Maria Haraldsdotter (died 25 September 1066) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

princess, as the daughter of

Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' (; modern no, Hardråde, roughly translated as "stern counsel" or "hard ruler") in the sagas, was King of Norway from 1046 t ...

and

Elisiv of Kiev Elisiv of Kiev (Norwegian: ''Ellisif'' or ''Elisiv''; russian: Елизавета Ярославна; uk, Єлизавета Ярославна; 1025 – c. 1067) was a Princess of Kiev and Queen Consort of King Harald III of Norway. Biography ...

. She is the first known Norwegian to have been named Maria. According to ''

Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...

'', Maria, together with her sister

Ingegerd Ingegerd (Old Norse ''Ingigerðr, Ingigærðr'') is a Scandinavian feminine given name, from the theonym ''Ing'' combined with the element ''garðr '' "enclosure, protection". The name Inger is a short form. In Finnish the equivalence of Ingegerd ...

and mother, went with Harald on his expedition to Britain in 1066. Maria, Ingegerd and Elisiv were however left behind at

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, where Harald gathered reinforcements. By the

Battle of Stamford Bridge The Battle of Stamford Bridge ( ang, Gefeoht æt Stanfordbrycge) took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, on 25 September 1066, between an English army under King Harold Godwinson and an invading N ...

, in which Harald was killed, Harald had promised Maria away for marriage to

Eystein Orre Eystein Orre (Old Norse: ''Eysteinn Orri''; died 25 September 1066) was a Norwegian noble who was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Eystein was betrothed to King Harald's daughter by Elisiv of Kiev, Maria Haraldsdotter, Maria and acc ...

(brother of Harald's concubine or second wife

Tora Torbergsdatter Tora Torbergsdatter ( non, Þóra Þorbergsdóttir, born 1025 – year of death unknown: fl. 1066) was a Norwegian royal consort. She was the mother of two kings of Norway. It is possible, but unconfirmed, that she was also queen of Denmark or Swe ...

), who also died at Stamford Bridge. When Harald's son

Olaf Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" a ...

and the rest of his fleet arrived back in Orkney, they learned that Maria had suddenly died on the same day that her father had died in battle.Sturluson, p. 17

References

Bibliography

* 1066 deaths 11th-century Norwegian women Year of birth unknown Norwegian princesses Fairhair dynasty Daughters of kings {{Europe-royal-stub