Ingeborg Eriksdotter ( – 24/26 March 1287) was a Danish princess. She was married to King

Magnus VI of Norway Magnus Haakonsson ( non, Magnús Hákonarson, no, Magnus Håkonsson, label=Modern Norwegian; 1 (or 3) May 1238 – 9 May 1280) was King of Norway (as Magnus VI) from 1263 to 1280 (junior king from 1257). One of his greatest achievements was the m ...

and was Queen consort of Norway. As queen dowager, she played an important part in politics during the minority of her son King

Eirik II of Norway Eric Magnusson (1268 – 15 July 1299) (Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Magnússon''; Norwegian: ''Eirik Magnusson'') was the King of Norway from 1280 until 1299. Background Eirik was the eldest surviving son of King Magnus the Lawmender of Norway, and his ...

in 1280-82.

Biography

Ingeborg was born the daughter of

Eric IV of Denmark Eric IV, also known as Eric Ploughpenny or Eric Plowpenny ( da, Erik Plovpenning), ( – 10 August 1250) was king of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250. His reign was marked by conflict and civil wars against his brothers. Early life E ...

and

Jutta of Saxony Jutta of Saxony (c. 1223 – before 2 February 1267) was Queen of Denmark as the wife of King Eric IV of Denmark. She was the daughter of Albert I, Duke of Saxony. She married king Erik in 1239, and became junior queen consort, since her husband ...

. Ingeborg was only about six years-old when her father was killed. Her mother returned in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

and married Count Burchard VIII of Querfurt-Rosenburg. In large part, Ingeborg and her three sisters lived in the court of her uncle King

Christopher I of Denmark Christopher I ( da, Christoffer I) (1219 – 29 May 1259) was King of Denmark between 1252 and 1259. He was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark by his second wife, Berengaria of Portugal. He succeeded his brothers Eric IV Plovpenning and Abel of D ...

and Queen

Margaret Sambiria Margaret Sambiria (in Danish: ''Margrethe Sambiria'', ''Sambirsdatter'' or ''Margrethe Sprænghest''; c. 1230 – December 1282) was Queen of Denmark by marriage to King Christopher I, and regent during the minority of her son, King Eric V fro ...

. The four sisters were heirs to substantial lands in Denmark. The struggle to claim Ingeborg's inheritance from her murdered father would later involve Norway in intermittent conflicts with

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 ...

for decades to come. Ingeborg was promised in marriage by the Danish regency government to Magnus, the son of King Haakon IV of Norway. Ingeborg arrived in

Tønsberg Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...

on 28 July 1261, after she being retrieved at the instruction of King Haakon from the monastery in

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 61,074 (1 January 2022) and the municipality's population is 94,443 (), making it the 8th largest city in De ...

(''dominikanerkloster ved Horsens''). On 11 September 1261, she married Magnus in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. Magnus and Ingeborg were crowned directly after their marriage, and Magnus was given the district of

Ryfylke Ryfylke is a traditional district in the northeastern part of Rogaland county, Norway. The district is located northeast of the city of Stavanger and east of the city of Haugesund and it encompasses about 60% of the county's area. It includes ...

for his personal upkeep. The marriage was described as happy.''Ingeborg, Dronning af Norge'' (Dansk biografisk Lexikon)
/ref> On 16 December 1263 King Haakon IV of Norway died while fighting the Scottish king over the

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrid ...

, and Magnus became the ruler of Norway. Ingeborg is not known to have played any part in politics as queen. Her two older sons Olaf (1262 – 15 March 1267) and Magnus (b. and d. 1264) died in infancy, but the youngest two would later become Kings of Norway: Eric II (1268 – 13 July 1299) and

Haakon V Haakon V Magnusson (10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319) ( non, Hákon Magnússon; no, Håkon Magnusson, label=Modern Norwegian) was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Biography Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, Kin ...

(ca. 10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319). In 1280, she became a widow. Ingeborg was an important figure in the leadership of the country during the minority of King Eirik, though she was not formally named regent. Her influence grew after her son was declared adult in 1283. Her principal ally was

Alv Erlingsson Alv Erlingsson (''Alv Erlingsson den yngre'', died 1290) was a Norwegian nobleman, earl of Sarpsborg and governor of Borgarsyssel. Alv Erlingsson was born at Tanberg in Norderhov, Buskerud. Alv Erlingsson was the son of Erling Alvsson of Tanbe ...

, who had been a second cousin of her husband King Magnus and served as the governor Borgarsyssel which today makes up the county of

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side o ...

. During the reign of her cousin King

Eric V of Denmark Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, ...

, Ingeborg begun a feud regarding her inheritance, which she had never received. This largely private feud caused hostility between Norway and the German

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...

cities and a tense relationship with Denmark. Several Danish nobles, including Count Jacob of

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...

, took her side against the Danish monarch, but she died before the affair was finished.

References

Other sources

* Koht, Halvdan ''Norske dronningar'' (1926) , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingeborg of Denmark, Queen Of Norway House of Estridsen 1244 births 1287 deaths Norwegian royal consorts Danish princesses Regents of Norway 13th-century women rulers House of Sverre Fairhair dynasty 13th-century Norwegian people 13th-century Norwegian women 13th-century Danish people 13th-century Danish women Daughters of kings Queen mothers