Margaret Sambiria (in Danish: ''Margrethe Sambiria'', ''Sambirsdatter'' or ''Margrethe Sprænghest''; c. 1230 – December 1282) was
Queen of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was ...
by marriage to
King Christopher I, and regent during the minority of her son,
King Eric V from 1259 until 1264. She is the first woman confirmed to have formally ruled as regent of Denmark. She was the reigning fief-holder of
Danish Estonia in 1266–1282.
Life
Margaret was born around 1230 to
Sambor II, Duke of Pomerania and Matilda of Mecklenburg.
She had a Danish connection from her maternal grandparents
Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg
Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg (1170 – 5 June 1226) was a member of the House of Mecklenburg, was a Prince of Mecklenburg from 1219 to 1226 and Lord of Rostock (1225-1226).
Life
Henry Borwin II was a son of Henry Borwin I, Lord of ...
and Lady Kristina from
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skån ...
, who was reportedly a daughter of the Danish magnate Galen clan from Eastern Denmark, and related to the
Hvide
Hvide (English: ''Whites'') was a medieval Danish clan, and afterwards in early modern era a Danish noble surname of presumably one surviving branch of leaders of that clan. Before the 16th century it was not used as a surname. It signified th ...
clan of
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
.
Margaret received her first name, then yet relatively rare in North Germany and Poland, in honor of her maternal Scandinavian relations, where the name Margaret came in the late 11th century with the family of
Inge I of Sweden, presumably of her aunt, the countess of Schwerin, and her great-aunt, the Princess of Rugia.
Queen
In 1248, she married Prince Christopher, the youngest son of
Valdemar II of Denmark and
Berengária of Portugal
Berengaria of Portugal (, ; c. 1198 – 27 March 1221) was a Portuguese ''infanta'' (princess) and Queen of Denmark, by marriage to King Valdemar II. She was the fifth daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon. She was the mot ...
. In accordance with the then succession custom of
agnatic seniority
Agnatic seniority is a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children (the next generation) succeed only after the males ...
, her husband ascended the throne of Denmark in 1252.
Margaret was crowned with him.
Already as queen, Margaret was reportedly involved in politics. During the reign of Christopher, there was a conflict between the king and
Jakob Erlandsen
Jakob Erlandsen (died 18 February 1274) was a Danish Archbishop of Lund (1254–1274) and the central character of the first great church conflict in Denmark.
History
Belonging to a wealthy magnate family ( Galen clan) that was related to Arch ...
, Archbishop of the
Diocese of Lund
The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chur ...
who demanded autonomy of the church from the crown, with the right to hold his own armies, a demand which lead to his arrest. This was a conflict which Margaret was to inherit as regent.
Regent
Her husband died on 29 May 1259, rumored to have been poisoned. Their son and heir
Eric V of Denmark was a child, and Margaret was made regent until her son's maturity in 1264.
This was unprecedented in Denmark, as no queen or queen dowager, as far as it is known, had until then formally and officially have the mandate as regent of Denmark.
Regent Margaret was faced with the unresolved conflict between the crown and the archbishop Jakob Erlandsen. She was forced to release the archbishop to consolidate her position as regent, but resolved the conflict of power between the church and the crown by banishing the archbishop from the kingdom: the question of the church's autonomy from the Danish crown was not settled until some years after her son's maturity, but Margaret continued to negotiate with the Pope until she solved the matter, even after her mandate as regent was terminated.
She was also faced with having to protect her son's right to the throne against the claims of the sons of her brother-in-law
Abel of Denmark, whose claims to the throne was raised by Abel's widow
Matilda of Holstein, as well as given the responsibility of the four daughters of her other brother-in-law
Eric IV of Denmark
Eric IV, also known as Eric Ploughpenny or Eric Plowpenny ( da, Erik Plovpenning), ( – 10 August 1250) was king of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250. His reign was marked by conflict and civil wars against his brothers.
Early life
E ...
,
Sophia,
Ingeborg
Ingeborg is a Germanic feminine given name, mostly used in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, derived from Old Norse ''Ingiborg, Ingibjǫrg'', combining the theonym ''Ing'' with the element ''borg'' "stronghold, protection". Ingebjørg is the N ...
