Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Breaking News: A Granddaughter for King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan

Princess Iman holding her daughter, Jameel Thermiótis, King Abdullah, and Queen Rania; Credit – Queen Rania Facebook Page

On February 16, 2025, Princess Iman of Jordan, the second of the four children and the elder of the two daughters of King Abdullah II of Jordan, gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Amina at Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II Hospital in Aqaba, Jordan. On March 12, 2023, Princess Iman married Jameel Thermiótis, a Venezuelan businessman of Greek descent. This is the second grandchild for King Abdullah II and Queen Rania. Crown Prince Hussein and his wife Princess Rajwa Al Hussein have a daughter born in 2024. The King of Jordan has the power to name his successor to a certain extent. However, Jordan does not allow female succession so neither granddaughter could be named ruler of Jordan.

Karl Knutsson Bonde, King Karl VIII of Sweden/King Karl I of Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Wood sculpture of Karl Knutsson made posthumously  by his contemporary Bernt Notke, considered to be a real likeness; Credit – Wikipedia

Born Karl Knutsson Bonde, he reigned as King Karl VIII of Sweden in 1448-1457, 1464-1465, and 1467-1470 and as King Karl I of Norway from 1449 to 1450. Karl Knutsson Bonde was born circa September 29, 1408, at Ekholmen Castle in Veckholm, Sweden. He was the son of  Knut Tordsson Bonde, a knight and member of the privy council, and Margareta Karlsdotter, the only child and the heiress of Karl Ulfsson, Lord of Tofta. Karl VIII had three full siblings and several half-siblings but there is little information about them. After Karl’s father died in 1413, when Karl was just five years old, his mother married Sten Turesson Bielke. From his mother’s inheritance, Karl received the estate of Fågelvik Manor in Småland, his residence before he devoted himself to politics. Karl Knutsson traveled abroad, learned foreign languages, ​​and studied the art of war.

In 1428, Karl married Birgitta Turesdotter Bielke (1410 – 1436), the daughter of Ture Stensson Bielke. Birgitta died eight years after her marriage.

Karl and Birgitta had two children:

  • Ture Karlsson Bonde (circa 1430 – before 1447), died in his teens
  • Kristina Karlsdotter Bonde (circa 1432 – 1488), married Erik Eriksson Gyllenstierna, had five children

On October 5, 1438, Karl married Katarina Karlsdotter (1418 – 1450), the daughter of nobleman Karl Ormsson Gumsehuvud. Karl and Katarina had four surviving daughters. In addition, they had four sons and one daughter with unknown names who all died in infancy or early childhood. 32-year-old Queen Katarina died in Stockholm, Sweden on September 7, 1450, one of the many people who died of the bubonic plague that year, the first time it appeared in Stockholm. She was buried at Vadstena Abbey in Vadnesta, Sweden where two of her daughters would serve as nuns.

Children of Karl and Katarina:

  • Margareta Karlsdotter Bonde (1442 – 1462), unmarried
  • Magdalena Karlsdotter Bonde (1445 – 1495), married Ivar Axelsson Tott, no children
  • Richeza Karlsdotter Bonde (circa 1445 – ?), nun at Vadstena Abbey in Vadstena, Sweden
  • Brigitta Karlsdotter Bonde (1446 – 1469), nun at Vadstena Abbey

In 1434, Karl became a member of the Privy Council of Sweden and later that year he became Lord High Constable of Sweden, one of Sweden’s highest positions. Because of the growing dissatisfaction among the Swedish nobility with Eric of Pomerania, who reigned as Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden, Karl was named Military Governor of the Realm in 1436. He then replaced King Eric as the elected Regent of Sweden from 1438 to 1440. Between 1439 and 1441, the nobility of Eric’s three kingdoms deposed him. Christopher of Bavaria, Eric’s nephew, the only child of his sister Catherine of Pomerania,  succeeded him in all three kingdoms as Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

On January 5, 1448, 31-year-old Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden suddenly died. Christopher married 15-year-old Dorothea of Brandenburg in 1445 but the marriage was childless. Christopher’s death without an heir resulted in a succession crisis that temporarily broke up the Kalmar Union which had united the Kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The Danish throne was first offered to Adolphus, Duke of Schleswig, the most prominent feudal lord of the lands subject to Danish sovereignty. Adolphus declined because of his age and recommended his nephew Christian, Count of Oldenburg. In September 1448, Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark and reigned as King Christian I.

However, in Sweden, in June 1448, Karl Knutsson, Lord High Constable of Sweden, was elected King of Sweden and reigned as King Karl VIII during three periods: 1448–1457, 1464–1465, and 1467–1470. During the time between the three periods when King Karl VIII ruled Sweden, some regents ruled Sweden and during 1457 – 1465, King Christian I was King of Sweden. See Unofficial Royalty: Kingdom of Sweden Index for a listing of the regents and their periods of rule.

In 1449, a portion of the Norwegian council elected Karl as King of Norway, and he and Katarina were crowned in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway on November 20, 1449. However, Christian also continued pursuing his claim to Norway.  Norway was now faced with a union with Denmark or Sweden or electing a separate king, an option quickly discarded. The Norwegian Council of the Realm was divided between Christian and Karl but eventually ruled in favor of Karl. After an armed conflict between Denmark and Norway, a joint Danish-Swedish meeting decided that Karl should renounce Norway in favor of King Christian I and that the survivor of the two kings would be recognized as king in all three kingdoms. Karl reluctantly agreed with the decision. King Christian I was crowned King of Norway on August 2, 1450.

Being the king in both Denmark and Norway gave King Christian I a power advantage. However, the wars fought between Christian and Karl beginning in 1452 were not decisive. In 1457, a rebellion against King Karl VIII took place, led by Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson and Swedish nobleman Erik Axelsson Tott. Karl went into exile and the two rebellion leaders organized the election of King Christian I of Denmark as King of Sweden. Karl was able to regain the Swedish throne two more times, from 1464–65 and 1467–1470.

