Heraldry

Main article: Heraldry of Nericia

Arms granted in 1560, and revised a decade or so later with the current one. The arms is represented with a dukal coronet. At the centre are there are two crossbow darts was - the crossbow being the favourite weapon of the peasants. The reason is that Nericia was renowned for its warlike peasants. Blazon: "Gules between four Roses Argent two Arrows in saltire Or points upward pointed Argent."

Dukes of Nericia

Since 1772, Swedish Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces. This is solely a nominal title.

• Prince Eugén (1865-1947)

External links

de:Närke la:Nericia hu:Närke tartomány sv:Närke