Euphemia of Rügen

Euphemia of Rügen
Queen Consort of Norway
Reign	1299–1319
Spouse	Haakon V of Norway
Issue
Ingeborg of Norway
Father	Günther, Count of Arnstein
Mother	NN of Rügen
Born	1270
Died	1319
Burial	St Mary's Church, Oslo

Euphemia Güntersdotter of Rügen (or Euphemia of Arnstein) (1270 – May 1312) was the Queen consort of Norway as the spouse of Haakon V of Norway. She is famous in history as a literary person, and known for her translation of ballads.^[1]

1 Biography
2 Ancestry
3 References
4 Other sources
5 Succession

Biography

Euphemia was born the daughter of Günther, Count of Arnstein, but she grew up at the court of her maternal grandfather Witzlaw II, Prince of Rügen (1240–1302). She married Haakon V of Norway in the spring of 1299. Haakon's brother, King Eric II, subsequently died in July 1299 at which time Haakon became king of Norway. The marriage between Euphemia and Haakon had probably been agreed on at a Danish-Norwegian settlement meeting in the autumn of 1298, where Prince Witzlaw participated as a mediator and guarantee. The couple resided at Akershus Castle in Oslo.

Queen Euphemia was well known for her cultural interests. She loved to read and owned a large collection of books, which was said to have been one of the largest collections in Europe at that time. Queen Euphemia represented the emerging knightly culture. Queen Euphemia, who was eager to cultivate continental culture within the Nordic courts, had translations made of three French and German 1100-century chivalric knight novels in verse and sent copies to the Swedish court. The three ballads were titled Herr Ivan lejonriddaren (1303), Hertig Fredrik av Normandie (1308) and Flores och Blanzeflor (1312). Each poem has a final statement that they were translated by initiative from Queen Euphemia. These became known as the Euphemia ballads (Eufemiavisene) and were popular in both Norway and Sweden.

Her only surviving child was Ingeborg of Norway. In 1312, Ingeborg married Duke Eric Magnusson of Sweden, who was a younger son of King Magnus III of Sweden and the brother of King Birger of Sweden. Their son Magnus Eriksson would succeed both Haakon as king of Norway and Birger as king of Sweden.^[2]

King Haakon and Queen Euphemia were buried in St. Mary's Church in Oslo. Remains of two people, deemed to be Haakon and Euphemia, were discovered during excavations of the ruins of that church and reinterred in the Royal Mausoleum in Akershus Castle.^[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Euphemia of Rügen

2. Günther, Count of Arnstein

1. Euphemia of Rügen

24. Wizlaw I, Prince of Rügen

12. Jaromar II, Prince of Rügen

25. Margareta of Skåne

6. Wizlaw II, Prince of Rügen

26. Swietopelk II, Duke of Pomerania

13. Euphemia of Pomerelia

27. Eufrozyna of Greater Poland

3. NN of Rügen

28. William of Winchester

14. Otto I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

29. Helen of Denmark

7. Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg

30. Albert II, Margrave of Brandenburg

15. Matilda of Brandenburg

31. Matilda of Lusatia

References

Other sources

Thuesen, Nils Petter Norges dronninger gjennom 1000 år (Tiden, 1991)

Succession

Royal titles
Preceded by Isabel Bruce	Queen consort of Norway 1299–1312	Succeeded by Blanche of Namur

Norwegian Royal Consorts

Sonja Haraldsen (1991–present) Maud of Wales (1905–1938) · Sophia of Nassau^ (1872–1905) · Louise of the Netherlands^ (1859–1871) · Josephine of Leuchtenberg^ (1844–1859) · Désirée Clary^ (1818–1844) · Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp^ (1814–1818) · Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel* (1808–1839) · Caroline Matilda of Great Britain* (1766–1775) · Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel* (1752–1766) · Louise of Great Britain* (1746–1751) · Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach* (1730–1746) · Anne Sophie Reventlow* (1721–1730) · Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow* (1699–1721) · Landgravine Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel* (1670–1699) · Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1648–1670) · Anne Catherine of Brandenburg* (1597–1612) · Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow* (1572–1588) · Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg* (1534–1559) · Sophie of Pomerania^ (1523–1533)* · Isabella of Austria^ (1515–1523)* · Christina of Saxony^ (1481–1513)* · Dorothea of Brandenburg^ (1450–1481)* · Catherine of Bjurum^ (1449–1450) · Dorothea of Brandenburg^ (1445–1448)* · Philippa of England^ (1406–1430)* · Margaret I of Denmark^ (1363–1380) · Blanche of Namur^ (1335–1343) · Euphemia of Rügen (1299–1312) · Isabel Bruce (1293–1299) · Margaret of Scotland (1281–1283) · Ingeborg of Denmark (1263–1280) · Rikissa Birgersdotter (1251–1257) · Margrét Skúladóttir (1225–1263) · Christina of Norway (1209–1213) · Margaret of Sweden (1189–1202) · Estrid Bjørnsdotter (1170–1176) · Ragna Nikolasdatter (114?–1157) · Ingrid of Sweden (1134–1136) · Christine of Denmark (1132–1133) · Malmfred of Kiev* (1116–1130) · Blathmin Ní Briain (1103) · Ingebjørg Guttormsdatter (1103–1123) · Margaret Fredkulla* (1101–1103) · Ingerid of Denmark (1067–1093) · Elisiv of Kiev (1045–1066) · Emma of Normandy* (1028–1035) · Astrid of Sweden (1019–1035) · Sigrid the Haughty^ (1000–1014)* · Tyra of Denmark (998–1000) Gunhild of Wenden* · Tove of the Obotrites* (970–986) · Gunnhild, Mother of Kings (931–934) · Gyda of Hordaland (872–930)

*also Queen of Denmark ^also Queen of Sweden

Persondata
Name	Euphemia Of Rugen
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1270
Place of birth
Date of death	1312
Place of death