Matilda of Holstein
| Matilda of Holstein | |
|---|---|
Abel of Denmark Birger Jarl | |
| Issue |
|
Adolf IV, Count of Holstein | |
| Mother | Heilwig of Lippe |
Matilda of Holstein or Mechthild (1220 or 1225 – 1288 in
Life
Matilda was the daughter of
When Abel became king in 1250, she was crowned with him in Roskilde on 1 November. When Abel died in 1252, he was succeeded by his brother rather than her son Valdemar, who was imprisoned at Cologne at the time, and she was forced to leave Denmark and enter a convent.
She managed to get her son Valdemar released from the captivity of the Archbishop of Cologne and fought for the inheritance of her children in the Duchy of Schleswig. In 1253, she secured the Duchy of Sønderjylland for her son Valdemar.[1]
In 1260, her son Valdemar died, and she secured the Duchy for her next son, Erik. The same year, however, she pawned the areas Eider and Schlei in southern Denmark to her brothers.
She made a pact with
In 1288, shortly before her death, she gave up Eider and Schlei to her brothers. She was unpopular in Denmark, where she was called the "daughter of the Devil"[3] and accused of destroying letters from the Pope and emperor to King Valdemar II.[4]
Issue
Queen Matilda bore her first husband three sons and a daughter:
- Valdemar III (1238–1257); Duke of Schleswig 1254–1257
- Sophie (born 1240, date of death unknown)
- Eric I (c. 1241 – 27 May 1272); Duke of Schleswig 1260–1272
- Abel (1252–1279)
References
- ^ Dansk Biografisk Leksikon
- ISBN 9189660110pp. 78–79
- ^ Dansk Biografisk Leksikon
- ^ Dansk Biografisk Leksikon
- Dansk Biografisk Lexikon, volume 11, pp. 205–206, Copenhagen 1897
- Annales Stadenses 1237–1241, MGHSS XVI, sida 363–367