Also known as Eric the Survivor (Swedish: "Erik som överlevde") when he became king, he was the only remaining son of King Canute I of Sweden and his queen of an undetermined name, who probably was Cecilia Johansdotter. He was born around 1180 in Eriksberg royal manor.
Eric apparently was not the eldest of them. Due to the influence of the mighty second-of-the-realm, Jarl Birger Brosa, Sverker II, the head of the rival dynasty was chosen as King of Sweden, over the underaged boys. In 1205, the brothers returned to Sweden with Norwegian support, but lost the Battle of Älgarås, where all three of Eric"s brothers were killed.
In 1208 Eric returned to Sweden with Norwegian troops and defeated Sverker in the Battle of Lena.
Eric became thus chosen the king of Sweden. Sverker attempted to reconquer the throne, but was defeated and killed in Battle of Gestilren in 1210.
The banner under which King Eric"s troops fought, was preserved by his kinsman the lawspeaker Eskil Magnusson of the Bjelbo family in Skara, who in 1219 gave it as honorary to his visiting Icelandic colleague Snorre Sturlasson. This was to make up relations with Denmark, which had traditionally supported the Sverker dynasty, against the Norwegian-supported dynasty of Eric.
Eric X was the first Swedish king who was crowned.
He died suddenly of fever in 1216 in the castle of Näs on the island of Visingsö. He was buried in the Varnhem Abbey Church. Skáldatal mentions that Grani Hallbjarnarson was one of Eric"s court skalds.
