1.
Nobility
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The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be largely honorary, and vary from country to country and era to era. There is often a variety of ranks within the noble class. g, san Marino and the Vatican City in Europe. Hereditary titles often distinguish nobles from non-nobles, although in many nations most of the nobility have been un-titled, some countries have had non-hereditary nobility, such as the Empire of Brazil. The term derives from Latin nobilitas, the noun of the adjective nobilis. In modern usage, nobility is applied to the highest social class in pre-modern societies and it rapidly came to be seen as a hereditary caste, sometimes associated with a right to bear a hereditary title and, for example in pre-revolutionary France, enjoying fiscal and other privileges. Nobility is a historical, social and often legal notion, differing from high socio-economic status in that the latter is based on income. Being wealthy or influential cannot, ipso facto, make one noble, various republics, including former Iron Curtain countries, Greece, Mexico, and Austria have expressly abolished the conferral and use of titles of nobility for their citizens. Not all of the benefits of nobility derived from noble status per se, usually privileges were granted or recognised by the monarch in association with possession of a specific title, office or estate. Most nobles wealth derived from one or more estates, large or small and it also included infrastructure such as castle, well and mill to which local peasants were allowed some access, although often at a price. Nobles were expected to live nobly, that is, from the proceeds of these possessions, work involving manual labour or subordination to those of lower rank was either forbidden or frowned upon socially. In some countries, the lord could impose restrictions on such a commoners movements. Nobles exclusively enjoyed the privilege of hunting, in France, nobles were exempt from paying the taille, the major direct tax. In some parts of Europe the right of war long remained the privilege of every noble. During the early Renaissance, duelling established the status of a respectable gentleman, Nobility came to be associated with social rather than legal privilege, expressed in a general expectation of deference from those of lower rank. By the 21st century even that deference had become increasingly minimised, in France, a seigneurie might include one or more manors surrounded by land and villages subject to a nobles prerogatives and disposition. Seigneuries could be bought, sold or mortgaged, if erected by the crown into, e. g. a barony or countship, it became legally entailed for a specific family, which could use it as their title. Yet most French nobles were untitled, in other parts of Europe, sovereign rulers arrogated to themselves the exclusive prerogative to act as fons honorum within their realms. Nobility might be inherited or conferred by a fons honorum
2.
Ingeborg Haakonsdatter
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In 1318-1319, she was Swedens de facto ruler, and from 1319 until 1326, she was Swedens first de jure female regent. Ingeborg was born as the legitimate daughter of King Håkon V of Norway from his marriage with Euphemia of Rügen. As a child, she was first betrothed to Magnus Birgerson, in 1312, Ingeborg and Eric were formally married in a double wedding in Oslo, at the same time, her cousin Ingeborg Eriksdottir of Norway, married Erics brother duke Valdemar Magnusson. At her wedding, her mother Queen Euphemia had published the recently translated famous poems, the couple had two children before Duke Eric was murdered. Upon the imprisonment of her spouse and her brother-in-law, she and her cousin and sister-in-law, Ingeborg Eriksdottir, later the same year, their husbands were confirmed to have died. Her son Magnus VII of Norway, at the age of 3, was proclaimed king of Norway upon her fathers death, Ingeborg was recognized as formal regent of her son in Norway. Duchess Ingeborg held her own court at her residence in Varberg, the exact position of Ingeborg in the regency council is hard to define properly due to the documentation. Mats Kettilumndsson, her ally, presided over the Swedish regency council alongside the two Duchesses Ingeborg, Ingeborg Håkansdotter and her cousin and sister-in-law Ingeborg Eriksdottir, Magnus, already King of Norway, was elected King of Sweden with the approval of the Norwegian council in her presence. Ingeborg was the one with a seat in both the Swedish and the Norwegian minor regency and council of state. She was the independent reigning duchess of her own fiefs, which were autonomous under her rule, Ingeborgs position at court was not well-defined, she was the Kings Mother, but without being a dowager Queen. She was criticized for her way of conducting her own politics without the counsel of the Swedish and Norwegian councils,1 October 1320, she liberated Riga from its debts in her name on behalf of her son. She was known to large donations to her supporters. Canute Porse had been one of the supporters of her spouse and was appointed governor of Varberg, Ingeborg surrounded herself with young foreign men, thought to affect her politics, of which Canute was the most known. Ingeborg and Canute had the ambition to make the then Danish Scania a part of her possessions, in 1321, Ingeborg arranged a marriage with her daughter Euphemia and Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg. The marriage was arranged with the terms that Mecklenburg, Saxony, Holstein, Rendsburg and this was approved by the council of Norway but not Sweden. To finance the invasion, Ingeborg took a loan from Stralsund with free trade in Sweden, when Ingeborgs forces under command of Canute invaded Scania in 1322-23, Mecklenburg betrayed her to Denmark and the alliance was broken. In 1323, Ingeborg was forced to accept the terms and give up several of her strategical castles,20 February 1323, also the Norwegian regency council rebelled against Ingeborg. She was accused of misusing the royal seal, to have broken the peace with Denmark and for greater costs, after 1323, Ingeborgs power was limited to what was approved by votes in the councils, which in practice had deposed her
3.
