Helvig of Schleswig (also erroneously Hedwig; 1320–1374) was the
queen of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was a ...
as the spouse of King Valdemar IV. She was the mother of Queen
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I ( da, Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian k ...
.
Life
Helvig was the daughter of
Eric II, Duke of Schleswig
Eric II Valdemarsøn (c. 1290 – 12 March 1325) was Duke of Schleswig from 1312 until his death in 1325. He was the only son of Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig.
Early life
Eric was born c. 1290 as the only legitimate son of Duke Valdemar IV of Sc ...
, and
Adelaide of Holstein-Rendsburg
Adelaide of Holstein-Rendsburg (died January 1350), Countess of Schauenburg, was the daughter of Count Henry I and his wife, Helwig of Bronckhorst. One source gives her birthdate as 1299 in Rendsburg, Rendsburg-Eckernforde, Schleswig-Holstein, Ger ...
, and the sister of Valdemar V, Duke of Schleswig. Her date of birth is not known, but she and her brother were children at the time of her father's death in 1325, and she is estimated to have been born in around the year 1320.
Her brother had contended the Danish throne (as Valdemar III of Denmark) with King
Christopher II of Denmark
Christopher II (; 29 September 1276 – 2 August 1332) was King of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He was a younger son of Eric V. His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in an almost tota ...
, and was the king of Denmark, from 1326 to 1329, under the guardianship of their maternal uncle,
Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg
Gerhard III of Holstein-Rendsburg ( – 1 April 1340), sometimes called Gerhard the Great, and in Denmark also known as ''Count Gert'' or ''den kullede greve'' ("the bald count"), was a German prince from the Schauenburg family who ruled Hol ...
. In the late 1330s, her brother made an alliance with King Christopher's son, Valdemar IV, against his uncle Gerhard, and arranged a marriage between Helvig and Valdemar IV in connection to this. She was to bring the pawned province of
Nørrejylland
Northern Jutland ( da, Nørrejylland) is a historical region in Denmark, defined as Jutland north of the Kongeå (with the region south of the Kongeå called Southern Jutland (''Sønderjylland'')). As with other historical regions of Denmark, Nort ...
, one quarter of the territory of
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
north of the
Kongeå
The Kongeå (in German ''Königs Au'') is a watercourse in Southern Jutland in Jutland, Denmark. It rises southeast of Vejen and Vamdrup and after about it flows through a sluice to tidal mudflats and sandbanks north of Ribe, and eventually into ...
river, as a
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
. The wedding took place at
Sønderborg Castle
(; german: Sonderburg ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 27,766 (1 January 2022),Viborg to be officially greeted as king and queen of Denmark.
There is little information about queen Helvig. She is not mentioned to have been politically active or as having played any personal role in any aspect: she would, for example had been expected to serve as regent during Valdemar's pilgrimage in 1346, but there is no mention that she did. Until the birth of the future
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I ( da, Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian k ...
in 1353, she is noted as living with Valdemar, but after that year, she is no longer documented to be living with him.
A traditional theory was that king Valdemar had queen Helvig repudiated and imprisoned with her household at
Søborg Castle
Søborg Castle ( da, Søborg Slot, ) is a ruined castle south of Gilleleje in North Zealand, Denmark. It was one of the strongest castles in Denmark and was also used as a prison. It was inhabited until the Count's Feud in 1535, when it is specula ...
for adultery. This theory was based on an old
folk song
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...
, which described the love affair between the queen and a knight. This story is not confirmed. Another theory claims, that it was queen Helvig who separated from king Valdemar because of his adultery with his mistress Tove, and that she moved to
Esrum Abbey
Esrum Abbey, also Esrom Abbey ( da, Esrum or ), was the second Cistercian monastery founded in Denmark, located near Hillerød in Region Hovedstaden, on the island of Zealand (Sjælland), on the north side of the Esrum Sø (Lake Esrum) near Es ...
in 1355. None of these theories have ever been confirmed, and the truth of their separation is unknown.
Helvig is confirmed to have lived separate from Valdemar at
Esrum Abbey
Esrum Abbey, also Esrom Abbey ( da, Esrum or ), was the second Cistercian monastery founded in Denmark, located near Hillerød in Region Hovedstaden, on the island of Zealand (Sjælland), on the north side of the Esrum Sø (Lake Esrum) near Es ...
, where she eventually died as a
lay sister
Lay brother is a largely extinct term referring to religious brothers, particularly in the Catholic Church, who focused upon manual service and secular matters, and were distinguished from choir monks or friars in that they did not pray in choir, ...
, noted by the monks as ''famula nostra'' ('our servant'). She was buried in the abbey church, which brought royal gifts of property for the abbey. A year after her death, her spouse died and her daughter became regent of Denmark. In 1377, queen Margaret successfully asked the pope for permission to rebury her mother at Sorø, though this plan was never realized.
Children
Helvig and Valdemar IV had at least six children;
#
Christopher, Duke of Lolland
Christopher ( da, Christoffer Valdemarsen; 1341 – 11 June 1363), Duke of Lolland, was the son of King Valdemar IV of Denmark and his wife, Helvig of Schleswig. Christopher was appointed duke in 1359 and also was selected to succeed as king.
He ...
(1344–1363)
# Margaret (1345–1350); betrothed to
Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg
Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg ( 1337 – 24 April 1383) was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1379 until his death.
Life
Henry was the first son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia of Sweden, the sister of King Magnus IV of Sweden.
...
-Schwerin
#
Ingeborg
Ingeborg is a Germanic feminine given name, mostly used in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, derived from Old Norse ''Ingiborg, Ingibjǫrg'', combining the theonym ''Ing'' with the element ''borg'' "stronghold, protection". Ingebjørg is the No ...
(1347–1370); married
Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg
Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg ( 1337 – 24 April 1383) was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1379 until his death.
Life
Henry was the first son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia of Sweden, the sister of King Magnus IV of Sweden.
...
-Schwerin, and was the maternal grandmother of King Eric VII of Denmark
# Catherine (1349); died young
# Valdemar (1350); died young
#
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I ( da, Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was ruler of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian k ...