Martha of Denmark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Margaret of Denmark (died 1341) was a Medieavel Swedish Queen known as Queen Martha , in swedish spelled as "Märta".

She was daughter of King Eric V of Denmark and Agnes of Brandenburg and sister of king Eric VI , and was married to King Birger of Sweden in 1298; two years before, her brother had been married to her husband's sister, Princess Ingeborg of Sweden.

Queen Martha was influencial on her husband and participated in all the intrigues of his court. In swedish history, she had a quite bloodthirsty reputation; in the second of her husbands controversy with his brothers the dukes - the king and Queen had during the first one, in 1306 been captured and imprisoned by them, and forced to hand over the real power to them - the royal couple invited the dukes to great festivities, during wich the dukes vere captured and imprisoned, and left to starve to death. The festivitys is described in a famous medieavel song; " Everyone danced all the way from indoors to outdoors, the Queen had never looked so happy before," wich was seen as a cruel sign of excitement (as she was aware of the plans on capturing them in the middle of the festivities) that she and her husband would now get their revenge.

When her husband was deposed in 1318, she fled home to her brother in Denmark, were she spent the rest of her life.

[edit] See also

List of Swedish queens