Rikissa of Denmark ( Swedish: ''Rikissa Valdemarsdotter''; died 8 May 1220) was

Queen of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Ins ...

as the wife of King

Erik Knutsson Erik Knutsson (; – 10 April 1216), sometimes known as Eric X, was King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as ''Erik the Survivor'' (), he was, at his accession to the throne, the only remaining son of King Knut Eriksson and his queen ...

, and the mother of King

Erik Eriksson Erik Eriksson (; 1216 – 2 February 1250), sometimes known as Erik XI or with the epithet the Lisp and Lame (), was King of Sweden from 1222 to 1229 and again from 1234 to 1250. Being the last ruler of the House of Erik, he stood in the shado ...

Early life

Rikissa was a daughter of

Valdemar I of Denmark Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...

and

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 of ...

. She received her first name, originally a Lotharingian- Burgundian female name, in honor of her maternal grandmother, the late Richeza of Poland.Hans Gillingstam. "Rikissa", ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'', https://sok.riksarkivet.se/SBL/Presentation.aspx?id=6755 In c. 1210 the new king

, who had deposed his predecessor Sverker II, desired to build cordial and peaceful relations with Denmark, which had traditionally supported the

House of Sverker The House of Sverker were a powerful political force in medieval Sweden, contesting for royal power. Their origins were in Östergötland. After the extinction of the House of Stenkil and the ascension of Sverker I of Sweden in 1130, a civil wa ...

, against the Norwegian-supported dynasty of Erik. That was why Rikissa, sister of the reigning king

Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar II Valdemarsen (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious () and Valdemar the Conqueror, was King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. In 1207, Valdemar invaded and conquered Bishopric of L� ...

, was married to Erik.

Queenship

When she arrived at the Swedish coast, according to a later folk song, she expressed her surprise that she was expected to ride and not travel by carriage, as she had been used to in her birth country, and the Swedish noblewomen and ladies-in-waiting had encouraged her to adapt the customs of her new home country instead of trying to establish her own Danish customs.A.M. Strinnholm,
Svenska folkets historia
', Vol. IV. Stockholm: Hörbergska, 1852, pp. 241-242. Queen Rikissa bore exclusively daughters as long as her spouse was alive. King Erik died in 1216. Dowager Queen Rikissa was pregnant at the time and then gave birth to their only surviving son,

, after the death of her spouse. The family was driven to exile from Sweden as the House of Sverker heir,

Johan Sverkersson Johan Sverkersson ( – 10 March 1222), also known as John I, was King of Sweden from 1216 until his death in 1222. He was the last king from the House of Sverker, leaving no heirs. During his reign, an expedition was launched from Sweden agains ...

, was elected to succeed Rikissa's husband as the king. It was in Denmark that Rikissa herself died, without seeing her son's accession to the throne (in 1222), nor her daughters' marriages. She was buried 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 from Copenhagen. History Ringsted was the site of ''Sjællands Landsting'' (lit. ''Z ...

. While nothing is concretely known about her person, the occurrence of the name Rikissa among her descendants may indicate that she was well-liked.

Children

*Sophia Eriksdotter (died 1241), married Henry III of Rostock *(allegedly) Martha Eriksdotter married

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

Nils Sixtensson (Sparre) * Ingeborg Eriksdotter (died 1254), married to

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl or Birger Magnusson (21 October 1266) was a Swedish statesman and regent, ''Swedish jarls, jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjälbo, who played a pivotal role in consolidating Sweden after the civil wars between the House of Eri ...

, regent of Sweden *(possibly) Marianna Eriksdotter, who married a duke Barnim I of Pomerania *

(1216–1250)

Early life

Queenship

Children

References

Further reading