Margaret of Sweden ( Norwegian: ''Margrete Eriksdotter''; c. 1155 – 1209) was Queen of Norway as the spouse of King Sverre of Norway.

Biography

Margaret was the daughter of King

Eric IX of Sweden Eric IX, (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Erik Jedvardsson; Erik den helige; Sankt Erik''; d. 18 May 1160) also called Eric the Holy, Saint Eric, and Eric the Lawgiver, was a Swedish king in the 12th century, 1156–1160. The ''Roman Martyrology'' ...

and his

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

Queen Christina. In 1189, she married the Norwegian King

Sverre Sverre, Sverrir or Sverri is a Nordic name from the Old Norse ''Sverrir'', meaning "wild, swinging, spinning". It is a common name in Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands; it is less common in Denmark and Sweden. It can also be a surname. Sverre ma ...

. She is only sporadically mentioned in history during her tenure as queen; primarily in connection with an attempt by

Nikolas Arnesson Nicholas Arnesson (old Norse language, Old Norse: ''Nikolás Árnason'') (ca. 1150 – 7 November 1225) was a Norwegian bishop and nobleman during the Civil war era in Norway, Norwegian civil war era. He was a leader in the opposition against King S ...

to become Bishop of Stavanger. In the sagas, Queen Margaret is portrayed as suspect and intrigant She became a widow in 1202, returned to her native Sweden, and retired to her estates in Västergötland and Värmland. Departing Norway, she had to leave her daughter

Kristina Sverresdotter Christina Sverresdatter (Norwegian: ''Kristin Sverresdatter''; died 1213) was a medieval Norwegian princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, ...

behind against her will. She spent two years in Sweden and returned to Norway in 1204. On 1 January 1204, two days after she had returned to Norway, her stepson, King

Haakon III of Norway Haakon Sverresson (Norwegian: ''Håkon Sverresson'', Old Norse: ''Hákon Sverrisson''; c. 1183 – 1 January 1204) was King of Norway (being Haakon III) from 1202 to 1204. Biography Haakon was born as the second illegitimate son of the future King ...

, died with obvious symptoms of

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

ing. Margaret became a suspect of the crime, and one of her servants tried to prove her innocence in a trial by ordeal which failed. The servant was drowned and Margareta fled back to Sweden. Margaret returned to Norway in 1209 for her daughter's wedding. Her daughter married co-regent Filip Simonsson, the Bagler party candidate to the throne of Norway. Margaret took part in the wedding. Immediately after the wedding she became ill, and died a few weeks later.''Margrete Eriksdotter – utdypning'' (Store norske leksikon)
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In popular culture

Lia Boysen Lia Marika Boysen (born 6 April 1966) is a Swedish actress. She has been married to Anders Ekborg and they have two daughters. In 2006 she received a Guldbagge Award for her role in the film ''Sök''. She has also narrated audiobooks, among them ...

portrays a fictionalized Margaret in the 2016 film

The Last King ''The Last King'' ( no, Birkebeinerne) is a 2016 Norwegian historical drama, directed by Nils Gaup. The story, inspired by true events, centers on the efforts of the Birkebeiner loyalists to protect the infant, Haakon Haakonsson, the heir to t ...

. Margaret is portrayed as having an affair with a fictional

Bagler The Bagli Party or Bagler (Old Norse: ''Baglarr'', Norwegian Bokmål: ''Bagler'', Norwegian Nynorsk: ''Baglar'') was a faction or party during the Norwegian Civil Wars. The Bagler faction was made up principally of the Norwegian aristocracy, clerg ...

aristocrat and poisons Haakon in a conspiracy to become queen again.

References

Other sources

*Magerøy, H. ''Soga om birkebeinar og baglar'' (1988) * Imsen, Steinar ''Våre dronninger: fra Ragnhild Eriksdatter til Sonja'' (Oslo: 1991) * Koht, Halvdan ''Norske dronningar'' (in "The Old Norse Sagas", 1931) {{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Of Sweden, Queen Of Norway 1150s births 1209 deaths Margaret 1150 Norwegian royal consorts House of Sverre Fairhair dynasty House of Eric 12th-century Swedish people 12th-century Norwegian people 13th-century Swedish people 13th-century Norwegian people 12th-century Swedish women 12th-century Norwegian women 13th-century Swedish women 13th-century Norwegian women Daughters of kings