Helen of Sweden ( 1190 – 1247, Swedish: ''Helena'') was a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
and daughter of King
Sverker II of Sweden
''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
# ...
. She was the mother of
Queen Catherine of Sweden. She was later
Abbess
An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey.
Description
In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...
of
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 ...
.
Biography
Helen was born in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, the daughter of
King Sverker II and Queen
Benedicta
Benedicta may refer to:
* Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinate (1652–1730), a German princess
* Benedicta Ajudua (born 1980), Nigerian sprinter
* Benedicta Arts Center, a performing arts center
* Caterina Benedicta Grazianini (1685–1715), com ...
. Her father was an exile there at that time. In 1195 or 1196, he was crowned King of Sweden. In 1208, he was deposed, and in 1210, he died in battle.
Helen Sverkersdotter, the only daughter of the deposed king, was educated at
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 ...
at the time of her father's death.
Around 1210, Helen was one of the victims of the
Vreta abductions.
Sune Folkesson was from one of the two dynasties that had been rivals for the Swedish throne since 1130, while Helen was from the other, the
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 ...
. Her relatives disapproved of the proposal of Sune Folkason, the son of an earl who had been among Sverker's opponents in the battle in which he fell. According to
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
, Sune Folkason abducted Helena and took her to the Ymseborg Castle. They married and two daughters survived from their marriage;
Benedicta of Bjelbo and
Catherine Sunesdotter
Catherine Sunesdotter ( sv, Karin Sunadotter or Katarina Sunesdotter), (c. 1215 – 1252) was Queen of Sweden from 1244 to 1250 as the wife of King Eric XI of Sweden. In her later years she served as abbess of Gudhem Abbey in Falbygden.
Heir of ...
.
In 1216, Helen's brother became
King John I of Sweden. When he died childless in 1222, Helen and her daughters became heirs of the Sverker dynasty. In 1243, her daughter,
Catherine Sunesdotter
Catherine Sunesdotter ( sv, Karin Sunadotter or Katarina Sunesdotter), (c. 1215 – 1252) was Queen of Sweden from 1244 to 1250 as the wife of King Eric XI of Sweden. In her later years she served as abbess of Gudhem Abbey in Falbygden.
Heir of ...
(c. 1215 – 1252), was married to
King Eric XI, thus finally uniting the two Swedish dynasties.
Around 1244,
Benedikte Sunadotter, the younger daughter of Sune Folkason and Helena Sverkersdotter, was abducted by Laurens Pedersson, Justiciar of Östergötland while she was being educated at the Vreta convent. Benedikte was soon released and married high noble
Svantepolk Knutsson, Lord of Viby.
References
Other sources
*
* Borænius, Magnus i Klostret i Vreta i Östergötland 1724 & 2003 s. 31
Related reading
*Lars O. Lagerqvist (1982) ''Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år'' (Stockholm: Bonniers Förlag AB)
Helen 1190
1190s births
1247 deaths
Swedish Roman Catholic abbesses
13th-century Swedish nuns
Daughters of kings
{{Sweden-reli-bio-stub