Matilda of Holstein or Mechthild (1220 or 1225 – 1288 in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

) was a Danish queen consort, married to King

Abel of Denmark Abel Valdemarsen (1218 – 29 June 1252) was Duke of Schleswig from 1232 to 1252 and King of Denmark from 1250 until his death in 1252. He was the son of Valdemar II by his second wife, Berengaria of Portugal, and brother to kings Eric IV and Chr ...

and later to

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, w ...

, Regent of Sweden.

Life

Matilda was the daughter of Adolf IV, Count of Holstein, and Heilwig of Lippe. On 25 April 1237 she was married to

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

. The marriage was arranged to form a tie between Holstein and Sønderjylland. In 1239, Abel became the guardian of her minor brothers. When Abel became king in 1250, she was crowned with him in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

on 1 November. When Abel died in 1252, he was succeeded by his brother rather than her son Valdemar, who was imprisoned at Cologne at the time, and she was forced to leave

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 ...

and enter a convent. She managed to get her son Valdemar released from the captivity of the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

and fought for the inheritance of her children in the

Duchy of Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ( ...

. In 1253, she secured the Duchy of Sønderjylland for her son Valdemar. In 1260, her son Valdemar died, and she secured the Duchy for her next son, Erik. The same year, however, she pawned the areas Eider and

Schlei The Schlei (; da, Slien, also ''Slesvig Fjord''e.g. in: Adolph Frederik Bergsøe: ''Den danske stats statistik'', Kjøbenhavn 1844, p. 156) (more often referred to in English as the Sly Firth) is a narrow inlet of the Baltic Sea in Schleswig-H ...

in southern Denmark to her brothers. She made a pact with

Jacob Erlandsen Jakob Erlandsen (died 18 February 1274) was a Danish Archbishop of Lund (1254–1274) and the central character of the first great church conflict in Denmark. History Belonging to a wealthy magnate family ( Galen clan) that was related to Ar ...

archbishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Danish Reformation the centre of a great Latin (arch)bishopric, Lund has been in Sweden since the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The Diocese of Lund is now one of thirteen in the Church of Sweden. Cathol ...

, and then broke her vows from the convent by marrying the Swedish regent

in 1261. Birger had been one of her late husband Abel's major antagonists who had started up a military vendetta against him which was only stopped by Abel's death. After Birger's death in 1266, Matilda moved to

, yet her own grave is with Birger's in

Varnhem Varnhem is a locality situated in Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 707 inhabitants in 2010. Varnhem is the location of the oldest known stone church in Sweden outside of Scania, erected in the 1040s at the latest. It is ...

, Sweden. In 1288, shortly before her death, she gave up Eider and Schlei to her brothers. She was unpopular in Denmark, where she was called the "daughter of the Devil" and accused of destroying letters from the Pope and emperor to King Valdemar II.Dansk Biografisk Leksikon

Issue

Queen Matilda bore her first husband three sons and a daughter: *

Valdemar III Valdemar III (1314–1364) was King of Denmark from 1326 to 1329, while he was underage; he was also Duke of Schleswig as Valdemar V in 1325–26 and from 1330 to 1364. He was a rival king set up against the unsuccessful Christopher II and was w ...

(1238–1257);

Duke of Schleswig The following is a list of earl, jarls and dukes, who ruled over Schleswig respectively Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland). First jarls/dukes Houses of House of Estridsen, Estridsen and House of Schauenburg, Schauenburg (1080–1460) House of ...

1254–1257 *Sophie (born 1240, date of death unknown) * Eric I (c. 1241 – 27 May 1272);

1260–1272 *

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...

(1252–1279)

References

* ''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon'', volume 11, pp. 205–206, Copenhagen 1897 *''

Annales Stadenses Albert of Stade (c. 1187 – c. 1260) was a German monk, historian and poet. Albert probably studied in the school of Bremen Cathedral. He joined the Benedictine Order and entered the monastery of Harsefeld near Stade. He rose to become prior ...

'' 1237–1241, MGH SS XVI, sida 363–367 {{DEFAULTSORT:Matilda of Holstein 1220s births 1288 deaths Danish royal consorts House of Schauenburg House of Bjelbo House of Estridsen Burials at Varnhem Abbey 13th-century German nobility 13th-century Danish nobility 13th-century Swedish nobility 13th-century German women 13th-century Swedish women 13th-century Danish women Remarried royal consorts