Magnus IV of Sweden
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Magnus IV was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII from 1319 to 1343, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By adversaries he has been called Magnus Smek, referring to Magnus Eriksson as Magnus II is incorrect. The Swedish Royal Court lists three Swedish kings before him of the same name, Magnus was born in Norway in April or May 1316 to Eric, Duke of Södermanland and Ingeborg, a daughter of Haakon V of Norway. Magnus was elected king of Sweden on 8 July 1319, under the regencies of his grandmother, Helwig of Holstein, and his mother, Ingeborg of Norway, the countries were ruled by Knut Jonsson and Erling Vidkunsson. Magnus was declared to have come of age at 15 in 1331 and this provoked resistance in Norway, where a statute from 1302 stipulated that a king came of age at the age of 20, and a rising by Erling Vidkunsson and other Norwegian nobles ensued. In 1333, the rebels submitted to King Magnus, in 1332 the King of Denmark, Christopher II, died as a king without a country after he and his older brother and predecessor had pawned Denmark piece by piece. King Magnus took advantage of his neighbours distress, redeeming the pawn for the eastern Danish provinces for a amount of silver. On 21 July 1336 Magnus was crowned king of both Norway and Sweden in Stockholm and this caused further resentment in Norway, where the nobles and magnates desired a separate Norwegian coronation. A second rising by members of the nobility of Norway ensued in 1338. In 1335 he married Blanche of Namur, daughter of John I, Marquis of Namur, and Marie of Artois, the wedding took place in October or early November 1335, possibly at Bohus castle. As a wedding gift Blanche received the province of Tunsberg in Norway and they had two sons, Eric and Haakon, plus at least three daughters who died in infancy and were buried at Ås Abbey. Opposition to Magnus rule in Norway led to a settlement between the king and the Norwegian nobility at Varberg on 15 August 1343, in violation of the Norwegian laws on royal inheritance, Magnus younger son Haakon would become king of Norway, with Magnus as regent during his minority. Later the same year, it was declared that Magnus older son, thus, the union between Norway and Sweden would be severed. This occurred when Haakon came of age in 1355, on 12 August 1323, Magnus concluded the first treaty between Sweden and Novgorod at Nöteborg where Lake Ladoga empties into the Neva River. The treaty delineated spheres of influence among the Finns and Karelians and was supposed to be an eternal peace, but Magnus relations with Russia were not so peaceful. In 1337, religious strife between Orthodox Karelians and the Swedes led to a Swedish attack on the town of Korela and Viborg, a Swedish commander named Sten also captured the fortress at Orekhov. In this treaty, the Swedes claimed that Sten and others acted on their own without the consent of the king, in 1335, Magnus outlawed Thralldom for thralls born by Christian parents in Västergötland and Värend, being the last parts of Sweden where slavery had remained legal. The Novgorodians retook the fortress in 1349 after a seven-month siege, while he spent much of 1351 trying to drum up support for further crusading action among the German cities in the Baltic States, he never returned to attack Novgorod
4.
