Borghild Olavsdatter (fl. 1115), was the Norwegian royal mistress of King
Sigurd the Crusader
Sigurd the Crusader (; ; 1089 – 26 March 1130), also known as Sigurd Magnusson and Sigurd I, was King of Norway from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his half-brother Øystein (until Øystein died in 1123), has been regarded by historian ...
(c. 1090 – 1130) and the mother of King
Magnus IV of Norway
Magnus Sigurdsson ( – 12 November 1139), also known as Magnus the Blind and Magnus IV, was King of Norway from 1130 to 1135 and again from 1137 to 1139. His period as king marked the beginning of the civil war era in Norway, which lasted until ...
(ca. 1115 – 1139). She probably lived within the period 1090 to 1150 and was one of few Christian women mentioned in
Heimskringla
() is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...
by
Snorre Sturlasson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
.
Borghild was the daughter of a wealthy farmer who owned the farm Stordal (''Store-Dal i Skjeberg'') in the parish of
Skjeberg
Skjeberg is a district of Sarpsborg, Østfold County, Norway. Skjeberg was formerly a municipality in Østfold County. The last administrative centre was at Borgenhaugen. As of 2018, Skjeberg has a population of 1,397.
The parish of Skjeberg ...
in
Østfold
Østfold () is a county in Eastern Norway, which from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 was part of Viken. Østfold borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other ...
.
One winter, King Sigurd spent a period as a guest of her father. The close friendship which developed between Borghild and Sigurd gave rise to rumours that they were lovers. Borghild regarded these rumours as offensive, and voluntarily demanded to perform a trial by ordeal to prove that they were slander. She successfully did so. When King Sigurd heard of this ordeal, he took Borghild for his concubine and brought her away with him.
Notes
Other sources
* Gadd, Pia (2009) ''Frillor, fruar och herrar - en okänd kvinnohistoria'' (Mistresses, wives and masters - an unknown history of women) (Förlag Fischer Co)
Mistresses of Norwegian royalty
12th-century Norwegian women
12th-century Norwegian people
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