The House of Estridsen was a dynasty that provided the kings of Denmark from 1047 to 1412. The dynasty is named after its ancestor Estrid Svendsdatter. The dynasty is sometimes called the ''Ulfinger'', after Estrid's husband, Ulf Jarl. The dynasty also provided three medieval rulers of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and one of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Their family coat of arms became the

coat of arms of Denmark The coat of arms of Denmark () has a lesser and a greater version. The state coat of arms () consists of three pale blue lion (heraldry), lions attitude (heraldry)#Passant, passant wearing crown (heraldic charge), crowns, accompanied by nine re ...

and thereby influenced the coat of arms of Tallinn and the coat of arms of Estonia. The Royal Court of Denmark does not differentiate between different royal houses among the early Danish kings, but uses the term "the descent of

Gorm the Old Gorm the Old (; ; ), also called Gorm the Languid (), was List of Danish monarchs, ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147

" about all the pre- Oldenburg monarchs. Estridsen family tree

Background

The name of the Estridsen dynasty recalls their acquisition of the Danish crown through the marriage of Ulf the Earl to Estrid Svendsdatter of the House of Knýtlinga, daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and sister of

Cnut the Great Cnut ( ; ; – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rul ...

. Later genealogies (introduced by the Danish historian Jakob Langebek in the 18th century)Jacob Langebek (1774), ''Scriptores Rerum Danicarum Medii Ævi'', vol. 3, pp. 281-282 trace the family from Jomsviking leader Styrbjörn the Strong, a scion of the Swedish royal family, who in turn is given a descent from legendary King Sigurd Hring, regarded as mythical by most modern historians (no actual

sources Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

mention such an ancestry). Reliable ancestry traces back no earlier than Ulf's own father, the obscure Thorgil Sprakling and grandfather Björn (in sources called ''Ursius''), the latter thus alternatively being identified as the above Styrbjörn by Langebek. The dynasty reached its peak with the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...

, when its members reigned as kings of Denmark, Norway and Sweden in

personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

. The dynasty came to end in 1412 with the death of its last member Queen Margaret I. All of the subsequent monarchs of Denmark are cognatic descendants of the House of Estridsen.

Line of descent

From Thorgil Sprakling to Eric I the Good

# Thorgil Sprakling ## Ulf the Earl, murdered in 1026, probably Jarl in England from 1017, married Estrid Svendsdatter (990/997 — 1057/1073), a daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard ( – 1014) and a sister of

( – 1035) ### Sweyn II of Denmark ( – 1076), Jarl from 1042, King of Denmark from 1047 #### Sweyn the Crusader, murdered in 1097, married Florine (d. 1097), the daughter of Odo I, Duke of Burgundy #### Harald III ( – 1080) #### Sigrid, married Gottschalk (d. 1066), a prince of the Obotrites #### Saint Canute IV ( – 1086), Jarl of Zealand from 1076, King of Denmark from 1080, married Adela ( – 1115), daughter of Robert I, Count of Flanders ##### Blessed Charles the Good (1083-1127), murdered on 2 March 1127 in

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

, Count of Flanders from 1119, married to Margaret, daughter of Renaud II, Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis ##### Cecilia ( – 1131), married to Erik Jarl in Västergötland ##### Ingerid ( – ?), married Folke the Fat Jarl in Sweden #### Olaf I ( – 1095), Jarl of Southern Jutland from 1080, King of Denmark from 1086, married Ingegerd, the daughter of King

Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' in the sagas, was List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 1046 to 1066. He unsuccessfully claimed the Monarchy of Denma ...

of Norway #### Ingerid, married to King Olaf III of Norway #### Eric I the Good (, Slangerup, Denmark – 10 July 1103, Paphos, Cyprus), Jarl of

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

from 1080, King of Denmark from 1095 — for his descendants, see below #### Svend Tronkræver (d. 1104) #####

Henrik Skadelår Henrik Svendsen (; unknown - 4 June 1134), better known as Henrik Skadelår or Henrik the Lame, was a Danish prince and pretender through his father, Svend Tronkræver, an illegitimate son of King Sweyn II. He died in the Battle of Fotevik befo ...

( – 4 June 1134) ###### Magnus II of Sweden (d. 1161), King of Sweden from 1160, married Brigida, daughter of King Harald IV Gille of Norway ###### Canute (d. 12 March 1162), Duke of Southern Jutland from 1150, Duke of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

from 1157 ###### Buris (1130-1167), Duke of Southern Jutland from 1162, married to a daughter of Herman II, Count of Winzenburg ####

Niels Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nikolaos, after Saint ...

, killed 25 June 1134, King of Denmark from 1104, married Margaret Fredkulla, a daughter of King Inge the Elder of Sweden ##### Magnus I ( – 4 June 1134), Duke of Västergötland from 1125, King of Denmark from 1134, married Richeze, a daughter of

Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth (; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between 1107 and 1138. He was the onl ...

