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Eric IX of Sweden
12th-century Swedish King and Saint
Feast: 18 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
At Uppsala in Sweden, Saint Eric IX, king and martyr, who during his reign spared no effort to govern the people wisely and to protect the rights of women; he sent the bishop Saint Henry to Finland to spread the faith of Christ there and, finally, attacked while taking part in the celebration of Mass, fell stabbed at the hands of his enemies.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 18 May as a king of Sweden who governed wisely, sent Saint Henry to Finland and was stabbed to death at Mass.
- Roman Martyrology, 18 May (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q310152 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Saint Erik (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.