The tomb of King Karl VIII in the foreground and the tomb of King Magnus III Ladulås in the background; Credit – Photo © Susan Flantzer

On May 15, 1470, 62-year-old King Karl VIII died at Tre Kronor Castle (Three Crowns Castle) in Stockholm after a short illness. He was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm where another medieval Swedish king, King Magnus III Ladulås (circa 1240 – 1290), is buried as well as the fifteen Swedish monarchs and their spouses from King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great (died 1632) to King Gustaf V (died 1950).

Karl had two children with his mistress Kristina Abrahamsdotter: a daughter Anna Karlsdotter Bond (circa 1441 – 1469), and a son Karl Karlsson Bonde (1465 – 1488). On an unknown date during the spring of 1470, a few weeks before he died, King Karl VIII married his mistress Kristina Abrahamsdotter, attempting to legitimize their son Karl and have him become the next King of Sweden. However, the Swedish nobility did not recognize the five-year-old Karl as King Karl VIII’s successor. Instead, Sten Sture the Elder, the son of Karl VIII’s half-sister Birgitta Stensdotter Bielke from the second marriage of Karl’s mother to Sten Turesson Bielke, became the Lord Regent of Sweden. He ruled from June 1, 1470 to October 6, 1497, and from November 12, 1501, until he died on December 14, 1503.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). König von Schweden und Norwegen. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_VIII._(Schweden)
  • Bidragsgivare till Wikimedia-projekten. (2005). Katarina Karlsdotter (Gumsehuvud). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katarina_Karlsdotter_(Gumsehuvud)
  • Bidragsgivare till Wikimedia-projekten. (2002). kung av Sverige 1448–1457, 1464–1465 och 1467–1470, Sveriges riksföreståndare 1438–1440 och kung av Norge 1449–1450. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Knutsson_(Bonde)
  • Bidragsytere til Wikimedia-prosjektene. (2005). konge av Sverige og Norge. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_I
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Eric of Pomerania – Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden (Flantzer, Ed.) [Review of Eric of Pomerania – Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eric-of-pomerania-eric-iii-king-of-norway-eric-vii-king-of-denmark-eric-xiii-king-of-sweden/
  • King Charles VIII of Sweden. (2023). Geni_family_tree. https://www.geni.com/people/King-Charles-VIII-of-Sweden/6000000000345666785
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Catherine Karlsdotter. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Karl Knutsson. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

UPDATED: It’s A Girl for Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden

DD.KK.HH. Prins Carl Philip och Prinsessan Sofia, augusti 2024. Photo: The Royal Court of Sweden

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden welcomed their fourth child, a daughter, on Friday, February 7, 2025 at 1:10pm local time.  The baby was born at the Danderyd Hospital in Stockholm.  The Prince and Princess have three older sons, Prince Alexander, Prince Gabriel and Prince Julian. The new Princess is 8th in line for the Swedish throne. 

On Monday, February 10, 2025, the King announced the baby’s name and title – Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silvia of Sweden, Duchess of Västerbotten. In keeping with the King’s 2009 changes to the Royal House, Princess Ines will not hold the style of Royal Highness.

Her given names:

Ines – a name liked by the Prince and Princess
Marie – in honor of Princess Sofia’s mother, Maria Hellqvist
Lilian – in honor of the late Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland
Silvia – in honor of Carl Philip’s mother, Queen Silvia

The title Duke/Duchess of Västerbotten was last granted to King Carl Gustaf’s father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, who died in a plane crash in 1947.

Swedish Royal Court: TRH Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia welcome their fourth child – a daughter

Swedish Royal Court: Princess Ines Marie Lilian Silvia, Duchess of Västerbotten

Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was born Christopher of Bavaria on February 26, 1416, in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, then in Palatinate-Neumarkt, now in the administrative region of the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany. He was the only child of Johan, Count Palatine of Neumarkt and Catherine of Pomerania. Christopher’s paternal grandparents were Rupert, Elector Palatine and Elisabeth of Nuremberg. Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania and Maria of Mecklenburg were his maternal grandparents.

Christopher’s uncle Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Christopher’s maternal uncle, born Bogislaw of Pomerania, the future Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, was taken as a child to Denmark to be raised as the heir to his maternal great-aunt Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden who had no surviving children. Bogislaw’s name was changed to the more Nordic-sounding Eric. When Eric of Pomerania came of age, he was declared co-ruler in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, however, Margarethe I remained the effective ruler of all three kingdoms for the remainder of her life. Margrethe I devised the Kalmar Union, a personal union from 1397 to 1523, in which a single monarch ruled the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including much of present-day Finland), and Norway, together with Norway’s overseas colonies (then including Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland).

On October 28, 1412, 59-year-old Queen Margrethe I died and Eric succeeded his great-aunt as King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. However, Eric’s marriage to Philippa of England was childless. Eric named his cousin Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania the heir presumptive of his three kingdoms. However, the Danish nobility refused to ratify his choice. In response, Eric left Copenhagen and lived at Visborg Castle in Gotland, Sweden’s largest island. Between 1439 and 1441, the nobility of Eric’s three kingdoms deposed him.

After Eric left Copenhagen, the Danish Imperial Council offered Christopher the Kingdom of Denmark and the right to inherit Norway and Sweden. Christopher became Regent of Denmark in July 1439 and was elected King of Denmark in April 1440. The following year he put down a peasant revolt and then traveled to Uppsala, Sweden where he was crowned King of Sweden in September 1441. On January 1, 1443, Christopher was crowned King of Norway.

Christopher’s reign was marked by difficulties related to his election as king. To gain support, Christopher had to make promises that later were difficult to keep and roused anger among the nobility. Christopher had promised the Swedes to return to them the island of Gotland, where the exiled former king, Erik of Pomerania lived in Visborg Castle and supported himself with piracy. Christopher’s negotiations failed, and when complaints were made, he replied frivolously, “My uncle must live too.” In Sweden, Christopher was called the “Bark King” because the people had to mix bark into their bread during a crop failure. In Denmark, there were complaints that Christopher invited too many Bavarians to come to Denmark. Christopher introduced unpopular tithes, a compulsory government tax.

