Duke Benedict of Halland and Finland, aka Bengt Algotsson (c 1330 - c 1360) was a medieval Swedish lord. is a historical province (landskap) on the western coast of Sweden. ...

He was born to a family who descended from Svantepolk of Skarsholm and his wife Benedikta Sunadotter. Svantepolk had been the younger son of Canute, Duke of Reval, Laland and Belinge (possibly also Halland), a bastard of Valdemar II of Denmark with Helena Guttormsdatter, daughter of a Swedish earl. Benedikta was the sister-in-law of King Eric XI and daughter of earl Sune Folkason, justiciar of Westrogothia, with his wife Helena Sverkersdotter, herself the daughter of Sverker II of Sweden and his first wife Benedikte Ebbesdotter of the Galen. This made Benedict as one of the noblest blood of Sweden of his time. Svantepolk Knutsson (died 1310), Lord of Skarsholm, was a Scandinavian magnate. ... Canute or Knud Valdemarsen (died 1260) was Duke of Revelia, Blekinge and Laaland, a bastard son of King Valdemar II of Denmark. ... Valdemar II (1170–1241), called Valdemar the Conqueror or Valdemar the Victorious, was the King of Denmark from 1202 until 1241. ... Sverker the younger Karlsson or Sverker den yngre Karlsson in Swedish (born c. ...

His success was due to him being favorite of king Magnus IV of Sweden and Norway. Sigillum ad causas for Magnus II of Sweden Magnus Ericson, Magnus VII of Norway, the fourth Magnus to have been proclaimed king of Sweden (1316 – December 1, 1377), King of Sweden, Norway, and Terra Scania, son of Duke Eric Magnusson of Sweden and Ingeborg, daughter of Haakon V of Norway. ...

His Coat of Arms was a standing lion, wherefore the family has in some later reconstructions called Lejon. This may also mean they were kin with the Folkunge, his line's ancestress belonged to those siblings of Boberg family who were nephews and nieces of Birger jarl. In modern Swedish, Folkung has two meanings, which appear to be opposites: The noble (royal) clan of Folkungar, named Folkungaätten (ätt means clan), who in effect introduced inheritance of the throne during the 12th century. ...

His male-line great-grandfather had been Bengt Magnusson, justiciar of Ostrogothia, according to conclusions of researchers.

Kinship with the royal family (he was at least a distant cousin of Magnus, fourth cousin counted from Danish kings) and with other highest families of the country are presumed as reasons for the young man's exceptionally rapid rise.

From 1352 he is known to had a seat in the kingdom's Privy Council.

Duke Benedict was married with Ingeborg Ulvsdotter of Tofta (sparre), much senior to him, possibly already a widow, daughter of Ulf Abjörnsson, justiciar of Tiohärad, younger half-sister of lord Karl of Tofta, maternal niece of Erengisle, Earl of Orkney, and the aunt of the future Margaret Sparre of Tofta, mother of Charles VIII of Sweden and ancestress of Gustav Vasa. The duke however repudiated his wife sometime in c 1356, which was one of reasons his noble relatives did not protect him and wife's relatives became his enemies, and the duke was driven to exile. Sparre is a Scandinavian surname and can refer to: Aage Jepsen Sparre, Danish priest Christian Sparre, Norwegian politician Desirée Sparre-Enger, Norwegian pop singer Gustaf Sparre, Prime Minister for Justice of Sweden from 1848 to 1856 Various governors of Swedish counties: Axel Sparre, Over-Governor of Stockholm from 1665... Charles of Tofta, a. ... Erengisle Sunesson (died 26 December [1392]]) was an important Swedish magnate in 14th century. ... Charles VIII of Sweden, Charles I of Norway, a. ... Gustav Vasa, originally Gustav Eriksson Vasa (May 12, 1496–September 29, 1560) was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death. ...

In c 1353 the king created him as Duke of Finland and Halland, Halland coming from his descent from Duke Canute of Reval whose male line, held Halland as compensation to Reval and Laland, had gone extinct some fifty years earlier. Previous holders of Halland duchy duing that interval had been king's own father Duke Eric, mother duchess Ingeborg, Ingeborg's second husband Knut Porse as well as king's half-brothers. Duke of Finland (in Finnish Suomen herttua; Swedish hertig av Finland) was an occasional medieval title granted as a tertiogeniture to the relatives of the King of Sweden between the 13th and 16th centuries. ...

Also he was appointed as Viceroy of Skane, the newly-acquired group of provinces mostly Danish. Scania (Skåne) is the southernmost historical Province (landskap) of Sweden. ...

Most probably chief reasons for the king to do those were to stop the spiritual and secular frälse to gain yet more power at royal expense, and Hanseatic power in Nordic commerce. (Also personal relationship was rumored at the time as the reason.) The Viceroy confiscated much of properties of the Archdiocese of Lund upon the death of Archbishop Peder Jensen in 1355. Also Hanseatic privileges were urbed in Skanish ports. The Swedish nobility (Adeln) were historically a legally privileged class in Sweden, part of the so-called frälse (a classification defined by tax exemptions and representation in the diet that also applied to clergy). ...

However, a civil war started quite the same time: leaders of Swedish nobility used king's eldest son Eric as claimant and pressed the favorite's exceptional privileges as an insult to the younger king. In 1356 a revolt started, nominally against duke Benedict, but really to weaken the king and his centralizing grip.

In 1357, Benedict was exiled and Skane as well as several other Swedish and Finnish provinces were given to young king Eric.

Also Duke Benedict's elder brother Lord Knut was exiled, he to Norway with his wife Märta Ulvsdotter, a daughter of St Bridget of Sweden.

Benedict probably lived in Denmark. In c 1360, Benedict returned towards Sweden, but in Rönneholm castle in Skane he was besieged and eventually killed, according to tradition by his brother-in-law Lord Karl Ulvsson and a Magnus Nilsson Röde. Charles of Tofta, a. ...

Duke Benedict died without any children.