###### Canute V ( – 9 August 1157), Duke of Jutland from 1147, co-ruler of Denmark from 1154, married in 1156 to Helena, a daughter of King Sverker I of Sweden ####### Saint

(d. 1180) ####### Valdemar (d. 18 July 1236 in Cîteaux Abbey), Bishop of Schleswig from 1182 to 1208,

Archbishop of Bremen This list records the bishops of the Archdiocese of Bremen, Roman Catholic diocese of Bremen (), supposedly a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Archbishopric of Cologne, then of the bishops of Bremen, who were in personal union archbishops ...

in 1192 ### Björn (killed in 1049), Earl in England ### Asbjörn (d. probably 1086), Jarl in Denmark ## Gytha, married Godwin of Wessex; one of their children was King Harold II of England ## Eilaf (first mentioned 1009), Earl in England

From Eric the Good to Christopher I

# Eric I the Good (, Slangerup, Denmark – 10 July 1103, Paphos, Cyprus), Jarl of

from 1080, King of Denmark from 1095 — for his ancestors, see above ## Saint Canute Lavard (March 12, 1096 – 7 January 1131), King of Southern Jutland from 1115, King of the Wends from 1129, married Ingeborg, a daughter of Mstislav I of Kiev ### Christina (–1139), married King Magnus IV of Norway ### Valdemar the Great (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), King of Denmark, married in 1157 to Sophia of Minsk (d. 5 May 1198), daughter of Volodar of Minsk #### (illegitimate) Christopher (d. 1173), Duke of Southern Jutland #### Sophie (d. 1208), married Siegfried III, Count of Orlamünde (d. 1206) #### Canute VI (1163 – 12 November 1202), King of Denmark from 1182, married in 1177 to Gertrude, daughter of Henry the Lion #### Valdemar II (1170 – 28 March 1241), King of Denmark from 1202, married (1) in 1205 to Dagmar, daughter of King Ottokar I of Bohemia, and (2) in 1214 to Berengeria, daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal ##### (illegitimate)

, Count of Halland from 1216 — descendants: the counts of Halland, died out in 1314 ##### (illegitimate) Canute (1211 – 15 October 1260), Duke of Estonia from 1219, Duke of Blekinge from 1232, Duke of Lolland from before 1260, married Hedwig, a daughter of Swietopelk I, Duke of Pomerania — descendants: the Lords of Skarsholm, died out before 1408 ##### (1m) Valdemar ( – 28 November 1231), co-ruler of Denmark from 1215, married

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

, a daughter of King Afonso II of Portugal ##### (2m) Eric IV ( – 9 August 1250), King of Denmark from 1241, married in 1239 to Jutta, a daughter of Albert I, Duke of Saxony ###### Sophia (1241–1286), married

Valdemar, King of Sweden Valdemar Birgersson (1239 – 26 December 1302), also Waldemar, was King of Sweden from 1250 to 1275. Biography Valdemar was the son of the Swedish princess Ingeborg Eriksdotter and Birger Jarl, from the House of Bjälbo. When Ingebor ...

###### Ingeborg (d. 1287), married King Magnus VI of Norway ###### Jutta (1246–1286/95), mistress of

, later Abbess of St. Agneta ###### Agnes (1249–after 1290), founding Abbess of St. Agneta ##### Sophie (1217 – 2 November 1247), married in 1230 to John I, Margrave of Brandenburg (d. 3 April 1266) #####

Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...

(1218 – 29 June 1252), King of Denmark from 1250, married Matilda of Holstein (d. 1288) — for his descendants, see below ##### Christopher I (1219 – 29 May 1259), King of Denmark from 1252, married in 1248 to Margaret Sambiria, daughter of Duke Sambor II of Pomerelia — for his descendants, see below #### Ingeborg (1175 – 29 July 1236), married in 1193, to King Philip II of France (d. 14 July 1223) #### Helena ( – 22 November 1233), married in 1202 to Duke

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

of Lüneburg (d. 1213) #### Rikissa (1190–1220), married King Eric X of Sweden (d. 1216) ## Harald Kesja (1080–1135), from 1102 to 1103 regent of Denmark, married Ragnhild Magnusdotter, a daughter of King Magnus III of Norway ### Björn Ironside (d.1134), married Katarina Ingesdotter, the daughter of King Inge I of Sweden #### Christina (d. 1170), married King Eric IX of Sweden (d. 18 May 1160), King of Sweden from 1156 ###

Olaf Olaf or Olav (, , or differences between General American and Received Pronunciation, British ; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ances ...

(d. ), Danish anti-king #### (illegitimate) Harald Skrænk, leader of a peasant rebellion in

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

, ## Ragnhild Eriksdatter, married Hakon Sunnivasson ### Eric III ( – 27 August 1146), King of Denmark from 1137, married in 1155 to Lutgard, the daughter of Count Rudolf I of Stade #### (illegitimate) Magnus Eriksen, imprisoned 1178 ## Eric II ( – 18 July 1137), King of Denmark from 1134, married Malmfred, a daughter of Grand Prince Mstislav I of Kiev ### Sweyn III ( – 23 October 1157), King of Zealand from 1147, King of Denmark from 1152, married Adela, a daughter of Conrad, Margrave of Meissen #### Luitgard, married Margrave Berthold I of Istria (d. 1188), Count of Andechs, from 1173 Margrave of Istria

