Margrethe Eriksdatter of Denmark

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Märtas family coat of arms of Denmark

Märta , officially Margaret (actually Margrethe Eriksdatter of Denmark ), (* 1277 ; † March 2 or October 3, 1341 ) was a Danish princess from the Estridsson family and, as the wife of King Birger, Queen of Sweden . She was considered a politically influential queen and was involved with the Håtunaleken and the Nyköpings gästabud in two disputes between her husband and his brothers.

Childhood and youth

Märta was born as the daughter of Erik V. Klipping of Denmark and Agnes of Brandenburg . Her brother Erik was named Erik VI in 1286 . Menved Danish king after the assassination of his father. Since Erik VI. At this time she was only 12 years old, Agnes took power as regent and in 1293 married Gerhard II (1254-1312), Count of Holstein-Plön, as a second marriage .

Märta herself married Birger in 1298; two years later her brother married Princess Ingeborg of Sweden, their sister-in-law. Märta spent a large part of her youth in Sweden, also because the connection with Birger was decided in early childhood and was approved by Pope Martin IV in 1284 . From 1295 at the latest, she lived exclusively in Sweden, where she was raised by her mother-in-law Helvig von Holstein , the sister of her mother's second husband.

queen

Märta, who grew up with Birger, is said to have had a happy marriage with him; this could be one reason for the great influence she could have on him. In 1298 it was decided that the time had come for the formal wedding celebration. This celebration is described as a very magnificent wedding with a procession of knights and theatrical plays by nobles. In addition, Birger gave his brothers the title of duke. She herself asked for the release of prisoners, and she also allocated large areas to the city of Falköping . In 1302 she was crowned.

As an influential queen, Martha participated in many intrigues at the Swedish royal court. A year after the marriage, she gave birth to a son in 1299, who was proclaimed prince to the throne in 1304. Two years later the famous Håtunaleken took place, at which the dukes Erik Magnusson and Waldemar Magnusson - the brothers Birgers - Birger and Märta captured and seized power in the country. The royal couple were able to save their son by sending him to his uncle, the Danish King Erik VI.

In Swedish history Märta is described as bloodthirsty, mainly due to the Erikskrönikan (Erik's Chronicles). In the second part of the arguments between their husband and his brothers, the couple invited the two brothers to a big party and took them prisoner to starve them. The festival is described in a medieval song like this: Everyone danced all the way inside out, the queen never looked so happy before . This was viewed as a cruel token of excitement, as she knew that by capturing the dukes in the middle of the feast, the possibility of revenge would arise. In addition, together with Minister Johann Brunkow, she is seen as the originator of the plan for this action, which went down in history as Nyköpings gästabud .

exile

Margaret and Birger's grave in Ringsted

When Birger was deposed in 1318 and Nyköpingshus Castle was taken, Margrethe fled with her husband to her brother in Denmark. In 1319 she witnessed the death of her brother, in 1320 the murder of her son, and in 1321 she was finally a widow. She arranged the marriages of her daughters and spent the years from 1326 to 1329 in Germany . Her last years she lived as a nun in the St. Peters monastery in Naestved . She was buried together with Birger in the monastery church of Ringsted .

progeny

  • Prince Magnus Birgersson of Sweden (1300-1320)
  • Prince Erik Birgersson of Sweden
  • Princess Agnes Birgersdotter of Sweden
  • Princess Katarina Birgersdotter

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Kr. Erslev: Margrethe, Dronning af Sverige . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537-1814. 1st edition. tape 11 : Maar – Müllner . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1897, p. 122-123 (Danish, runeberg.org ).
  2. ↑ entry. In: Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. (Swedish) Retrieved May 24, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Margrethe Eriksdatter of Denmark
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Marta
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish princess, Swedish queen
DATE OF BIRTH 1277
DATE OF DEATH March 2, 1341 or October 3, 1341