,
Jutta
The feminine name Jutta (pronounced "yutta") is the German form of Judith. There is also an alternative theory that it could be derived from the Germanic name ''Eutha'', meaning "mankind, child, descendant", or from a short form of ''Henrietta'' ...
and
Agnes. Her son's succession overrode the rights of the descendants of earlier monarchs, counter to the dictates of agnatic seniority.
The conflict with the sons of
Matilda of Holstein resulted in warfare with the counts of Holstein. After a loss in
Lohede in 1261, Margaret, together with her son, the young Eric V were imprisoned by the Count of Holstein. They soon managed to escape with help from Albert of Brunswick.
She was not able to prevent the marriage alliances between Abel's widow Matilda of Holstein and
Birger Jarl, or Eric IV's daughters
Sophia and
Ingeborg
Ingeborg is a Germanic feminine given name, mostly used in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, derived from Old Norse ''Ingiborg, Ingibjǫrg'', combining the theonym ''Ing'' with the element ''borg'' "stronghold, protection". Ingebjørg is the N ...
to the kings of Norway and Sweden, but she was able to prevent Eric IV's remaining daughters
Jutta
The feminine name Jutta (pronounced "yutta") is the German form of Judith. There is also an alternative theory that it could be derived from the Germanic name ''Eutha'', meaning "mankind, child, descendant", or from a short form of ''Henrietta'' ...
and
Agnes from similar marriage alliances by placing them in the convent
St. Agnes' Priory, Roskilde St. Agnes' Priory (''Sankt Agnetekloster'') was a Danish convent for women of the Dominican Order. It was situated in Roskilde and was in operation from 1264 until the Danish Reformation. .
History
In 1264, St. Agnes' Priory was founded north of ...
.
In 1263, Margaret successfully wrote to
Pope Urban IV, asking him to allow women to inherit the Danish throne, in a final effort to prevent the claims of the Abel-fraction on the Danish throne. This would make it possible for one of Eric's sisters to become reigning Queen of Denmark in the event of Erik V's dying before he had any children.
In her own time, Margaret had a reputation as a competent and enlightened regent. Her nicknames, "Sprænghest" ('Burst-horse') and "Sorte Grete" ('Black Greta')
reveal a strong-willed, energetic personality.
Later life
Margaret retired as regent in 1264, when her son was declared an adult, and she officially settled with her own court in her personal residence
Nykøbing Slot Nykøbing means "new city". It may refer to several towns:
* Nykøbing Falster, on the island of Falster, Denmark
* Nykøbing Mors, on the island of Mors, Denmark
* Nykøbing Sjælland, on the island of Sjælland, Denmark
See also
* Nyköping
N ...
on
Falster
Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. . She continued to play a role in Danish politics and kept an interest and certain influence over Danish state affairs.
In 1266, her son the king granted her the rulership of
Danish Estonia, and made her ruling countess of the province for life. She actively settled the affairs of Estonia from her residence in Denmark until her death.
In 1270 she founded and donated money to the
Abbey of the Holy Cross in
Rostock
Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state ...
.
She died in December 1282 and was buried in the church of the
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...
Doberan Abbey on the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
coast of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.
Children
Margaret and Christopher had three children:
* Matilda (died 23 April 1299/19 November 1300), married to
Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel
Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel ( – between 19 November and 4 December 1300) was a Margrave of Brandenburg. He was a member of the Brandenburg-Salzwedel branch of the House of Ascania, which existed from 1266 to 1317. He was ...
.
* Margaret (died 1306), married count John II of Holstein-Kiel.
*
Eric V of Denmark (1249–1286).
References
Related reading
*Anne J. Duggan, ed (2002) ''Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe'' (Boydell Press)
*John Carmi Parsons, ed (2016) ''Medieval Queenship'' (Springer Publishing Company)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Sambiria
1230 births
1282 deaths
13th-century women rulers
Danish royal consorts
Regents of Denmark
Rulers of Estonia
13th-century Danish people
13th-century Danish women
Samborides
Queen mothers