Berengaria of Portugal (, ; c. 1198 – 27 March 1221) was a Portuguese ''infanta'' (princess) and

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 Valdemar II. She was the fifth daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon. She was the mother of Danish kings Eric IV, Abel and

Christopher I Christopher I may refer to: * Christopher I of Armenia, the Catholicos of Armenia 539 to 545 * Patriarch Christopher I of Alexandria, ruled in 817–841 * Christopher I of Denmark (1219–1259), King of Denmark from 1252 to 1259 * Christopher I, Ma ...

Life

Berengaria was the tenth of eleven children born to her parents. By the age of fourteen in 1212, Berengaria was an orphan; her father died in 1212, while her mother had died in 1198. In various annals and ballads she is called Bringenilæ, Bengerd, Bengjerd and related forms.

Marriage

Berengaria was introduced to King Valdemar through his sister,

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 ...

, the wife of King Philip II of France, another of her cousins; she was by that time at the French court, having left Portugal with her brother Ferrante in 1212. Old folk ballads say that on her deathbed,

Dagmar of Bohemia Dagmar of Bohemia (also known as Margaret, cz, Markéta; 1186 – 24 May 1212 in Ribe) was Queen of Denmark as the first spouse of King Valdemar II. She was the daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia and his first wife, Adelaide of Meissen. E ...

, Valdemar's first wife, begged the king to marry Kirsten, the daughter of Karl von Rise and not the "beautiful flower" Berengaria. In other words, she predicted Berengaria's sons' fight over the throne would bring trouble to Denmark, although this is merely legend and there is no historical proof of this.

Queen

Valdemar's first wife, Dagmar of Bohemia, had been immensely popular, blonde and with Nordic looks. Queen Berengaria was the opposite, described as a dark-eyed, raven-haired beauty. The Danes made up folk songs about Berengaria and blamed her for the high taxes Valdemar levied, although the taxes went to his war efforts, not just to his wife. The great popularity of the former queen made it difficult for the new queen to gain popularity in Denmark. She is noted to have made donations to churches and convents. Berengaria was the first Danish queen known to have worn a crown, which is mentioned in the inventory of her possessions (1225). In 1221 Berengaria, after giving birth to three future kings, died in childbirth. Queen Berengaria is buried in St. Bendt's Church in Ringsted,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, on one side of

Valdemar II Valdemar (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious (), was the King of Denmark (being Valdemar II) from 1202 until his death in 1241. Background He was the second son of King Valdemar I of Denmark and Soph ...

, with Queen Dagmar buried on the other side of the King.

Legacy

King Valdemar's two wives play a prominent role in Danish ballads and myths – Queen Dagmar as the soft, pious and popular ideal wife and Queen Berengaria (Bengjerd) as the beautiful and haughty woman.

Issue

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 ...

(1216–1250), King of the Danes (1241–1250) * Sophie (1217–1247), married John I, Margrave of Brandenburg * Abel of Denmark (1218–1252), King of the Danes (1250–1252) *

Christopher I of Denmark Christopher I ( da, Christoffer I) (1219 – 29 May 1259) was King of Denmark between 1252 and 1259. He was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark by his second wife, Berengaria of Portugal. He succeeded his brothers Eric IV Plovpenning and Abel of ...

(1219–1259), King of the Danes (1252–1259)

References

Sources

* * *
Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon (In Danish)

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Berengaria Of Portugal 1190s births 1221 deaths 12th-century Danish people 12th-century Portuguese people 13th-century Danish people 13th-century Portuguese people 12th-century Danish women 12th-century Portuguese women 13th-century Danish women 13th-century Portuguese women Burials at St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted Danish royal consorts Deaths in childbirth House of Burgundy-Portugal Portuguese infantas Daughters of kings