Ragnvald Knaphövde Totally Explained

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Ragnvald Knaphövde was a King of Sweden whose reign is estimated to the mid-1120s or c. 1130. His cognomen Knaphövde is explained as referring to a drinking vessel, the size of a man's head
   However, the king of Sweden was dead and in spite of the fact that it was the privilege of the Swedes to elect a new king, the Geats arrogated this dignity by putting aside the right of others and ventured to give the kingship to Magnus. The Swedes didn't want to allow the Geats any kind of right in this respect and considered it improper that a lesser nation should claim a right that had belonged to the Swedes since time immemorial, and as they claimed their old rights, they declared the election of Magnus invalid, because the Geats had no right to elect king, and elected a new one. This new king was soon killed by the Geats and at his death the dominions passed to Magnus.
In the following century, in the Westrogothic law, the Geats would acknowledge that it was the Swedes who were entitled to elect and depose the king. In the regnal list of this law, they ignored the existence of any Magnus the Strong, but instead they defended the murder of Ragnvald as follows:
Tiundi war Rangwaldær konongær. baldær oc huxstor. reð .a. karllæpitt at vgislædhu. oc fore þa sæwirðnigh han giorðhe allum wæstgötom. þa fek han skiæmðær döðhæ. styrðhi þa goðhær laghmaðþær. wæstrægötllandi. oc lanz höffhengiær. oc waru þa allir tryggir landi sinu.
   'The tenth (Christian king) was Ragnvald king, bold and proud. He rode to Karleby without hostage, and for the disrespect that he showed all the West Geats, he was given a death in shame. Then good lawspeakers and chieftains ruled Västergötland. And everyone was safe in their country.'
Thus, the Geats explained the murder of Ragnvald as vengeance for his arrogant attitude towards them. After the death of Magnus the Strong, the king of Västergötland, the region was ruled by jarls, probably under the nominal supremacy of Danish kings during a few decades until the Swedish king Sverker the Elder and after him the Swedish king Erik Jedvardsson were accepted there.
   The 16th century Swedish king John III would later raise a tombstone for Ragnvald over a grave at Vreta, but this grave is probably that of Ragnvald's predecessor king Inge the Younger.

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