In 1443, Copenhagen was granted a new city charter that prohibited trade in foreign currency. The Hanseatic League cities were not happy about this. In 1445, Christopher was forced to reaffirm the existing rights of the Hanseatic League in Sweden and Norway via a treaty. The treaty also provided for Christopher’s marriage to Dorothea of Brandenburg, the youngest of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Johann IV, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmburg.

Dorothea of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 12, 1445, 15-year-old Dorothea of Brandenburg married 29-year-old Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The marriage was childless and lasted less than three years. On January 5, 1448, 31-year-old Christopher suddenly died at Kärnan Fortress in Helsingborg, Sweden. He is buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. Christopher’s widow Dorothea was proclaimed the regent of Denmark until a new monarch could be elected.

Christopher’s death without an heir resulted in a succession crisis that temporarily broke up the Kalmar Union which had united the Kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The Danish throne was first offered to Duke Adolphus of Schleswig, the most prominent feudal lord of the lands subject to Danish sovereignty. Adolphus declined because of his age and recommended his nephew Christian, Count of Oldenburg, the future King Christian I of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In September 1448, Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark and in 1450, he was elected King of Norway and reigned as King Christian I. However, in Sweden, in June 1448, Karl Knutsson, Lord High Constable of Sweden, was elected King of Sweden and reigned as King Karl VIII during three periods: 1448–1457, 1464–1465, and 1467–1470.

In September 1448, Christian of Oldenburg was elected King of Denmark and reigned as King Christian I. The Danish Council of State made it a condition that Christian marry Dorothea of Brandenburg, Christopher’s widow. Christian I and Dorothea were married on October 26, 1449, and their coronation was held two days later. In 1450, Christian I was elected King of Norway. He also reigned in Sweden from 1457 to 1464. Sweden would not be reunited permanently with Denmark and Norway until Christian I’s son and successor King Hans conquered Sweden in 1497.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). König von Schweden, Dänemark und Norwegen. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoph_III.
  • Christoffer af Bayern. (2025). Wikipedia.org. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoffer_af_Bayern
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021). Dorothea of Brandenburg, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/dorothea-of-brandenburg-queen-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Eric of Pomerania – Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden [Review of Eric of Pomerania – Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eric-of-pomerania-eric-iii-king-of-norway-eric-vii-king-of-denmark-eric-xiii-king-of-sweden/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Queen of Norway, and Queen of Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margrethe-i-queen-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden-2/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Christopher of Bavaria. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

St. Mildred’s Church; Credit – By Mypix at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57460350

The History of St. Mildred’s Church

The fourth church on the site, Saint Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England was where Queen Victoria and her family worshipped when in residence at Osborne House, the beloved home Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built in the Isle of Wight. Queen Victoria’s youngest child Princess Beatrice was married at St. Mildred’s Church and several family members are buried there including Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg.

St. Mildred; Credit – Wikipedia

The church is named after Saint Mildrith (also known as Mildthryth, Mildryth, and Mildred), an Anglo-Saxon Abbess of the Abbey at Minster-in-Thanet, Kent, England, who was born circa 660 and died after 732.

The first church on the site was Anglo-Saxon and there are Anglo-Saxon remains of knights on horseback on the west wall of the church porch. The second church was Norman and is recorded in the 1086 Doomsday Book. In 1804, John Nash, an important architect of the Georgian era and Regency era, rebuilt the church.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House in the Isle of Wight from Lady Isabella Blachford in October 1845. However, they soon realized that the house was too small for their growing family and decided to replace the house with a new, larger residence. The new Osborne House, designed by Prince Albert and Thomas Cubitt, the London architect and builder, was built between 1845 and 1851.

Queen Victoria disliked the St. Mildred’s Church John Nash had built. She did not like the design, thought it was too small, and not private enough. Architect Albert Jenkins Humbert designed a new church with Prince Albert’s input. The chancel of the church was built in 1854 – 1855 and the remainder of the church was constructed in 1861 – 1862. The first service occurred in January 1862, a month after Prince Albert died. A side chapel, originally used by household members at Osborne House, was later made into the Battenberg Chapel after the early death of Princess Beatrice’s husband Prince Henry of Battenberg.

The Interior of St. Mildred’s Church

The Interior of St. Mildred’s Church; Credit – By Whiuppingham church interior, Isle of Wight by Ruth Sharville, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=148194849

Upon entering the church from the South Porch, the baptismal font, designed by Queen Victoria’s sixth child Princess Louise in the 1860s, is on the left. In 1863, Queen Victoria permitted Princess Louise to enroll at The National Art Training School to pursue her interests and she became a very skilled painter and sculptress. Princess Louise also designed the carpet surrounding the baptismal font and then embroidered the carpet with her sister Princess Beatrice and their ladies-in-waiting. In the late 1980s, talented women from St. Mildred’s Church restored the worn carpet.

The baptismal font and rug, both designed by Queen Victoria’s sixth child Princess Louise; Credit – By Basher Eyre, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109283007

The Royal Pew is on the right of the chancel, the space around the altar. King Edward VII ordered pews to be placed in the chancel after his mother died. The pews replaced the plain chairs that were there during Queen Victoria’s reign, however, Queen Victoria’s chair is still there. A statue of St. Mildred is on the left of the high altar. An Anglo-Saxon princess, she was a niece of King Egbert of Kent, and the great-granddaughter of King Aethelbert of Kent.

Rose Window in St. Mildred’s Church; Credit – The Victoria Web

In the two transepts, the area crosswise to the nave, there are rose windows, copies of the rose windows in the Notre-Dame de Paris. In 1856, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert went to Paris, as guests of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French and his wife Eugénie, Empress of the French. Queen Victoria admired the rose windows and asked Prince Albert if she could have a copy in her new church at Whippingham. Prince Albert replied “My darling you may have two” and that is why St. Mildred’s Church has two rose windows.

Tomb of Princess Beatrice and her husband Prince Henry of Battenberg; Credit – By Tedster007 Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69403974

The Battenberg Chapel is opposite the Royal Pew. This was originally the Household Chapel where senior members of the royal household worshipped when in residence at Osborne House. Queen Victoria later made it into a shrine after the death of Prince Henry of Battenberg, Princess Beatrice’s husband. Members of the Battenbeg/Mountbatten family are buried in the Battenberg Chapel.