Dukes of Schleswig (Abelslægten)

(1218 – 29 June 1252), King of Denmark from 1250, married Matilda of Holstein (d. 1288) — for his ancestors, see above ## Valdemar III (d. 1257), Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, (or, as the Danes call it, Southern Jutland) from 1253 ## Sophie (born 1240, d. aft. 1284), married Bernhard I, Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg (ca. 1218–1287); Christian I of Denmark was their great-great-great-great-grandson, the current Queen Margaret II descends from Christian I ## Eric I (d. 27 May 1272), Duke of Schleswig from 1260, married Margaret, a daughter of Jaromar II, Prince of Rugia ### Valdemar IV (d. 1312), Duke of Schleswig from 1283, married Elisabeth, a daughter of John I, Duke of Saxony #### Eric II ( – 12 March 1325), Duke of Schleswig from 1312, married

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, a daughter of Henry I, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg ##### Valdemar V (1314–1364), Duke of Schleswig from 1325 to 1326 and from 1330 to 1364, King of Denmark as Valdemar III from 1326 to 1330, married Richardis, a daughter of Gunzelin VI, Count of Schwerin ###### Valdemar ( – 1360) ###### Henry ( – August 1375), Duke of Schleswig from 1364 ##### Helvig (d. 1374), married King Valdemar IV of Denmark (d. 24 October 1375) (see below) ##### (illegitimate) Valdemar Eriksen Sappi (d. 1398) #### (illegitimate) Abel Valdemarsen — descendants: the Rynd family (died out in 1405) ### Margaret (d. after 1313), married Helmold III, Count of Schwerin ### Eric Longbone (1272–1310), Lord of Langeland, married Sophie, a daughter of Burchard VII, Burgrave of Magdeburg ##

(1252 – 2 April 1279), Lord of Langeland, married Matilda, a daughter of Gunzelin III, Count of Schwerin

From Christopher I to Margaret I

# Christopher I (1219 – 29 May 1259), King of Denmark from 1252, married in 1248 to Margaret Sambiria, daughter of Duke Sambor II of Pomerelia — for his ancestors, see above ## Eric V "Klipping" (1249 – November 22, 1286), King of Denmark from 1259, married Agnes, a daughter of John I, Margrave of Brandenburg ### Eric VI ''Menved'' (1274 – 13 November 1319), King of Denmark from 1286, married Ingeborg Magnusdotter (1277-1319), a daughter of King Magnus III of Sweden ### Christopher II (29 September 1276 – 2 August 1332), King of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and from 1329 to 1332, married Euphemia, a daughter of Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania #### Margaret, (1305–1340), married

Louis V, Duke of Bavaria Louis V, called the Brandenburger (May 1315 – 18 September 1361), a member of the House of Wittelsbach, ruled as Margrave of Brandenburg from 1323 to 1351 and as Duke of Bavaria from 1347 until his death. From 1342 he also was co-ruling Coun ...

(d. 18 September 1361) ####

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...

(1305 – 1331 or 1332), Elected King of Denmark in 1321, married Elisabeth, a daughter of Henry I, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg #### Otto ( – after 1341), Duke of

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the List of islands of Denmark#List of 100 largest Danish islands, fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Kattegat, Belts and Sund area, it is part of Re ...

and

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

#### Valdemar IV "Atterdag" ( – 24 October 1375), King of Denmark from 1340, married Helvig, a daughter of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig (see above) #####

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

(d. 11 June 1363), Duke of

from 1359 ##### Ingeborg (1 April 1347 – before 16 June 1370), married Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 24 April 1383), the grandparents of Eric of Pomerania, King of Norway as Eric III, King of Denmark as Eric VII, and King of Sweden as Eric XIII ##### Margaret I (March 1353 – 28 October 1412),

Queen regnant A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning ...

of Denmark from 1375 to 1385 and from 1387 to 1396, Queen regnant of Norway from 1380 to 1385 and from 1387 to 1398, Queen regnant of Sweden from 1389 to 1396, co-founder of the Union of Kalmar in 1397, married in 1363 to Haakon Magnusson (d. 1380), King of Norway from 1355 as Haakon VI, King of Sweden from 1362 to 1364 as Håkan (they had one son who belonged to the Swedish dynasty) #### (illegitimate) Erik Christoffersen Løvenbalk, his male line descendants, the Løvenbalk family, died out after June 1598; Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein descends from him in the female line and his granddaughter married back into the Danish royal family ### Richeza (d. before 27 October 1318), married Lord Nicholas II of Werle (d. 1316); Christian I of Denmark was their great-great-great-grandson, the current Queen Margaret II descends from Christian I ### Martha (d. 2 March 1341), married in 1298 to Birger Magnusson (d. 31 May 1321), King of Sweden from 1290 ## Matilda, married Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel (d. 1300) ## Margaret ( – 1306), married to John II, Count of Holstein-Kiel (d. 1321)

References

* Detlev Schwennicke: ''Europäische Stammtafeln'', vol II, 1984, table 98 ff

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estridsen, House of Danish noble families Swedish noble families Norwegian noble families Family trees of royalty Medieval history of Denmark Medieval history of Sweden Estridsen