Edele Jernskjæg (died 1512) was a Danish noble, courtier and the

royal mistress A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial title of the extramarital lover of a monarch or an heir apparent, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy, companionship, and advice ...

of King

John I of Denmark John ( Danish, Norwegian and sv, Hans; né ''Johannes'') (2 February 1455 – 20 February 1513) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1481–1513), Norway (1483–1513) and as John II ( sv, Johan II) S ...

. Daughter of the poor noble Mikkel Andersen Jernskjæg and Margrethe Andersdatter af Særslev, she was made

maid of honor Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Traditi ...

of the queen,

Christina of Saxony Christina of Saxony (born Torgau, 25 December 1461 – died Odense, 8 December 1521), was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden as the wife of King John. Life Early life Christina was engaged to John, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, in 14 ...

, in 1496. She followed the queen to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

in 1499, where her affair with the king drew attention. In Sweden, it was noticed that she used the king's personal sleigh, and the political opposition used the relationship between her and the king in their criticism against John's rule. In 1501, she returned to Denmark with the king, while the queen stayed behind. The monarch married her to the noble Torben Bille, who was made the master of the Abrahamstrup (

Jægerspris Jægerspris is a town, with a population of 4,020 (1 January 2022),Vordingborg Vordingborg () is an old ferry town in Vordingborg Municipality in Denmark with around 18,000 inhabitants. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

. The relationship between Edele and king John continued after her marriage, and the monarch visited her regularly at Vordingborg until her death in 1512, shortly before his. She was described as a humorous beauty.

References

1512 deaths Mistresses of Danish royalty Danish ladies-in-waiting 16th-century Danish people Year of birth unknown 16th-century Danish women {{Denmark-bio-stub