Royal Events at St. Mildred’s Church

The Marriage of Princess Beatrice by Richard Caton Woodville painted for Queen Victoria. Princess Beatrice is accompanied to the altar by her brother the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria. Her nieces were bridesmaids, but only eight out of the total of ten are shown in the painting; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

July 23, 1885 – Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg

In 1884, Prince Henry’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the eldest child of Queen Victoria’s deceased third child Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine. Of course, Henry attended the wedding in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine and so did the bride’s aunt, Princess Beatrice. Queen Victoria expected that Beatrice would never marry and would remain her personal assistant and secretary. However, during the wedding celebrations, Henry and Beatrice fell in love. When Beatrice told her mother of her desire to marry Henry, Queen Victoria did not speak to Beatrice for seven months. Eventually, the Queen realized that Beatrice would not back down and with some persuasion from the Prince of Wales, Princess Alice’s widower Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Prince Henry’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg, Queen Victoria decided to allow the marriage with several conditions: Henry must renounce his military career, his nationality, and his home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen.

A copy of Princess Beatrice’s wedding dress is on display in the South Transept along with details of the wedding breakfast and photographs.

February 5, 1896 – Funeral of Prince Henry of Battenberg

Beatrice and Henry kept their promise and lived with Queen Victoria and Beatrice remained her full-time confidante and secretary. Henry was often bored by the lack of activity and to give him more to do, Queen Victoria appointed him Governor of Carisbrooke Castle and Captain-General and Governor of the Isle of Wight in 1889, Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army in 1887, Colonel in 1893, and a member of the Privy Council in 1894.

In November 1895, Henry persuaded Queen Victoria to allow him to go to West Africa to fight in the Anglo-Ashanti Wars. Henry arrived in Africa on Christmas Day 1895. By January 10, 1896, Henry was sick with malaria and it was decided to send him back to England. Henry died aboard the ship HMS Blonde off the coast of Sierra Leone on January 20, 1896, at the age of 37.

Burials in Battenberg Chapel

Burials in the Churchyard of Battenberg Chapel

Memorials in Battenberg Chapel Commemorating members of Queen Victoria’s Family and Household

Chancel

Reredos, a gift from King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria; Credit – By John Salmon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13870606

  • Queen Victoria (died 1901) Reredos (a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar) presented by her son and heir King Edward VII.

North Transept

Memorial to Sir Henry Ponsonby; Credit – by Basher Eyre, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109285627

Memorial to Lord Henry Seymour-Conway; Credit – By Basher Eyre, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109285729

  • Lord Henry Seymour-Conway (died 1830) lived at his estate at Norris Castle in the Isle of Wight, where he experimented with the use of seaweed as a fertilizer.
  • William Arnold (died 1801) Collector of His Majesty’s Customs
  • Reverand Matthew Arnold, a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and Military Chaplain, drowned at the age of 35

South Transept

West Wall

Memorial to Prince Albert, The Prince Consort; Credit – By Tedster007 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69403972

  • Prince Albert, The Prince Consort (died 1861) Sir William Jenner, one of Prince Albert’s doctors, diagnosed his final illness as typhoid fever. Albert’s modern biographers have argued that the diagnosis is incorrect. Albert had been complaining of stomach pains for two years and this may indicate that he died of some chronic disease, perhaps complications from Crohn’s disease, kidney failure, or cancer.

South Wall

  • Prince Sigismund of Prussia (died 1866), died from meningitis at 21 months, grandson of Queen Victoria, son of Victoria, Princess Royal

Memorial to Princess Alice; Photograph by Jacqueline Banerjee; The Victorian Web

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Hudson, T. (2022). Wootton Bridge Historical – Whippingham – St Mildred Church Tour. Woottonbridgeiow.org.uk. https://woottonbridgeiow.org.uk/stmildredchurch.php
  • Queen Victoria’s Church (St. Mildred’s) – EAST COWES. (2015). Visit Isle of Wight. https://www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/things-to-do/queen-victorias-church-st-mildreds-p1069381
  • St Mildred’s Church, Whippingham (2024). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mildred%27s_Church,_Whippingham
  • St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham, Isle of Wight – Contents. (2025). Whippinghamchurch.org.uk. https://whippinghamchurch.org.uk/contents.htm
  • St Mildred, Whippingham, rebuilt by A. J. Humbert (1821-1877), in collaboration with Prince Albert: Interior. (2017). Victorianweb.org. https://victorianweb.org/art/architecture/humbert/4.html
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Mildrith. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Breaking News: A second daughter for Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook Page

Buckingham Palace has announced that Princess Beatrice gave birth to her second child, a daughter, a week ago. Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi was born on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 12:57 PM at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. The baby was several weeks premature and weighed 4 pounds and 5 ounces, but is said to be healthy and doing well. Athena has an elder sister Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, born September 18,  2021.

Princess Beatrice, the elder of the two daughters of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, is ninth in the line of succession to the British throne, followed by her elder daughter Sienna (tenth in line) and her younger daughter Athena (eleventh in line).

On September 26, 2019, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Princess Beatrice to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Beatrice and Edoardo’s wedding, scheduled for May 29, 2020, was postponed due to the Covid Pandemic. Beatrice and Edoardo were married in a private ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, on the grounds of Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, on July 17, 2020.

Eric of Pomerania – Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII, King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Eric of Pomerania, King of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Eric of Pomerania was King of the three Scandinavian kingdoms as King Eric III of Norway (1389 – 1442), King Eric VII of Denmark (1396 – 1439), and King Eric XIII of Sweden (1396 – 1434, 1436 – 1439). However, he was deposed in all three kingdoms. Eric was born in 1381 or 1382 as Bogislaw of Pomerania at Darłowo Castle in Rügenwalde, Duchy of Pomerania, now Darłowo, Poland. He was the elder of the two children and the only son of Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania and Maria of Mecklenburg. Eric’s paternal grandparents were Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania and Adelheid of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. Heinrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg and Ingeborg of Denmark, the eldest daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark, were his maternal grandparents.

