Richeza of Denmark

Queen consort of Sweden

Richeza of Denmark

17th century depiction of Richeza on Erik Knutsson's gravestone in Varnhem Abbey[1]

Queen consort of Sweden
Tenure| 1210–1216

Died| 1220
Denmark
Spouse| Eric X of Sweden
Issue| Sophia Eriksdotter
Martha Eriksdotter
Ingeborg Eriksdotter
Marianna Eriksdotter
Eric XI of Sweden
House| Estridsen
Father| Valdemar I of Denmark
Mother| Sophia of Minsk

Richeza of Denmark (Swedish: Rikissa Valdemarsdotter; died 8 May 1220) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Eric X, and the mother of King Eric XI.

## Early life

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Richeza was a daughter of Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophia of Minsk. She received her first name, originally a Lotharingian-Burgundian female name, in honor of her maternal grandmother, the late Richeza of Poland.[2] In c. 1210 the new king Eric X of Sweden, who had deposed his predecessor Sverker II, desired to build cordial and peaceful relations with Denmark, which had traditionally supported the House of Sverker, against the Norwegian-supported dynasty of Eric. That was why Richeza, sister of the then reigning Valdemar II of Denmark, was married to Eric.

## Queenship

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When she arrived at the Swedish coast, according to a later folk song, she expressed her surprise that she was expected to ride and not travel by carriage, as she had been used to in her birth country, and the Swedish noblewomen and ladies-in-waiting had encouraged her to adapt the customs of her new home country instead of trying to establish her own "Jutian" customs.[3]

Queen Richeza bore exclusively daughters as long as her spouse was alive. King Eric died in 1216. Dowager Queen Richeza was pregnant at the time and then gave birth to her only surviving son, the future Eric XI of Sweden, after the death of her spouse. The family of King Eric X, however, was driven to exile from Sweden as the House of Sverker heir, John I, was elected king there, to succeed Richeza's husband. It was in Denmark that Richeza herself died, without seeing her son's accession to the throne (in 1222), nor her daughters' marriages. She was buried in Ringsted. While nothing is concretely known about her person, the occurrence of the name Rikissa (Richeza) among her descendants may indicate that she was well-liked.[2]

## Children

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* Sophia Eriksdotter (died 1241), married Henry III of Rostock
* (allegedly) Martha Eriksdotter married the Marshal Nils Sixtensson (Sparre)
* Ingeborg Eriksdotter (died 1254), married to Birger Jarl, regent of Sweden
* (possibly) Marianna Eriksdotter, who married a duke Barnim I of Pomerania
* Eric XI of Sweden (1216–1250)

## References

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1. ^ Lagerqvist, Lars O. (1982). Sverige och dess regenter under 1000 år (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. p. 64\. ISBN 978-91-0-075007-7.
2. ^ a b Hans Gillingstam. "Rikissa", Svenskt biografiskt lexikon, https://sok.riksarkivet.se/SBL/Presentation.aspx?id=6755
3. ^ A.M. Strinnholm, Svenska folkets historia, Vol. IV. Stockholm: Hörbergska, 1852, pp. 241-2.

## Further reading

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* Åke Ohlmarks: Alla Sveriges drottningar (All the queens of Sweden). Stockholm: Gebers, 1973.

Rikissa Valdemarsdotter

Born: 1190/1191 Died: 8 May 1220

Swedish royalty
Vacant

Title last held by

Ingegerd Birgersdotter |  Queen consort of Sweden
1210–1216  | Vacant

Title next held by

Helena Pedersdotter

* v
* t
* e

Swedish royal consorts

* Sigrid the Haughty/Świętosława*^ (late 10th century)
* Aud Haakonsdottir of Lade (990s–995)
* Estrid of the Obotrites (1000–1022)
* Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir^ (1022–1050)
* Astrid Njalsdotter (1050–1060)
* Helena (1079–1084)
* Blotstulka (1084–1087)
* Helena (1088–1105)
* Ingegerd of Norway^ (1105–1118)
* Ragnhild Halstensdotter (1105–1117)
* Ulvhild Håkansdotter^ (1117–1125)
* Richeza of Poland (1127–1130)
* Ulvhild Håkansdotter^ (1134–1148)
* Richeza of Poland (1148–1156)
* Christina Björnsdatter (1156–1160)
* Brigida Haraldsdotter (1160–1161)
* Christina Stigsdatter (1163/1164–1167)
* Cecilia Johansdotter (1167–1190)
* Benedicta Ebbesdotter (1196–1199/1200)
* Ingegerd Birgersdotter (1200–1208)
* Richeza of Denmark (1210–1216)
* Helena Pedersdatter Strange (1229–1234)
* Catherine Sunesdotter (1243/1244–1250)
* Sophia Eriksdotter (1260–1275)
* Helvig of Holstein (1276–1290)
* Märta Eriksdotter (1298–1318)
* Blanche of Namur (1335–1363)
* Beatrice of Bavaria (1356–1359)
* Margareta Valdemarsdotter* (1363–1364)
* Richardis of Schwerin (1365–1377)
* Philippa of England*^ (1406–1430)
* Dorothea of Brandenburg*^ (1445–1448)
* Karin Karlsdotter (1448)
* Merete Lydekedatter (1448)
* Catherine Karlsdotter (1448–1450)
* Dorothea of Brandenburg*^ (1457–1464)
* Elin Gustavsdotter (1466–1467)
* Christina Abrahamsdotter (1470)
* Ingeborg Tott (1470–1497)
* Christina of Saxony*^ (1497–1501)
* Ingeborg Tott (1501–1503)
* Mette Dyre (1504–1512)
* Christina Gyllenstierna (1512–1520)
* Isabella of Austria*^ (1520–1521)
* Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1531–1533)
* Margaret Leijonhufvud (1536–1551)
* Catherine Stenbock (1552–1560)
* Karin Månsdotter (1567–1568)
* Catherine Jagiellon (1568–1583)
* Gunilla Bielke (1585–1592)
* Anne of Austria (1592–1598)
* Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (1599/1604–1611)
* Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg (1620–1632)
* Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (1654–1660)
* Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark (1680–1693)
* Frederick of Hesse-Kassel (1718/1719–1720)
* Ulrika Eleonora (1720–1741)
* Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (1751–1771)
* Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (1771–1792)
* Frederica of Baden (1797–1809)
* Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp* (1809–1818)
* Désirée Clary* (1818–1844)
* Josephine of Leuchtenberg* (1844–1859)
* Louise of the Netherlands* (1859–1871)
* Sophia of Nassau* (1872–1907)
* Victoria of Baden (1907–1930)
* Louise Mountbatten (1950–1965)
* Silvia Sommerlath (1976–present)

* * also Queen of Norway
* ^ also Queen of Denmark

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