Euphemia of Rügen

Euphemia von Rügen , also Eufemia (* around 1280 , † 1312 ) was queen of Norway by marriage . She came from the Princely House of Rügen . She is known in Swedish literary history for the Eufemiavisor , the songs of Eufemia .

Life

Euphemia was a daughter of Prince Wizlaw II of Rügen and Agnes von Braunschweig-Lüneburg , daughter of Duke Otto I. It is widely believed that Euphemia was the daughter of Count Günther von Arnstein- Lindow-Ruppin and thus Wizlaw's granddaughter. This assumption is derived from the Lübeck Detmarchronik, in which it says: “Do wart koning sin broder, herthoge Haquin, de not long before hadde nomen des greven butter van Reppin, de what butter des forsten van Ruyen.” In German biographies no such relationship is mentioned. Wizlaw II referred to her in his will in 1302 as his daughter (".. item domine regine Norwegie filie mee ..").

According to Ernst von Kirchberg's rhyming chronicle , she was initially engaged to Nikolaus the child , Herr zu Rostock . In 1299 she married Duke Håkon Magnusson , who became King of Norway as Håkon V in the autumn of the same year. After the birth of their daughter Ingeborg (1301-1361), Håkon V. changed the Norwegian succession and also granted women the right to the throne .

Agnes, the second child in the marriage, usually referred to as Håkon's illegitimate daughter, was perhaps in reality an illegitimate daughter of Euphemia, according to the theory of the Norwegian scientist Per Holck. As an indication, he cites that Agnes was also the name of Euphemia's mother and did not appear otherwise in Norway at the time. In addition, the suitor was beheaded shortly after the wedding, possibly also burned, which was a degrading method of execution for a nobleman. According to the Swedish Erik chronicle , the marital relationship between Eufemia and Håkon V. should not have been good.

Two skulls recovered from archaeological excavations in the ruins of St. Mary's Church in Oslo in 1868 are most likely the remains of Euphemias and Håkon.

Eufemiavisor

According to tradition, Euphemia had three contemporary poems translated, which she dedicated to her son-in-law, the Duke of Södermanland , Erik Magnusson , who married their daughter Ingeborg in 1312. These were the chivalric novels Yvain ou Le Chevalier au lion by Chrétien de Troyes and Hœrtogh Fredrik ( Duke Friedrich of Normandy ) and the oriental folk epic Floire et Blancheflor . The translations represent the oldest known literature in the ancient Norse language.

literature

• Per Holck:  The Rügen prince Witzlaw II and his grave in Oslo . In: Society for Pomeranian History and Archeology (Hrsg): Baltic studies . New series, Vol. 87, NG Elwert, Marburg 2001, pp. 36–45 ( digital copy ).
• Ingrid Schmidt: The dynasty of the Rügen princes. Hinstorff, Rostock 2009, ISBN 978-3-356-01335-1 , p. 90.
• Marlis Zeus: Queen Eufemia of Norway and Early Scandinavian Literature, from the Runes to the "Eufemiavisor". Helmesverlag, Karlsruhe 2009, ISBN 978-3-940567-11-6 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ursula Scheil: On the genealogy of the local princes of Rügen. In: Publications of the historical commission for Pomerania V , 1, Cologne / Graz 1962, p. 120.
2. ↑ Pommersches Urkundenbuch IV. Stettin 1903, pp. 68–70, no. 2057.
3. ^ Julia Breulmann: narrative structure and court culture. Feminine acting in the European wine fabric arrangements of the 12th to 14th centuries. In: Studies and texts on the Middle Ages and early modern times. 13, ISSN  1617-3953 , Waxmann, Münster 2009, ISBN 978-3-8309-2116-5 , p. 382f ( Google books ).

predecessor	Office	Successor
Isabella Bruce	Queen of Norway 1299-1312	Blanche from Namur