Eric’s parents Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania and Maria of Mecklenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Eric had one sister:

Eric’s maternal grandmother Ingeborg of Denmark was the sister of Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark (1387 – 1412), Queen of Norway (1388 – 1412), and Queen of Sweden (1389 – 1412). Ingeborg was the only one of Margrethe’s five siblings to marry and have children. Margrethe I’s only child Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway (1370 – 1387), died in his teens and had no heirs. After her son’s death Margrethe was named Queen of Denmark and Queen of Norway. In 1389, Queen Margrethe I replaced the unpopular King Albert of Sweden when the Swedish noble rose against him.

Statue of Eric of Pomerania with Queen Margrethe I in Viborg, Denmark; Credit – By Oleryhlolsson – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86745447

In 1389, Margrethe I brought seven or eight-year-old Bogislaw to Denmark to be raised as a Dane. Bogislaw’s name was changed to the more Nordic-sounding Eric. When Eric came of age, he was declared co-ruler in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, however, Margarethe I remained the effective ruler of all three kingdoms for the remainder of her life. Margrethe devised the Kalmar Union, a personal union from 1397 to 1523, in which a single monarch ruled the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including much of present-day Finland), and Norway, together with Norway’s overseas colonies (then including Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland).

Queen Philippa, painted in the in the 1590s by Cornelius Krommeny; Credit – Wikipedia

Early in his reign, King Henry IV of England tried to negotiate an alliance between England and the Kalmar Union. He suggested a marriage between two of his children, his eldest son and heir, the future King Henry V of England, and his daughter Philippa of England, with Margrethe I’s great-niece and great-nephew, Catherine of Pomerania and Eric of Pomerania. Terms for the marriages were not agreed upon at that time, however, in 1405, a marriage between Philippa and Eric of Pomerania was arranged. Eleven-year-old Philippa was married by proxy to 24-year-old Eric on November 26, 1405, at Westminster Abbey in London. Philippa was formally proclaimed Queen of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in London, England on December 8, 1405, in the presence of the Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian ambassadors.

In August 1406, Philippa left England to travel to Sweden and married Eric of Pomerania in person on October 26, 1406, at Lund Cathedral in Lund, Sweden. Documentation from the wedding indicates that Philippa wore a tunic with a cloak in white silk bordered with gray squirrel and ermine, making her the first documented princess to wear a white wedding dress. On November 1, 1406, Philippa was crowned Queen of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

On October 28, 1412, 59-year-old Queen Margrethe I died aboard her ship docked in the harbor at Flensburg, then in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Several possible causes of Margrethe’s death have been discussed over the years including the bubonic plague and poisoning by her co-ruler and great-nephew Eric, who became sole King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden when Margrethe died.

In 1417, Eric made Copenhagen a royal possession assuring its status as the capital of Denmark. He also took away Copenhagen Castle from the Bishop of Roskilde, and the castle became his primary residence. During Eric’s reign, he had many conflicts with the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe,  the Teutonic Order, a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society, and the Schauenburg Counts of Holstein. The tax burden related to these conflicts caused discontent among Eric’s subjects, particularly in Sweden.

Eric went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from 1423 – 1425. While he was away, his wife Philippa was regent for Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. After Eric returned from his pilgrimage, Philippa continued her commitment to the kingdoms. She resolved disputes among her subjects, and organized and successfully defended Copenhagen against attacking forces from the Hanseatic League cities.

Philippa by Reinhold Callmander on a window above her grave, 1890s; By Mariusz Paździora (photo); Reinhold Callmander (painting) – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6100584

After twenty-three years of marriage, Philippa gave birth, for the first and last time, to a stillborn boy in 1429. Her health deteriorated after the stillbirth and during a visit to Vadstena Abbey in Stockholm, Sweden, Philippa died on January 5, 1430, at the age of 35. Her death was a great loss to Eric and the monarchy. She was buried in St. Anna’s Chapel, which she had built at the Vadstena Abbey church. In Philippa’s memory, Eric gave a generous sum of money to Vadstena Abbey. In return, he demanded that the abbey employ ten priests to pray and sing psalms continually for Philippa’s soul. After Philippa’s death, Eric had a relationship and eventually, a morganatic marriage, with Cecilia, Philippa’s former lady-in-waiting,

Visborg Castle in an early 17th-century drawing; Credit – Wikipedia

With no children to succeed him, Eric named his cousin Bogislaw IX, Duke of Pomerania as his heir presumptive of his three kingdoms. However, the Danish nobility refused to ratify his choice. In response, Eric left Copenhagen and lived at Visborg Castle in Gotland, Sweden’s largest island. Between 1439 and 1441, the nobility of Eric’s three kingdoms deposed him. Christopher of Bavaria, Eric’s nephew, the only child of his sister Catherine succeeded him in all three kingdoms.

Darlowo Castle, now in Darłowo, Poland, where Erik was born and died; Credit – Wikipedia

For ten years, Eric lived in Gotland and supported himself by piracy. After Swedish attacks in 1449, he was forced to surrender Visborg Castle to Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and return to his birthplace Rügenwalde in the Duchy of Pomerania. From 1449 to 1459, Eric ruled Pomerania-Rügenwalde, a small partition of the Duchy of Pomerania-Stolp. Erik died at his birthplace, Darłowo Castle in Rügenwalde, Duchy of Pomerania, now Darłowo, Poland, on September 24, 1459, aged 77-78, and was buried in St. Mary Church in Darłowo.

Eric’s tomb in St. Mary Church in Darłowo, Poland; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2004). König der Kalmarer Union, Herzog von Pommern-Stolp. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_VII._(D%C3%A4nemark)
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Norge, Danmark og Sverige (1382-1459). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_af_Pommern
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Queen of Norway, and Queen of Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margrethe-i-queen-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden-2/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2017). Philippa of England, Queen of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/philippa-of-england-queen-of-denmark-sweden-and-norway/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Eric of Pomerania. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_of_Pomerania
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Wartislaw VII, Duke of Pomerania. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Haakon VI, King of Norway, King of Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

The royal seal of King Haakon; Credit – Wikipedia

Haakon VI was King of Norway from 1343 to 1380 and King of Sweden from 1362 to 1364, and the husband of Margrethe I, the reigning Queen of Denmark (1387 – 1412), Norway (1388 – 1412), and Sweden (1389 – 1412) after his death. Haakon’s exact birth date and place of birth are unknown. He was possibly born in mid-August 1340, most likely in Sweden. Haakon was the second of the two sons of Magnus Eriksson, King of Sweden and King of Norway and Blanche of Namur. Haakon’s father was King Magnus VII of Norway but medieval Swedish kings did not use regnal numbers as part of their title. Haakon’s paternal grandparents were the Swedish Eric, Duke of Södermanland and the Norwegian Ingeborg Haakonsdatter. His maternal grandparents were John I, Count of Namur and Marie of Artois.