Euphemia of Sweden
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Euphemia of Sweden was a Swedish princess, spouse of Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg, Duchess consort of Mecklenburg, heiress of Sweden and of Norway, and mother of King Albert of Sweden. In 1319, her infant elder brother Magnus VII of Norway succeeded their maternal grandfather to the throne of Norway and that same year, Swedish nobles exiled their uncle, King Birger of Sweden, after which the infant Magnus was elected King of Sweden. Their mother Ingeborg had a seat in the government as well as the position of an independent ruler of her own fiefs. The 24 July 1321 marriage contract for Euphemia was signed in Bohus Castle in her mothers fief in Bohuslän and her mother had plans to take control over Danish Scania, next to her duchy. The marriage was arranged with the terms that Mecklenburg, Saxony, Holstein, Rendsburg and this was approved by the council of Norway but not Sweden. When Ingeborgs forces under command of her lover Knut Porse invaded Scania in 1322–23, Mecklenburg betrayed her, the marriage took place anyway, after a fifteen-year engagement. Euphemia did not lack influence in Sweden and she is known to have acted as the witness of seals in several documents. In 1335, when King Magnus appointed Nils Abjörnsson to drots, later, Albert was to gain the nickname Fox of Mecklenburg, to reflect his intrigues as well as avarice. Later the same year, the returned to Sweden with Rudolf of Saxony and Henry of Holstein to be present at the coronation of her brother. She was the mistress of a very expensive ducal court, in 1340–41, she convinced Magnus to grant renewed trading privileges in Norway to the Hanseatic cities of Mecklenburg, Rostock and Wismar. On 15 April 1357, she granted her inheritance after her brothers Håkan and Knut and it is not known if she was involved in the succession of her son to the throne of Sweden in 1363. She is last confirmed alive 27 October 1363, when she gave up the ownership of her dower estate Hagenow and her death year is not known, but she is confirmed dead 16 June 1370, when her widower made a vicaria to her memory. Euphemia lived long enough to see her brothers branch of the family get into severe difficulties, Euphemia saw her own second son depose her brother from the Swedish throne, and ascend as King Albert of Sweden. Already in Euphemias lifetime it was evident that her position would become a pivotal point to many future claims to the Scandinavian thrones. Although her spouse married a second time after her death, all his children were born of Euphemia. At the time of her death, she had five surviving children, Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg, married, firstly, Ingeborg of Denmark, eldest daughter of sonless King Waldemar IV of Denmark. They had children, Albert, Euphemia, Mary, and Ingeborg, Henry III married, secondly, Matilda of Werle. Albert III, Duke of Mecklenburg, better known as Albert of Sweden, married, firstly, in 1359, Richardis of Schwerin, they had children, Eric I, Duke of Mecklenburg and Richardis Catherine
5.
Magnus III of Sweden
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Magnus III was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290. He was the first Magnus to rule Sweden for any length of time, referring to Magnus Ladulås as Magnus I is an invention not recognized by any Swedish historians today. His father designated Magnus as his successor in powers of the Jarl, the elder brother, Valdemar, had become king succeeding their maternal uncle in 1250. In 1275, Duke Magnus started a rebellion against his brother with Danish help, Magnus was elected king at the Stones of Mora. In 1276, Magnus Barnlock allegedly married a second wife Helwig, through her mother, Elizabeth of Mecklenburg, Helwig was a descendant of Christina, the putative daughter of King Sverker II). A papal annulment of Magnus alleged first marriage and a dispensation for the second were issued ten years later, haelwig later acted as regent, probably 1290–1302 and 1320–1327. The deposed King Valdemar managed, with Danish help in turn, to provinces in Gothenland, the southern part of the kingdom. However, Magnus regained them about 1278 and assumed the title rex Gothorum, King of the Goths, starting the tradition of King of the Swedes. King Magnus youngest brother, Benedict, then archdeacon, acted as his Lord High Chancellor of Sweden and he died when his sons were yet underage. Magnus ordered his kinsman Thurchetel, the Lord High Constable of Sweden as the guardian of his heir, the future King Birger, SVT broadcast a presentation of the preliminary studies, where a number of results were presented, amongst others his sickly disposition. Carbon-14 tests dated the bones to the 15th century, indicating the remains could not be those of the king and his family. In December 2011, the applied for permission to open the neighbouring sarcophagus. From his alleged first marriage to a woman, Eric Magnusson From his second marriage to Helwig of Holstein, Ingiburga Magnusdotter of Sweden. Birger, King of Sweden Eric Magnuson, Duke of Sudermannia in 1302, died of starvation in 1318 at Nyköpingshus Castle while imprisoned by his brother King Birger. Waldemar Magnuson, Duke of Finland in 1302 and Öland 1310, died of starvation 1318 at Nyköpingshus Castle while imprisoned by his brother, King Birger. Richeza Magnusdotter of Sweden, Abbess of the convent of St. Clares Priory, Stockholm
6.
