In the last post, we saw how women were actively involved, and even a driving force, in the change of religion in the North. The question then, is why women were so strongly drawn to…
From Kata in Varnhem, we’ll take a look at other early Christian women who, quite literally engraved their religious beliefs in stone – on runestones and rock carvings. Ingerun placed her hand against the rock…
As we continue the theme of Forgotten Royal Women, we stay in the era of the Kalmar Union. Our last story ended with queen Philippa’s death in 1430. The story of Christine of Saxony begins…
Varnhem, Sweden, ca 1030 The small child is carefully placed in the stone coffin. Kata shivers, and not only because of the cold spring wind. Almost everyone here knows what it feels like to bury…
While Philippa was a competent ruler in Sweden, her husband Erik’s main concern was usually the border conflicts between Denmark and the dukedom Schleswig-Holstein. It was a protracted conflict and in August 1423 Erik traveled…
Philippa, the youngest of six siblings, was born on July 4th 1394, as the daughter of English nobleman and member of the royal family Henry Bolingbroke, and Mary de Bohun. Mary died shortly after the…
Meet Philippa: An English Princess who became a Scandinavian Queen. As a young girl, she saw her father take the crown of England as king Henry IV. At 12 years old, she married Erik, the…
In the last post, we saw the Norwegian princess Ingeborg Håkonsdatter being the leader of the rebellion to free her husband, duke Erik, from his imprisonment. After Erik’s death in 1318, she claimed the Swedish…
In the last post, I wrote about the complicated relationships between Norway, Denmark and Sweden in the early 14th century, where the young Norweigan princess Ingeborg Håkonsdatter found herself in the midst of political turmoil.…
Ingeborg Håkonsdatter (or Ingebjørg) was a Norwegian princess, born in 1301. She was the only child of king Håkon V (Magnusson) and queen Eufemia of Rügen. She would play a vital role in Nordic history…