Queen Blanche of Sweden, and Prince Haakon, 1877 historical painting by Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt; Credit – Wikipedia

Haakon’s mother Queen Blanche is remembered in Sweden for the song: “Rida rida ranka, hästen heter Blanka” (“Ride, ride on my knee, the horse is called Blanka”), which influenced the famous 1877 historical painting of Blanche and her son Haakon by Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt.

Haakon had one elder brother Eric Magnusson (1339 – 1359) and at least three unknown sisters who died in infancy or early childhood. Eric married Beatrix of Bavaria. The couple had no surviving children and both Erik and Beatrix died in 1359, probably from the black plague.

When Haakon was born, his father Magnus decided to divide his kingdoms between his sons. Eric was designated to succeed his father as King of Sweden, while Haakon would become King of Norway. Haakon had become a very young King of Norway in 1343. Opposition to Magnus’ rule in Norway led to an agreement between Magnus and the Norwegian nobles. Haakon would become King of Norway, with Magnus as regent during his minority. In 1344, Haakon’s five-year-old brother Eric was formally elected King of Sweden and co-reigned with his father. In 1362, three years after Eric’s death, Haakon became co-ruler of Sweden with his father. The two reigned over Sweden together until 1364, when they were deposed in favor of Magnus’ nephew Albert III, Duke of Mecklenburg by a group of exiled Swedish noblemen. Magnus and Haakon tried to retake the Swedish throne but were unsuccessful. With no throne, Magnus lived with his son Haakon in Norway. On 1 December 1, 1374, Haakon’s father Magnus, aged 58, drowned in a shipwreck in Bømlafjorden, a fjord in Norway.

Margrethe’s effigy on her tomb at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1359, King Valdemar IV of Denmark betrothed his six-year-old daughter Margrethe of Denmark to eighteen-year-old King Haakon VI of Norway as part of an alliance treaty. Four years later, on April 9, 1363, King Haakon VI and Margrethe were married at Copenhagen Cathedral in Denmark. Haakon’s parents Magnus Eriksson and Blanche attended the wedding. Shortly after the wedding, Blanche fell ill and died. The cause of death and the place where she is buried are unknown.

Ten-year-old Margrethe, now Queen Consort of Norway and Sweden, remained in Denmark for some time after the wedding. Eventually, she moved to Norway and lived primarily at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Margrethe was too young for the marriage to be consummated. She spent her time getting acclimated to Norway and preparing for her duties as Queen Consort.

Haakon and Margrethe’s son Olaf who was King of Denmark and King of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Margrethe and Haakon VI had one son, born at Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Norway:

Margrethe’s father Valdemar IV, King of Denmark died on October 24, 1375, and Margrethe was the only survivor of his six children. It was expected Albrecht IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the son of Ingeborg of Denmark, Valdemar IV’s eldest child who survived childhood and had children, would claim the Danish throne. However, Margrethe managed to win over the Danish royal council by offering them lucrative grants and agreements. She also won the support of the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in central and northern Europe, which did not want the House of Mecklenburg to gain power in Denmark. On May 3, 1376, Haakon and Margrethe’s five-year-old son Olaf was proclaimed King of Denmark with his mother Margrethe acting as Regent of Denmark because of her son’s young age.

The ruins of St. Mary’s Church in Oslo where King Haakon VI was buried; Credit – By Grzegorz Wysocki Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2827853

Haakon never stopped attempting to reclaim the Swedish throne. He was exhausted by the constant warfare and the conflict with his cousin Albert of Mecklenburg who had been King of Sweden since 1364. On September 11, 1380, forty-year-old King Haakon VI of Norway died in Oslo, Norway, and was buried at St. Mary’s Church in Oslo which now lies in ruins. Haakon’s ten-year-old son Olaf, King of Denmark was now also King of Norway, and his mother Margrethe, Regent of Denmark, was also Regent of Norway. With Olaf’s accession to the throne of Norway, 434 years of a Danish-Norwegian union began.

On August 3, 1387, Haakon and Margrethe’s sixteen-year-old son Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway died. During her son’s reign, Margrethe had been a very capable Regent of Denmark and Norway. After her son’s death, she used all her diplomatic skills and was named Queen of Denmark on August 10, 1387, and Queen of Norway on February 2, 1388. Margrethe joined forces with the Swedish nobles who rose against the unpopular King Albert of Sweden, Haakon’s cousin who had taken the Swedish throne in 1364, when he attempted to reduce the land holdings of the Swedish nobility. At a meeting at Dalaborg Castle in Sweden in March 1388, the Swedish nobles proclaimed Margrethe to be Sweden’s “sovereign lady and rightful ruler”. Margrethe sent troops to Sweden and on February 24, 1389, they defeated King Albert of Sweden at the Battle of Åsle, something that Haakon had never been able to do.

Margrethe was now the reigning Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She was the founder of the Kalmar Union which united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under a single monarch from 1397 – 1523. Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was called “the first great ruling queen in European history” by Norwegian-American author, historian, and college professor Knut Gjerset. Because Queen Margrethe I had no living children, she adopted her great-nephew Eric of Pomerania. When Eric came of age, he was declared co-ruler in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, however, Margrethe remained the effective ruler of all three kingdoms for the remainder of her life. Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden survived her husband by thirty-two years, dying on October 28, 1412, aged fifty-nine. She was interred in Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsytere til Wikimedia-prosjektene. (2004). Konge av Sverige og Norge. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A5kon_VI_Magnusson
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/margrethe-i-queen-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden-2/
  • Magnus IV of Sweden. (2023). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_IV_of_Sweden
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Blanche of Namur. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Haakon VI. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Effigy of Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

I first came across Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in 2011, when I visited Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark, the burial site of most Danish monarchs and their spouses. Her tomb there with its beautiful effigy and wonderful carvings is my favorite royal tomb. The founder of the Kalmar Union which united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under a single monarch from 1397 – 1523, Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was called “the first great ruling queen in European history” by Norwegian-American author, historian, and college professor Knut Gjerset.

