Margaret Fredkulla
| Margaret Fredkulla | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Denmark Queen consort of Norway |
|
| Born | 1080s |
| Died | 4 November 1130 |
| Spouse |
Magnus III of Norway Niels of Denmark |
| Issue | Inge Nielsen Magnus I of Sweden |
| House | Stenkil |
| Father | Inge the Elder |
| Mother | Helena |
Margaret Fredkulla (1080s – 4 November 1130) was a Swedish princess who became successively queen of Norway and Denmark by marriage to kings Magnus III of Norway and Niels of Denmark. She was also de facto regent of Denmark. She is known as Margareta Fredkulla in Sweden, Margret Fredskolla in Norway and Margrete Fredkulla in Denmark. An English exonym is Margaret Colleen-of-Peace.
Margaret was born a royal princess as one of four children of King Inge the Elder of Sweden and Queen Helena. The exact year of birth and place of birth is not recorded.
In 1101, she was married to King Magnus of Norway. The marriage had been arranged as a part of the peace treaty between Sweden and Norway. She was often referred to as Margaret Fredkulla (Margaret the Maiden of Peace). She brought with her large fiefs and areas in Sweden as her dowry, probably in Västergötland. In 1103, she was made widow after two years of marriage, and soon left Norway. The marriage was childless. Her departure from Norway was seen as an insult by the Norwegians who expected her to stay, and she was accused of having stolen the holy relics of Saint Olav.
In 1105, she married King Niels of Denmark. Niels was made king in 1104, but he was described as a passive monarch who lacked the capacity to rule and who left the affairs of the state to his queen. With his blessing, Margaret governed Denmark. She is described as a wise ruler, and the relationship between Denmark and her birth country Sweden was very peaceful during her time as queen. It was said that: Styrelsen beroede for størstedelen paa den ædle dronning Margrete, saa at fremmede sagde, at Danmarks styrelse laa i kvindehaand ("The rule was so much dependant on the noble Queen Margaret, that foreigners remarked that the rule of Denmark lay in a woman's hand"). She minted her own coins, something unique for a queen consort of this time. The Danish coins printed during this period bears the inscription: Margareta-Nicalas ("Margaret-Niels").
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