Hedwig of Holstein
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Hedwig of Holstein or Helvig was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Magnus III of Sweden. She was the child of Gerhard I, Count of Holstein-Itzehoe, Hedwig was married to Magnus Ladulås in 1276, and was granted the fief of Dåvö in Munktorp in Västmanland. Magnus succeeded in preventing a Danish-Holstein alliance by marrying her, however, he had obtained a dispensation for their marriage only after the wedding. Her father was captured during the Folkunge party revolt by rebellious noblemen in Skara in 1278, the actions of the rebels were well timed, they coincided with her journey through Sweden. She sought refuge in the convent in the city, Hedwig was crowned Queen of Sweden in the city of Söderköping on 29 June 1281, this is the first confirmed coronation of a queen consort in Sweden. It included the prayers for her fertility, which was the matter of great importance and she founded the Greyfriars convent in Stockholm and several other churches and convents. As a queen, however, she is not very much heard of, despite the fact that she held the position for fourteen years, she lived a discreet life, both as a queen and as a dowager queen. She took a prominent part in processions which accompanied the inauguration of bishops, celebrations of a feast day, after the death of her spouse in 1290, Hedwig acted as one of the executors of the will of the King. In 1291, she withdrew to her estate Dåvö in Västmanland and she is not known to have taken any political role, formal or informal, during or after the reign of her spouse. She was described as a noble, loyal and peace-loving mother figure and she acted as a foster mother for her sons future bride, Martha of Denmark, who spent a lot of her childhood in Sweden as the future Queen of Sweden after 1290. In 1302, she was present at the coronation of her son, as dowager queen, she governed Fjärdhundraland, which was given to her as dower. Queen Hedwig is buried in Riddarholm Church in Stockholm, with her husband, hedwigs wedding took place at Kalmar castle the 11 November 1276 with king Magnus III Ladulås of Sweden. They had the children, Ingeborg Magnusdotter of Sweden, born abt. Married King Eric VI of Denmark, Erik Menved, Eric Magnusson, Duke of Södermanland in 1302 and Halland etc. Died of starvation 1318 at Nyköpingshus Castle while imprisoned by his brother, valdemar Magnusson, Duke of Finland in 1302 and Öland 1310. Died of starvation 1318 at Nyköpingshus castle while imprisoned by his brother King Birger, Richeza Magnusdotter of Sweden, abbess of the convent of St. Clara at Stockholm
7.
Queen consort
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A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. In Brunei, the wife of the Sultan is known as a Raja Isteri with prefix Pengiran Anak, equivalent with queen consort in English, a queen consort usually shares her husbands social rank and status. She holds the equivalent of the kings monarchical titles, but historically, she does not share the kings political. A queen regnant is a queen in her own right with all the powers of a monarch, where some title other than that of king is held by the sovereign, his wife is referred to by the feminine equivalent, such as princess consort or empress consort. In monarchies where polygamy has been practiced in the past, or is practiced today. In Morocco, King Mohammed VI has broken with tradition and given his wife, Lalla Salma, prior to the reign of King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan monarchy had no such title. In Thailand, the king and queen must both be of royal descent, the kings other consorts are accorded royal titles that confer status. Other cultures maintain different traditions on queenly status, a Zulu chieftain designates one of his wives Great Wife, which would be the equivalent to queen consort. Conversely, in Yorubaland, all of a chiefs princess consorts are essentially of equal rank, in general, the consorts of monarchs have no power per se, even when their position is constitutionally or statutorily recognized. In some cases, the queen consort has been the power behind her husbands throne, e. g. Maria Luisa of Parma. Past queens consort, Queen Jang, consort to Sukjong of Joseon
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This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.