Margrethe held various titles at certain points during her life:

  • Queen Consort of Sweden: 1363 – 1364
  • Queen Consort of Norway: 1363 – 1380
  • Regent of Denmark (for her son): 1376 – 1387
  • Regent of Norway (for her son): 1380 – 1387
  • Sovereign Queen of Denmark: 1387 – 1412
  • Sovereign Queen of Norway: 1388 – 1412
  • Sovereign Queen of Sweden: 1389 – 1412

Margrethe’s father Valdemar IV, King of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

The youngest of the six children and the youngest of the four daughters of Valdemar IV, King of Denmark and Helvig of Schleswig, Margrethe was born in March 1353 in Søborg Castle in Denmark.

Margrethe had five elder siblings but at the time of her birth, three siblings had died.

Margrethe’s mother Queen Helvig; Credit – Wikipedia

Margrethe grew up at her father’s court at his many castles including Copenhagen Castle, Søborg Castle, Vordingborg Castle, Kalundborg Castle, Roskilde Castle, and his hunting seat Gurre Castle. In 1355, Margrethe’s mother Queen Helvig entered Esrum Abbey as a lay sister after being replaced by her husband’s mistress Tove. Queen Helvig died circa 1374 and was buried at Esrum Abbey.

Seal of King Haakon VI of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1359, King Valdemar IV of Denmark betrothed his six-year-old daughter Margrethe to eighteen-year-old King Haakon VI of Norway, a younger son of Magnus Eriksson, King of Norway and Sweden, as part of an alliance treaty. Margrethe and King Haakon VI were married at Copenhagen Cathedral in Denmark on April 9, 1363.

When Margrethe’s husband Haakon was born, his father Magnus Eriksson, King of Norway and Sweden decided to divide his kingdoms between his sons. The elder son Eric was designated to succeed his father as King of Sweden, while Haakon would become King of Norway. By 1343, three-year-old Haakon had become King of Norway. Opposition to Magnus’ rule in Norway led to an agreement between Magnus and the Norwegian nobles. In violation of the Norwegian laws on royal inheritance, Haakon would become King of Norway, with Magnus as regent during his minority. In 1344, five-year-old Eric was formally elected King of Sweden and co-reigned with his father. Three years after Eric died in 1359, Haakon became co-ruler of Sweden with his father. The two reigned over Sweden together until 1364, when they were deposed in favor of Magnus’ nephew, Albert III, Duke of Mecklenburg by a group of exiled Swedish noblemen. Magnus and Haakon tried to retake the Swedish throne but were unsuccessful.

Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Norway where Margrethe spent the early years of her marriage; Credit – By Ghirlandajo – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42021733

Ten-year-old Margrethe remained in Denmark for some time after the wedding. Eventually, she moved to Norway and lived primarily at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Margrethe was too young for the marriage to be consummated. Her governess was Swedish noblewoman Merete Ulvsdatter, a daughter of Saint Birgitta of Sweden. Margrethe was raised with Merte Ulvsdatter’s daughters Ingegerd and Katrine, who became her closest friends. She spent her time getting acclimated to Norway and preparing for her duties as Queen Consort.

Margrethe and Haakon VI had one son who was born at Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Norway:

Margrethe’s son Olaf who was King of Denmark and King of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Margrethe’s father Valdemar IV, King of Denmark died on October 24, 1375, and Margrethe was the only survivor of his six children. It was expected that Duke Albert IV of Mecklenburg, the son of Ingeborg of Denmark, Valdemar IV’s eldest child who survived childhood and had children,  would claim the Danish throne. However, Margrethe managed to win over the Danish royal council by offering them lucrative grants and agreements. She also won the support of the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in central and northern Europe, which did not want the House of Mecklenburg to gain power in Denmark. On May 3, 1376, Margrethe’s five-year-old son Olaf was proclaimed King of Denmark with his mother Margrethe acting as Regent of Denmark because of her son’s young age. A little more than four years later, on September 11, 1380, Margrethe’s husband King Haakon VI of Norway died. Their ten-year-old son Olaf was now also King of Norway, and his mother Margrethe was also Regent of Norway. With Olaf’s accession to the throne of Norway, 434 years of a Danish-Norwegian union began.

On August 3, 1387, Margrethe’s sixteen-year-old son Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway died. He was buried at Sorø Abbey, a Benedictine Abbey on the island of Zealand in Denmark, where Margrethe’s father King Valdemar IV of Denmark was buried. There were unproven rumors that Olaf was poisoned. In 2015, Jørgen Lange Thomsen, a forensic scientist, proposed a theory Olaf died from Brugada Syndrome, a genetic disorder. See Copenhagen Post: Mystery of Danish king deaths fosters new theory.

During her son’s reign, Margrethe had been a very capable Regent of Denmark and Norway. After her son’s death, she used all her diplomatic skills and was named Queen of Denmark on August 10, 1387, and Queen of Norway on February 2, 1388. Margrethe joined forces with the Swedish nobles who rose against the unpopular King Albert of Sweden, Haakon’s cousin who had taken the Swedish throne in 1364, when he attempted to reduce the land holdings of the Swedish nobility. At a meeting at Dalaborg Castle in Sweden in March 1388, the Swedish nobles proclaimed Margrethe to be Sweden’s “sovereign lady and rightful ruler”. Margrethe sent troops to Sweden and on February 24, 1389, they defeated King Albert of Sweden at the Battle of Åsle.

