Martha of Denmark
| Martha of Denmark | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Sweden | |
| Reign | 1298–1318 |
| Born | 1277 Denmark |
| Died | 2 March 1341 St. Peter's Abbey, Næstved |
| Burial | St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted |
| Spouse | Birger of Sweden |
| House | House of Estridsen |
| Father | Eric V of Denmark |
| Mother | Agnes of Brandenburg |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Margaret "Martha" of Denmark (1277 – 2 March or 3 October 1341) was queen consort of Sweden by marriage to King Birger. She was given the name Margaret (Danish: Margrete Eriksdatter upon her birth, but was in Sweden called Swedish: Märta, and has been known in history by that name. She was regarded as a politically influential queen and an important figure in the Håtuna games and the Nyköping Banquet.
Martha was born to King Eric V of Denmark and Agnes of Brandenburg and sister of King Eric VI. In 1282, peaceful relations was resumed between the kings of Denmark and Sweden, and it was agreed that Princess Martha should be married to Prince Birger, the heir to the Swedish throne. In 1284, the necessary papal dispensation for marriage between relations was obtained from the Pope. In 1288 in Helsinborg, further more, the dynastic marriage alliance between Denmark and Sweden was cemented by a marriage agreement between her brother King Eric VI of Denmark and her future sister-in-law Ingeborg Magnusdotter of Sweden; that marriage was celebrated in 1296.
According to the Erikskrönikan, Martha left Denmark already after her engagement was declared, and spent the rest of her childhood raised at the Swedish royal court until her wedding. It is not known exactly when she left Denmark, but it is considered likely that she did so prior to the death of her father in 1286.
The wedding between Martha and Birger was celebrated in Stockholm 25 November 1298. The wedding celebrations is described as very elaborate, with a procession of knights, amateur theater by nobles and the king naming his brothers dukes. She was praised when she asked for no dower other than the freedom of Magnus Algotsson, a noble arrested for involvement in an abduction of a bride in 1288. Regardless, she was given a dower land consisting of Fjädrundaland (Western Uppland) and Enköping as her personal fief, which was granted to her in 1300. She was crowned Queen of Sweden in Söderköping 2 December 1302.
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