Helen (Swedish: ''Helena''Sven Rosborn (In Swedish): ''När hände vad i Nordens historia'' (When did what happen in the history of the Nordic countries) or Elin - 1130s – fl. 1158), is the assumed name of a medieval Swedish princess and Danish queen, Queen consort of King

Canute V of Denmark Canute V Magnussen ( da, Knud V Magnussen) ( – 9 August 1157) was a King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-regent in shifting alliances with Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Canute was killed at the so-called ''Bloodfeast of Roskilde'' in 1157. Not ...

. The date of her birth is not known; her father was King

Sverker I of Sweden Sverker I or Sverker the Elder (Old Swedish: ''Swærkir konongær gambli''), murdered 25 December 1156, was King of Sweden from about 1132 till his death. Of non-royal descent, he founded the House of Sverker, the rulers of which alternated with ...

and her mother has been assumed to be Sverker's first spouse, Queen Ulvhild.

Identity

During the period 1146-1157 the Danish kingdom was split between two rival kings, Canute V and

Sweyn III Sweyn III GratheFor the significance of the epithet, see Tripartition ( da, Svend III Grathe) ( – 23 October 1157) was the King of Denmark between 1146 and 1157, in shifting alliances with Canute V and his own cousin Valdemar I. In 1157, ...

. In 1154, Canute allied with his kinsman Valdemar, the future King Valdemar the Great, and sought support with his stepfather

. During his stay he was engaged with a daughter of Sverker, while Valdemar betrothed Sverker's stepdaughter

Sophia of Minsk Sophia of Minsk or Sophia of Polotsk (died 5 May 1198) was a Danish queen consort by marriage to King Valdemar I of Denmark, and a landgravine of Thuringia by marriage to Louis III, Landgrave of Thuringia. Life Origin Sophia was the daughter ...

. The name of Canute's fiancée is not mentioned in the chronicles. However, it has been assumed by modern research that her name was Helen, also called Elin. The basis for this conclusion is the '' Necrologium Lundense'' which mentions an ''Elena Regina'' with the death date 31 December. Since no other Danish queen of that name is known, Sverker's daughter is likely meant. According to a hypothesis she may be identified with a non-official semi-legendary saint called Helen who was venerated in Sweden and, apparently, Denmark.

Queen in Demark

At the end of 1156, Canute V traveled to Sweden to console his mother after the assassination of King Sverker. At the same time he picked up his Swedish bride. Thus she left Sweden for a position as a Danish queen, which would turn out to be brief and tragical. In 1157, Canute and Valdemar attended a feast of reconciliation in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

with Sweyn III. During the feast, Sweyn's men fell on his two rivals and Canute was murdered, while Valdemar managed to slip away. Sweyn was killed in turn later in the same year, leaving Valdemar as the victor and sole Danish ruler. As it seems, Canute's queen returned to Sweden after the Roskilde incident. A 16th-century copy of a medieval list of donations says that a certain Queen Helena donated land in Slaka parish to

Vreta Abbey Vreta Abbey ( sv, Vreta kloster), in operation from the beginning of the 12th century to 1582, was the first nunnery in Sweden, initially Benedictine and later Cistercian, and one of the oldest in Scandinavia. It was located in the present-day m ...

in Östergötland, then entered the abbey as a nun.Ahnlund, "Till frågan om den äldsta Erikskulten i Sverige", p. 319. On the basis of this, some historians assume that Canute's queen withdrew from the world shortly after her husband's murder, in about 1158, joining her sister Ingegerd (d. 1204) who was the prioress of Vreta.

References

Literature

* Ahnlund, Nils. "Till frågan om den äldsta Erikskulten i Sverige". ''Historisk tidskrift'' 68, 1948. * Ahnlund, Nils. "Den nationella och folkliga Erikskulten", in B. Thordeman (ed.). ''Erik den helige''. Stockholm, 1954. * Lagerqvist, Lars O. "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år''. Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag AB, 1982 (). * Rosborn, Sven. ''När hände vad i Nordens historia''. Lund: Historiska media, 1997 (). * Wallin, Curt.''Knutsgillena i det medeltida Sverige. Kring kulten av de nordiska helgonkungarna'' istoriskt arkiv, 16 Stockholm: Almqvist & Wicksell, 1975 (). {{DEFAULTSORT:Helena Of Sweden Danish royal consorts 1130s births 12th-century deaths Helen 1120 12th-century Danish people 12th-century Swedish nuns People from Östergötland