Richeza of Denmark

Richeza of Denmark

Queen consort of Sweden
Tenure	1210–1216

Spouse	Eric X of Sweden
Issue	Sophia Eriksdotter Martha Eriksdotter Ingeborg Eriksdotter Marianna Eriksdotter Eric XI of Sweden
House	House of Estridsen
Father	Valdemar I of Denmark
Mother	Sophia of Minsk
Born	c. 1190/91
Died	1220 Denmark

Richeza on her gravestone (cenotaph)

Richeza of Denmark (Swedish: Rikissa Valdemarsdotter; c. 1180–1220) was a medieval Queen consort of Sweden, spouse of King Eric X and mother of King Eric XI.

Biography

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.

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.

When she arrived at the Swedish coast, the legend says, 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.

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 of Sweden, was elected king there, to succeed Richeza's husband. It was in Denmark where Richeza herself died, without seeing her son's accession to the throne (in 1222), nor her daughters' marriages.

Children

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

References

Åke Ohlmarks: Alla Sveriges drottningar (All the queens of Sweden) (Swedish)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Richeza of Denmark

16. Sweyn II of Denmark

8. Eric I of Denmark

17. One of Sweyn's mistresses

4. Canute Lavard

18. Thrugot Ulfsson Fagerskind

9. Boedil Thurgotsdatter

19. Thorgunna Vagnsdatter

2. Valdemar I of Denmark

20. Vladimir II Monomakh

10. Mstislav I, Grand Prince of Kiev

21. Gytha of Wessex

5. Ingeborg of Kiev

22. Inge I of Sweden

11. Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden

23. Helena

1. Richenza of Denmark

24. Vseslav of Polotsk

12. Gleb Vseslavich, Prince of Minsk and Polotsk

6. Volodar, Prince of Minsk and Hrodno

26. Yaropolk Izyaslavich

13. Anastasia Yaropolkvna of Turov and Lutsk

27. Kunigunde of Meissen

3. Sophia of Minsk

28. Władysław I Herman

14. Bolesław III Wrymouth

29. Judith of Bohemia

7. Richeza of Poland

30. Henry, Count of Berg

15. Salomea of Berg

31. Adelaide of Mochental

Succession

Swedish royalty
Rikissa Valdemarsdotter Born: 1190/1191 Died: 8 May 1220
Preceded by Ingegerd Birgersdotter	Queen consort of Sweden 1210–1216	Succeeded by Helena Pedersdotter

Swedish Royal Consorts

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

* also Queen of Norway ^ also Queen of Denmark