Birth Of the Kingdom (2010) (56 page)

BOOK: Birth Of the Kingdom (2010)
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No Swedish judge’s son would be chosen for her unless she wanted him. On that her mother and father were agreed without even needing to discuss the matter, since they were both unusual people who believed strongly in love.

Young Birger Magnusson came to say farewell to his grandfather who had taught him everything about war and power. His face was red with weeping at losing within such a short time both his father and grandfather, but there was more talk about the future than about sorrow. Arn made Birger promise never to rule the land from such a remote location as Näs, but to build a new city where Lake Mälaren ran out into the Eastern Sea. That would require most of all the support of the Swedes, and if no one else offered to help, then they could simply call the new kingdom Svea Rige, or Sweden.

Birger swore to do as his grandfather willed, and on his deathbed Arn handed him his sword and told him its secret and what the foreign symbols meant.

A thousand people followed the esteemed marshal to his grave at Varnhem. Only one of them had the right to wear a sword inside the church at the funeral mass, and that was the young Birger Magnusson. For his sword had been blessed, and it was the sword of a Templar knight.

In the cloister church at Varnhem, Birger swore before God to live as he had been taught by his beloved grandfather. He would build the new city and call the kingdom of the three lands by one name: Sverige.

History remembers him by the name of Birger jarl.

About the Author
BIRTH OF THE KINGDOM

Jan Guillou was born in Sweden in January 1944. He made his name as a journalist and rose to fame when he exposed a secret intelligence organization, was convicted of espionage and spent 10 months in prison, 5 of which were spent in solitary confinement. He is now a bestselling novelist and writes regularly for Sweden’s leading tabloid, commenting on current affairs.

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The Crusades Trilogy

THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM

THE TEMPLAR KNIGHT

Copyright

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Harper

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Publishers

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Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

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A Paperback Original 2009

FIRST EDITION

Copyright © Jan Guillou 2009

Jan Guillou asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Translation copyright © Steven T. Murray 2010

First published in Swedish as
Riket vid vägens slut

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EPub Edition © FEBRUARY 2010 ISBN: 978-0-007-35186-2

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