Margaret I of Denmark

For other people with the same name, see Margaret of Denmark (disambiguation).

Margaret I
1423 effigy on Margaret's tomb
in Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark
Queen of Denmark
Reign10 August 1387 – 28 October 1412
(also regent for her co-sovereign Eric)
PredecessorOlaf II
SuccessorEric of Pomerania (as sole sovereign)
Co-sovereignEric of Pomerania (from 1396)
Queen of Norway
Reign2 February 1388 – 28 October 1412
(also regent for her co-sovereign Eric)
PredecessorOlaf IV
SuccessorEric of Pomerania (as sole sovereign)
Co-sovereignEric of Pomerania (from 1389)
Queen of Sweden
Reign24 February 1389 – 28 October 1412
(also regent for her co-sovereign Eric)
PredecessorAlbert
SuccessorEric of Pomerania (as sole sovereign)
Co-sovereignEric of Pomerania (from 1396)
Regent of Denmark
Regency3 May 1376 – 3 August 1387
MonarchOlaf II
Queen consort of Norway
Tenure9 April 1363 – 11 September 1380
Queen consort of Sweden
Tenure9 April 1363 – 15 February 1364
BornMarch 1353[1]
Søborg Castle, Denmark
Died28 October 1412 (aged 59)[2]
Ship in the harbor of Flensburg, Schleswig, Denmark
Burial
Roskilde Cathedral, Zealand, Denmark
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1363; died 1380)​
IssueOlaf II of Denmark
HouseEstridsen
FatherValdemar IV of Denmark
MotherHelvig of Schleswig

Margaret I (Danish: Margrete Valdemarsdatter; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for over a century.[3][4][5] She had been queen consort of Norway from 1363 to 1380 and of Sweden from 1363 to 1364 by marriage to Haakon VI. Margaret was known as a wise, energetic and capable leader, who governed with "farsighted tact and caution,"[6] earning the nickname "Semiramis of the North".[7] Also famous derisively as "King Breechless", one of several derogatory nicknames once thought to have been invented by her rival King Albert of Sweden,[8][9] she was also known by her subjects as "Lady King", which became widely used in recognition of her capabilities.[10][11][12][13] Knut Gjerset calls her "the first great ruling queen in European history."[14]

The youngest daughter of Valdemar IV of Denmark, Margaret was born at Søborg Castle. She was a practical, patient administrator and diplomat,[15] albeit one of high aspirations and a strong will, who intended to unite Scandinavia forever into one single entity with the strength to resist and compete against the might of the Hanseatic League.[16] In 1363, aged ten, Margaret married Haakon VI. In 1370, they had a son, Olaf.[17] Following the deaths of her husband and son, Margaret was proclaimed queen of the Scandinavian kingdoms. She was ultimately succeeded by a grandnephew, Eric of Pomerania. Although Eric came of age in 1401, Margaret continued for the remaining 11 years of her life to be sole ruler in all but name. Her regency marked the beginning of a Dano-Norwegian union which was to last for more than four centuries.[18]

Some Norwegian and Swedish historians have criticized Margaret for favouring Denmark and being too autocratic, though she is generally thought to have been highly regarded in Norway and respected in Denmark and Sweden. She was painted in a negative light in contemporary religious chronicles, as she had no qualms suppressing the Church to promote royal power.[19][20][21] Margaret is known in Denmark as Margrethe I to distinguish her from Margrethe II.[22]

  1. ^ Colliers Encyclopedia. 1986 edition. p.386
  2. ^ Commire, Anne (2000). Women in World History, Volume 10. Gale. p. 234. ISBN 0-7876-4069-7.
  3. ^ Bagge, Sverre (2014). Cross and Scepter: The Rise of the Scandinavian Kingdoms from the Vikings to the Reformation. Princeton University Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-4008-5010-5.
  4. ^ Jacobsen, p. 1.
  5. ^ Earenfight, Theresa (2013). Queenship in Medieval Europe. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 238. ISBN 9781137303929.
  6. ^ Derry 2000, p. 74.
  7. ^ Magill 2012, p. 627.
  8. ^ Margareta Skantze in Drottning Margaretas historia ISBN 978-91-978681-1-2 p.202
  9. ^ Goodrich, Samuel Griswold (1852). The Second Book of History: Including the Modern History of Europe, Africa, and Asia ... : Designed as a Sequel to the First Book of History. Jenks, Hickling & Swan. p. 154.
  10. ^ Williamson, David (1988). Debrett's Kings and Queens of Europe. Salem House. p. 106. ISBN 9780881623642.
  11. ^ White 2010, pp. 1, 39.
  12. ^ Derry 2000, pp. 72.
  13. ^ Hooper Gottlieb, Agnes (1998). 1,000 years, 1,000 people: ranking the men and women who shaped the millennium. Kodansha International. p. 221. ISBN 9781568362533.
  14. ^ Gjerset, Knut (1915). History of the Norwegian People. Two Volumes. Vol.II. The MacMillan Company. p. 35.
  15. ^ Bain 1911, p. 702.
  16. ^ Kuiper, Kathleen (2009). The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 53. ISBN 9781615300105.
  17. ^ Derry 2000, p. 71.
  18. ^ Derry 2000.
  19. ^ Otte 1874, pp. 183–184.
  20. ^ Larsen, Karen (2015). History of Norway. Princeton University Press. p. 212. ISBN 9781400875795.
  21. ^ Magill 2012, p. 628.
  22. ^ Chelminski, Rudolph (28 January 1972). "Margrethe of Denmark - 'Best damn queen there is'. LIFE 28 Jan 1972". Life (Vol. 72, No. 3 ed.). Time Inc. p. 68. ISSN 0024-3019.