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Rikissa of Denmark

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(Redirected from Richeza of Denmark) Queen of Sweden from 1210 to 1216
Rikissa of Denmark
17th century depiction of Rikissa on Erik Knutsson's gravestone in Varnhem Abbey
Queen consort of Sweden
Tenure1210–1216
Died1220
Denmark
SpouseErik Knutsson
IssueSophia Eriksdotter
Martha Eriksdotter
Ingeborg Eriksdotter
Marianna Eriksdotter
Erik Eriksson
HouseEstridsen
FatherValdemar I of Denmark
MotherSophia of Minsk

Rikissa of Denmark (Swedish: Rikissa Valdemarsdotter; died 8 May 1220) was Queen of Sweden as the wife of King Erik Knutsson, and the mother of King Erik Eriksson.

Early life

Rikissa was a daughter of Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophia of Minsk. She received her first name, originally a Lotharingian-Burgundian female name, in honor of her maternal grandmother, the late Richeza of Poland. In c. 1210 the new king Erik Knutsson, who had deposed his predecessor Sverker II, desired to build cordial and peaceful relations with Denmark, which had traditionally supported the House of Sverker, against the Norwegian-supported dynasty of Erik. That was why Rikissa, sister of the reigning king Valdemar II of Denmark, 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.

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

References

  1. Lagerqvist, Lars O. (1982). Sverige och dess regenter under 1000 år (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. p. 64. ISBN 978-91-0-075007-7.
  2. ^ Hans Gillingstam. "Rikissa", Svenskt biografiskt lexikon, https://sok.riksarkivet.se/SBL/Presentation.aspx?id=6755
  3. A.M. Strinnholm, Svenska folkets historia, Vol. IV. Stockholm: Hörbergska, 1852, pp. 241-242.

Further reading

  • Åke Ohlmarks: Alla Sveriges drottningar (All the queens of Sweden). Stockholm: Gebers, 1973.
Rikissa ValdemarsdotterBorn: 1190/1191 Died: 8 May 1220
Swedish royalty
VacantTitle last held byIngegerd Birgersdotter Queen consort of Sweden
1210–1216
VacantTitle next held byHelena Pedersdotter
Swedish royal consorts
  • * also Queen of Norway
  • ^ also Queen of Denmark
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