Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter

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Queen Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter (Old Norse Ingiríðr Rögnvaldsdóttir) was a Swedish-born royal lady and queen consort of Norway in the 12th century. She played a prominent part in many of the events of the early civil war era in Norway and the early stages of the Swedish civil wars. She was married four times, and left a large number of children, many of whom went on to play a prominent role in Swedish and Norwegian history.

Ingrid Ragnvaldsdotter was born between 1100 and 1110. She was the daughter of Ragnvald Ingesson, only known son and heir of king Inge I of Sweden. Ragnvald, however, died early and never succeeded as king. Who raised Ingrid is not fully known. History has not recorded her mother's name nor background.

We hear of her the first time when she was married with lord Henry Skadelaar, son of Svend Svendsen of Denmark, himself one of the numerous bastard sons of king Sweyn II of Denmark, and unsuccessful pursuer to the throne in the sense that when he was at a point of getting elected, he died. Svend's son Henry was a cripple and not considered for kingship. Instead he was a schemer and plotter, having then plenty of enemies and problems. Three sons of Henry and Ingrid are recorded.

Henry died in 1134 at the battle of Fotevik, and Ingrid soon after married the Norwegian king Harald Gille. By him, Ingrid had a son, the later king Inge Haraldsson of Norway. When king Harald was murdered in 1136, Ingrid played a prominent part in having her son, Inge, and her step-son, Sigurd, proclaimed co-rulers, and in waging the ensuing war against the attempted usurper, Sigurd Slembe. She remained one of the most important advisors of king Inge throughout his reign.

Her third husband was Ottar Birting (Óttarr birtingr), a prominent lendmann, but she was again widowed when he was killed in Nidaros at some point in the 1140s.

Between her third and fourth husband, Ingrid bore a child, Orm, out of wedlock, by an otherwise unknown man called Ivar Sneis.

Ingrid is known to have intrigued for her eldest son Magnus to obtain the Swedish throne, in Ingrid's opinion her late father's rightful inheritance. She has gone to record as having suggested to her son Magnus to employ the man who killed Sverker I of Sweden (source: Lagerqvist).

Ingrid's fourth and last husband was Arne Ivarsson of Stårheim, another prominent lendmann, who was subsequently called Arne Kongsmåg (In-law of the king). In the saga Heimskringla, Ingrid is last mentioned in 1161 when she and her husband followed the newly proclaimed king Magnus Erlingsson and his father, jarl Erling Skakke, into exile in Denmark.

[edit] Notes on name

Ingrid's name can be found in a wide variety of spellings in the modern Scandinavian languages and English. Her first name, in Old Norse Ingiríðr, is rendered as Ingrid or Ingerid. Her patronym, in Old Norse Rögnvaldsdóttir, can be rendered as Ragnvaldsdotter, Ragvaldsdotter or Ragnvaldsdatter.

[edit] Issue

By Henry Sweynson:

• Magnus II of Sweden, who arranged the murder of Saint Eric IX of Sweden, and possibly also Sverker I of Sweden; was himself murdered; and was regarded a usurper afterwards
• Ragnvald jarl - riksjarl of Sweden during his brother's brief reign
• Burits

By Harald Gille (Haraldr gilli):

• King Inge Haraldsson (Ingi Haraldsson)

By Ivar Sneis (Ívarr sneis):

• Orm Kingsbrother (Ormr konungsbróðir) (illegitimate) - a prominent leader during the reign of Magnus V of Norway (Erlingsson), and after Erling Skakke's death next to the king in power.

By Arne Ivarsson of Stårheim (Árni Ívarsson á Stoðreimi), nicknamed Kongsmåg:

• Philip of Herdla (Philippus í Herðlu)
• Bishop Nicholas (Nikolás Árnason) - co-founder of the Bagler party
• Inge Arnesson (Ingi Árnason)
• Margrete Arnesdotter (Margrét Árnadóttir), who became mother of the bagler king Philip Simonsson

[edit] Sources

• Lars O Lagerqvist, Sverige och dess regenter under 1000 år