Statue of Queen Margrethe I and her great-nephew Eric of Pomerania in Viborg, Denmark; Credit – By Oleryhlolsson – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86745447

Because Queen Margrethe I had no living children, she adopted her great-nephew Eric of Pomerania (Unofficial Royalty article coming). When Eric came of age, he was declared co-ruler in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, however, Margarethe remained the effective ruler of all three kingdoms for the remainder of her life.

Margrethe devised the Kalmar Union, a personal union from 1397 to 1523, in which a single monarch ruled the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including much of present-day Finland), and Norway, together with Norway’s overseas colonies (then including Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland).

Margrethe was in constant conflict with the neighboring Duchy of Schleswig. In 1412, Margrethe successfully took the border city of Flensburg, then in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. In October 1412, Margrethe and her co-ruler and great-nephew Eric set sail to Flensburg to have the local citizens swear an oath of loyalty to them. After attending several meetings, Margrethe boarded her ship docked in the Flensburg harbor intending to set sail back to Denmark. However, she suddenly became violently ill. Suspecting that she was dying, Margrethe ordered thirty-seven marks to be paid to a nearby monastery for perpetual Masses for her soul. On October 28, 1412, 59-year-old Margrethe died aboard her ship docked in Flensburg harbor. Several possible causes of Margrethe’s death have been discussed over the years including the bubonic plague and poisoning by her co-ruler and great-nephew Eric, who became sole King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden when Margrethe died.

Roskilde Cathedral where Queen Margrethe I is buried; Photo Credit © Susan Flantzer

Queen Margrethe I wished to be buried at Sorø Abbey, a Benedictine abbey on the island of Zealand in Denmark where her father King Valdemar IV of Denmark and her son Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway were buried. In 1413, the year after she died, Peder Jensen Lodehat, Bishop of Roskilde ordered her remains to be transferred to Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark, probably to give Roskilde Cathedral greater importance. There were several earlier royal burials at Roskilde Cathedral. Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark and Norway (died circa 985 – 986), who introduced Christianity to Denmark, was buried at the Holy Trinity Church, the wooden, first church on the site where Roskilde Cathedral now stands. His son Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway, and England (963 – 1014) was first buried in England and his remains were later moved to Denmark where they were interred near his father at the Holy Trinity Church. However, their tombs have never been found. Sweyn II Ertridsen, King of Denmark (1019 – 1076) was interred in the southeastern pier of Roskilde Cathedral. A pier is similar to a column and is designed to support arches.

Tomb of Margrethe I; Photo Credit © Susan Flantzer

Queen Margrethe I was interred in a sarcophagus behind the high altar. Her beautiful sarcophagus was made by German sculptor Johannes Junge (link in German) in 1423. The sarcophagus is made of black marble. On the sarcophagus is a life-sized effigy of Queen Margrethe I made of white alabaster. The reliefs on the sides of the sarcophagus are also made of white alabaster. Margrethe left property to Roskilde Cathedral on the condition that Masses for her soul would be said regularly in the future. This was discontinued in 1536 during the Protestant Reformation although a special bell is still rung twice daily in memory of Queen Margrethe I.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2006). Margarethe I. (1353-1412). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarethe_I.
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Margarete I Regent af Danmark 1375-1412. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margrete_1.
  • Flantzer, Susan. Danish Royal Burial Sites. (2012). Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/danish-royal-burial-sites/
  • ‌Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/olaf-ii-king-of-denmark-olav-iv-king-of-norway/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2021). Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/roskilde-cathedral-in-roskilde-denmark/
  • Margaret I of Denmark. (2023). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_I_of_Denmark
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Haakon VI. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olav IV, King of Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Olaf II, King of Denmark from 1376 to 1387, and also Olaf IV, King of Norway from 1380 to 1387, was the only child of two sovereigns, King Haakon VI of Norway and Sweden and the future Queen Margrethe I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. He was born in 1370 at the Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Norway. Olaf’s paternal grandparents were Magnus Eriksson, King of Norway and Sweden and Blanche of Namur. His maternal grandparents were Valdemar IV, King of Denmark and Helvig of Schleswig.

Olaf’s very capable mother Margrethe of Denmark, later Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Olaf’s maternal grandfather Valdemar IV, King of Denmark died on October 24, 1375. Valdemar IV had two sons and four daughters but all had predeceased him except his youngest daughter Margrethe, Olaf’s mother. It was expected that Duke Albert IV of Mecklenburg, the son of Valdemar IV’s eldest child (who survived childhood and had children) Ingeborg of Denmark would claim the Danish throne. However, Margrethe managed to win over the Danish royal council by offering them lucrative grants and agreements. She also won the support of the Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in central and northern Europe, which did not want the House of Mecklenburg to gain power in Denmark. On May 3, 1376, five-year-old Olaf was proclaimed King of Denmark with his mother Margrethe acting as Regent of Denmark because of her son’s young age from May 3, 1376, until his early death on August 3, 1387.

A little more than four years later, on September 11, 1380, Olaf’s father King Haakon VI of Norway died. Ten-year-old Olaf was now also King of Norway, and his mother Margrethe was also Regent of Norway. With Olaf’s accession to the throne of Norway, 434 years of a Danish-Norwegian union began. After Olaf, no King of Norway would be born on Norwegian soil for 567 years, until King Harald V, born in 1937, became King of Norway in 1991.

Remains of the tombstone of King Olaf II at Sorø Abbey; Credit – Von Orf3us – Eigenes Werk, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16134679

On August 3, 1387, at Falsterbohus in Falsterbo, Sweden, Olaf II, King of Denmark/Olaf IV, King of Norway died, aged sixteen years old. He was buried at Sorø Abbey, a Benedictine Abbey on the island of Zealand in Denmark. There were unproven rumors that Olaf was poisoned. In 2015, Jørgen Lange Thomsen, a forensic scientist, proposed a theory Olaf II died from Brugada Syndrome, a genetic disorder. See Copenhagen Post: Mystery of Danish king deaths fosters new theory.

After her son’s death, Margrethe, who had been a very capable Regent of Denmark and Norway, reigned as Queen Margrethe I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden for twenty-five years. She was the founder of the Kalmar Union in which Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were ruled together under one monarch from 1397 until 1523 when Sweden seceded and became its own kingdom.

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Works Cited

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