Benedicta of Bjelbo (Swedish: ''Bengta Sunesdotter''; died 1261) was a Swedish noblewoman and a central figure in the incident known as the
Maiden Abduction from Vreta
The three abductions of maidens from the Vreta convent was a series of events that took place in Sweden in the 13th century. They became legendary and inspired many poems.
Background
The abduction of maidens for wives seems to have been an anc ...
, wherein she, like her mother,
Princess Helen of Sweden before her, and her daughter,
Ingrid Svantepolksdotter Ingrid Svantepolksdotter (floruit 1350), was a Swedish noble and abbess. She is foremost known for being the central figure in one of the famous incidents referred to as the Maiden Abduction from Vreta, where she, like her mother before her, was abd ...
after her, was abducted from
Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey ( sv, Vreta kloster), in operation from the beginning of the 12th century to 1582, was the first nunnery in Sweden, initially Benedictine and later Cistercian, and one of the oldest in Scandinavia. It was located in the present-day m ...
(''Vreta kloster'') by the man she later married. Her abduction was the subject of the folksong "Bridal Abduction of Young Lars" (''Junker Lars klosterrov'').
Biography
Benedicta was the daughter of Princess Helen and Sune Folkesson. She was the sister of
Queen Catherine of Sweden. Benedicta was placed in
Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey ( sv, Vreta kloster), in operation from the beginning of the 12th century to 1582, was the first nunnery in Sweden, initially Benedictine and later Cistercian, and one of the oldest in Scandinavia. It was located in the present-day m ...
for her education. In 1244, she was abducted by Lars Petersson,
Justiciar
Justiciar is the English form of the medieval Latin term ''justiciarius'' or ''justitiarius'' ("man of justice", i.e. judge). During the Middle Ages in England, the Chief Justiciar (later known simply as the Justiciar) was roughly equivalent ...
of
Östergötland
Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...
, with whom she traveled to Norway. One theory is that Lars was a grandson of a king of the
St. Eric dynasty and wished to unite that dynasty with Benedicta's
Sverker dynasty
The House of Sverker were a powerful political force in medieval Sweden, contesting for royal power. Their origins were in Östergötland. After the extinction of the House of Stenkil and the ascension of Sverker I of Sweden in 1130, a civil war ...
. He may also have had designs on the throne. Benedicta lived with Lars in Norway for several years. After his death, she returned to Sweden and married high nobleman
Svantepolk Knutsson, Lord of Viby, with whom she had several daughters, among them
Ingrid
Ingrid may refer to:
* Ingrid (given name)
* Ingrid (record label), and artist collective
* Ingrid Burley, rapper known mononymously as Ingrid
* Tropical Storm Ingrid, various cyclones
* 1026 Ingrid, an asteroid
* InGrid, the grid computing project ...
and a son, Canute, who died childless.
References
Other sources
*Agneta Conradi Mattsson (1998) ''Riseberga kloster, Birger Brosa & Filipssönerna'' (Vetenskapliga skrifter utgivna av Örebro läns museum)
*Dick Harrison (2002) ''Jarlens sekel - En berättelse om 1200-talets Sverige'' (Ordfront, Stockholm)
Related reading
*Mia Korpiola (2009) ''Between Betrothal and Bedding: Marriage Formation in Sweden 1200-1600'' (BRILL)
{{authority control
1261 deaths
13th-century Swedish women
13th-century Swedish nobility
Year of birth missing
House of Bjelbo