Rikissa Birgersdotter
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Queen Rikissa Birgersdotter, also known as Rixa, Richeza, Richilda and Regitze of Sweden, was a Queen of Norway as wife of its co-king, and then Princess of Werle.
Rikissa Birgersdotter was born among the eldest children of the marriage of lord Birger Magnusson of Bjelbo, later the famous riksjarl of Sweden, and Ingeborg Eriksdotter of Sweden, (eldest) sister of the then reigning king Eric XI of Sweden. Rikissa's parentage is historically well attested, contrary to that of her supposed younger sisters. Rikissa received her name in honor of her maternal grandmother, the late Rikissa of Denmark, queen of Sweden - the Scandinavian custom was to give names of deceased grandmothers to daughters of a family, and first-born daughter was usually christened as namesake of maternal grandmother if that was no longer alive.
In 1250 her uncle king Eric deceased without heirs, her brother the underaged Valdemar I of Sweden became king and her father jarl Birger became the all-powerful regent. Jarl Birger's policy included efforts of keeping peace between Scandinavian three kingdoms.
That was why young Rikissa (something like 14 years old) in 1251 was married to the heir of Norway, Haakon Haakonson, titularly king of Norway and its co-ruler along his father king Haakon IV of Norway. The younger Haakon however within half a decade deceased before his father (leaving his younger brother, the future Magnus VI of Norway as Norway's heir). Haakon and Rikissa had one son, Sverre, who died young.
The Dowager Queen Rikissa of Norway was married to Henry of Mecklenburg, Prince of Werle, and they had several children.
Chronica principum Saxonie mentions Rikissa as Daughter of King of Sweden (filia regis Suecie), which title has caused consternation among later researchers. This has been explained by:
- simply that during king Valdemar's minority, the all-powerful regent looked like king to writer of that chronicle
- that Rikissa was granddaughter of king Eric X of Sweden
- that upon Valdemar's accession to the royal throne, theur mother Ingeborg, through whose lineage the crown was generally perceived to have come, was regarded as Queen Mother, despite of never having been queen regnant or queen consort.
- that the term in the chronicle just refers to "Royal Family of Sweden".
