Margareta Fredkulla Ingesdotter (abt. 1080 - bef. 1130)

Born about 1080 in Sweden

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 1130 before about age 50 in Roskilde, Roskilde, Denmark

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Biografi

Dotter till kung Inge den äldre och drottning Helena av Sverige. Förmodligen är hon den första personen i Sveriges historia som burit namnet Margareta. Hennes föräldrar var djupt kristna och deras döttrar skall ha fått namn efter kristna helgon, hennes systrar var tex Kristina och Katarina.

Hon var förmodligen född på 1080-talet och uppskattas ha dött före 1130, SBL anger "enl obestyrkt uppg (Annales Danici) 1117, möjl senare, dock senast 1130".^[1]

Tillnamnet Fredkulla skall hon ha fått eftersom hon blivit "en del av en fredsöverenskommelsen" år 1101. Kung Inge d.ä. hade legat i krig med kung Magnus Barfot av Norge, som gjorde anspråk på stora delar av Dalsland. Då de båda slöt fred i närheten av Kungahälla, beseglades freden med att Magnus gifte sig med Margareta, och hon fick då de omtvistade landområdena som hemgift.

Magnus Barfot Olavsson (son til Olaf Kyrre) var alltså hennes förste make. Han föll i strid i Ulster på Irland 1103-08-24, bara ett par år efter bröllopet och de skall inte ha haft några gemensamma barn. Magnus hade dock ett antal barn utanför äktenskapet.

Hennes andra make blev nye kungen av Danmark, Niels/Nikolas, son till Svend Estridson, och de skall ha gift sig ca 1104-1105. Åtminstone två barn skall de ha fått, sönerna Inge och Magnus. Inge sägs i unga år bli ihjältrampad av en häst så det var bara Magnus som gjorde avtryck i historien.

Margareta är den enda danska drottning från äldre medeltid, vars namn förekommer på mynt tillsammans med makens. Troligen kan det vara så att hon var med och styrde Danmark under hennes tid som drottning.

Enligt Saxo skall Margareta ha dött i vattusot. Enligt den endast i sena avskrifter kända s.k. "yngre Næstvedårboken" dog hon 1117.

Lunds domkyrkas nekrologium, som nämner, att hon till denna domkyrka donerade en kalk, prydd med bärnsten och ädelstenar, anger 4 nov som M:s dödsdatum.

Biography

Margrete Ingesdotter was a member of the aristocracy in Europe.

Queen. Parents: King Inge Stenkilsson of Sweden (died 1112) and queen Helena. Married 1) in 1101 with King Magnus Olafson III "Barefoot" (1073-1103); 2) shortly after 1104 by King Niels Svendsen of Denmark (ca. 1063-1134), son of King Svend Estridsen (ca. 1020-1076). cousin to Queen Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter (ca. 1105-ca. 1170); Aunt Queen Malmfrid (about 1100-ca. 1140).

Margrete was Norwegian Queen for just two years, and she and King Magnus had no children together. The stage was therefore not possible for her to play any significant role in Norwegian history. But, as Danish queen for a quarter century, she had a central position within the Danish Royal Family and within the larger network as the northern European royal and princely houses accounted for. This position she seems to have exploited as a political bridge builder in a troubled time.

Margrete Norwegian marriage was part of the peace her father in 1101 joined with Magnus Barefoot after the latter had attacked Sweden last year. It was a purely political marriage. This mark also contemporaries themselves and gave Margrete nicknamed "fredkulla" (by sv. Kulla, 'girl, woman'). But Margrete became pledge of peace between the two kings not only through the union. It was part of the agreement that her dowry was to consist of Dalsland, which Magnus had claimed and that King Inge had not wanted to retain, a claim that was the cause of the war. Since marriage remained childless, the possibility that Dalsland should stay with Norway as a result of the agreement from 1101 ended with Magnus' death.

After Magnus' death Margaret did not stay in Norway, but seems instead to have left the country the country in a huge hurry. It has been speculated over whether she wanted to take advantage of her status as the daughter of the King and Queen, but more likely is that the father Inge had more than a hand in the game when she in 1105, she married King Niels of Denmark. Niels was made king in 1104, but he was described as a passive monarch who lacked the capacity to rule and who left the affairs of the state to his queen. With his blessing, Margaret became the de facto Queen regnant of Denmark. She is described as a wise ruler, and the relationship between Denmark and her birth country Sweden was very peaceful during her time as queen. It was said that: Styrelsen beroede for størstedelen paa den ædle dronning Margrete, saa at fremmede sagde, at Danmarks styrelse laa i kvindehaand ("The rule was so much dependant on the noble Queen Margaret, that foreigners remarked that the rule of Denmark lay in a woman's hand"). She minted her own coins, something unique for a queen consort of this time. The Danish coins printed during this period bears the inscription: Margareta-Nicalas ("Margaret-Niels").

Notes

• One of Margrete sisters, Kristina, was married to the Russian prince Mstislav. They had daughter Malmfrid, who married the Norwegian king Sigurd the Crusader - son of Magnus Barefoot. It is likely that Margrete was also active in connection with this marriage. Around 1200 highlighted historian Saxo in its danmarkskrønike Margrete piety and especially her generosity towards the church. But otherwise it is not possible to form a more vivid picture of her personality.
• She was often referred to as Margaret Fredkulla (Margaret the Maiden of Peace) Fredkulla is not a first name, but means "maiden"

Sources

1. ↑ Margareta, https://sok.riksarkivet.se/sbl/artikel/9095, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Hans Gillingstam), hämtad 2020-11-18.

• HKR. ??
• NFH, Vol. 2, 1855 ??
• H. Koht: biography in NBL1, Vol. 9, 1940
• AE Christensen: biography in DBL3, Vol. 9, 1981

See also:

• https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margareta_Fredkulla
• https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margret_Fredkolla
• https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margrete_Fredkulla
• http://www.wadbring.com/historia/undersidor/fredkulla.htm