Agnes of Brandenburg (c. 1257 – 29 September 1304) was a Danish Queen consort by marriage to King

Eric V of Denmark Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, ...

. As a widow, she served as the regent of Denmark for her son, King Eric VI, during his minority from 1286 until 1293.

Life

She was born to

John I, Margrave of Brandenburg John I, Margrave of Brandenburg ( – 4 April 1266) was from 1220 until his death Margrave of Brandenburg, jointly with his brother Otto III "the Pious". The reign of these two Ascanian Margraves was characterized by an expansion of the Mar ...

(d. 1266) and Brigitte of Saxony, the daughter of

Albert I, Duke of Saxony Albert I (; c. 1175 – 7 October 1260) was a Duke of Saxony, Angria, and Westphalia; Lord of Nordalbingia; Count of Anhalt; and Prince-elector and Archmarshal of the Holy Roman Empire. Even though his grandfather Albert the Bear had held the Sax ...

. She married King Eric V of Denmark at

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

on 11 November 1273. The marriage was probably agreed upon during King Eric's captivity in

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

by Agnes' father from 1261 to 1264. Tradition claims that the King of Denmark was released from captivity on his promise to marry Agnes without a dowry. Denmark and Brandenburg, however, had a long tradition of dynastic marriages between them.

Regency

In 1286, she became a Queen dowager and the Regent of Denmark during the minority of her son. The details of her regency are not known more closely, and it is hard to determine which of the decisions were made by her, and which was made by the council. Peder Nielsen Hoseøl was also very influential in the regency, and she is likely to have received support from her family. In 1290, she financed a granted lime painting in St. Bendt's Church in

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busies ...

, which depicts her in a dominating way. Her son was declared of legal majority in 1293, thus ending her formal regency.

Later life

Married in 1293 to count Gerhard II of Holstein-Plön (d. 1312) with whom she had the son

John III, Count of Holstein-Plön John III of Holstein-Plön (c. 1297–1359), called ''John the Mild'', was a Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Plön and Holstein-Kiel, ruling Holstein-Plön (1312–1316 and again 1350–1359) and Holstein-Kiel (1316–1359). Together with Count ...

. She often visited Denmark also after her second marriage, and it continued to be a second home. She died on 29 September 1304, and was buried in Denmark.

Gallery

File:Nordenskirker Ringbendt(14).jpg, Agnes of Brandenburg

References

* Alf Henrikson: ''Dansk historia'' (Danish history) (1989) (Swedish) * Sven Rosborn (In Swedish): ''När hände vad i Nordens historia'' ('When did what happen in the history of the Nordic countries') (1997)
Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon (In Danish)
1257 births 1304 deaths 13th-century women rulers 13th-century births Danish royal consorts Regents of Denmark House of Schauenburg House of Ascania Remarried royal consorts Burials at St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted 14th-century Danish people 14th-century Danish women 13th-century Danish people 13th-century Danish women Queen mothers {{Europe-royal-stub