Bridget Haraldsdotter, also Brigida ( sv, Birgitta Haraldsdotter) (c. 1131 – c. 1208) was
Queen of Sweden
The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary ...
as the spouse of King
Magnus II.
Brigida Haraldsdotter was the illegitimate daughter of King
Harald IV of Norway
Harald Gille (Old Norse: ''Haraldr Gilli'' or ''Haraldr Gillikristr'', c. 1102 − 14 December 1136), also known as Harald IV, was king of Norway from 1130 until his death. His byname Gille is probably from Middle Irish ''Gilla CrÃst'' "servant o ...
. Her mother is unknown, but she was possibly Tora Guttormsdotter, long-term lover of her father and the mother of King
Sigurd II of Norway. Her Irish first name was the same as that of her father's Irish mother, Brigida O'Brien (d. 1138). According to legend, she was first married to King
Inge the Younger, but this is not considered possible; likely, her first marriage was to the Swedish Earl Karl Sunesson. She was married to
Magnus Henriksen, son of her stepmother
Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter
Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter ( Old Norse: ''IngirÃðr Rögnvaldsdóttir'') (1100/1110 – after 1161 AD) was born a member of the Swedish royal family, became a member of Danish royalty by marriage and later was Queen consort of Norway as the spouse of ...
and Ingrid's first husband,
Henrik Skadelår
Henrik Skadelår (c. 1090 - 4 June 1134) was a Danish prince, the son of Svend Tronkræver, an illegitimate son of king Sweyn II of Denmark. He was the father of King Magnus II of Sweden. He died in the Battle of Fotevik.
After the murder on his ...
. Her spouse claimed the Swedish throne through his mother in 1160–61. After his death in 1161, she remarried the Swedish ''
jarl
Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...
''
Birger Brosa of Bjelbo. The daughter she had during her marriage to Brosa,
Ingegerd Birgersdotter of Bjelbo, was to be Queen of Sweden in 1200.
In 1174, the Norwegian throne claimant
Øystein Møyla, who claimed to be her nephew, asked for the support of her and her husband, which they also granted. In 1176, the Norwegian throne claimant
Sverre of Norway did the very same thing. He was turned away at first, but in 1177, they advised the
Birkebeiner to acknowledge Sverre as their King and gave him the support of them and of the Swedish King. Bridget's son Filippus would also join Sverre's service. Brosa died in 1202. In 1205, a conflict broke out between her daughter Queen Ingegerd and the Bjelbo family.
The dates of her birth and death are not known, though her daughter's birth year is set at c. 1180. The dates c. 1131–1208 have been suggested. After the death of her second spouse in 1202, she retired to the
Riseberga Nunnery in
Närke, where she died and was buried.
''Brigida Haraldsdatter''
(Store norske leksikon)
Children
* Philippus Birgersson
Philippus may refer to:
* Philippus (cognomen), a name accustomed with the Roman gens ''Marcia''
* Philippus (character), a fictional character in DC Comics
People
* Flavius Philippus, a Roman Empire official under Emperor Constantius II c. 350 ...
(d. 1200), Jarl of Norway in the service of King Sverre of Norway and one of his most staunch supporters.
* Knut Birgersson, Riksjarl of Sweden, jarl
Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...
of Sweden. According to one source, Knut was married to king Knut Eriksson
Canute I (Swedish: ''Knut Eriksson'', Old Norse: ''Knútr EirÃksson''; born before 1150 – died 1195/96) was king of Sweden from 1173 to 1195 (rival king since 1167). He was a son of King Eric the Saint and Queen Christina, who was a granddaugh ...
's daughter, named Sigrid in that source. He was killed in 1208 at the battle of Lena
The Battle of Lena occurred on 31 January 1208, and probably took place near Kungslena, which is located in the Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland, Sweden. It was an important battle between the Danish-backed King Sverker II of Sweden and P ...
(?? Battle of Gestilren 1210???).
* Folke Birgersson
Folke is a parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, approximately south-east of Sherborne. The parish has an area of and is made of the villages of Folke and Alweston, and the hamlet of Bishops Down. ...
, aka Folke jarl
Folke is a parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, approximately south-east of Sherborne. The parish has an area of and is made of the villages of Folke and Alweston, and the hamlet of Bishops Down. ...
, jarl
Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...
of Sweden, killed 1210 at battle of Gestilren
* Ingegerd Birgersdotter of Bjelbo, (ca 1180–1230), Queen of Sweden 1200–1208, married to king Sverker II
''Sverker'' is a studio album by Neo-Medieval group Corvus Corax.
Track listing
# "Intro Gjallarhorni" - 0:58
# "Gjallarhorni" - 2:59
# "Sverker" - 4:31
# "Fiach Dubh" - 6:38
# "Trinkt vom Met" - 0:35
# "The drinking loving dancers" - 5:19
# ...
and mother of king John I of Sweden.
*Kristina Birgersdotter Kristina may refer to:
Places
*the Swedish name of Ristiina, a town in Finland
People
*the Swedish name of Christina of Sweden
* Kristina (born 1987), Slovak singer
*Kristina Adolphson (born 1937), Swedish actress
*Kristina Apgar (born 1985), Amer ...
* Margareta Birgersdotter
Notes
References
*Lars O. Lagerqvist, "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år", (1976) Swedish
* Ã…ke Ohlmarks: ''Alla Sveriges drottningar'' (All the queens of Sweden) Swedish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haraldsdotter, Brigida
1130s births
Bridget
12th-century Norwegian women
12th-century Swedish women
1208 deaths
Year of death unknown
12th-century Norwegian people
12th-century Swedish people
Swedish people of Irish descent