#medieval Scandinavia

[une-sanz-pluis]

Philippa of England, Queen of Norway, Denmark and Sweden

Philippa of England was the youngest daughter and last child of Henry of Lancaster and Mary de Bohun, Earl and Countess of Derby, and was born on, or shortly before, 1 July 1394, when her mother died from complications in childbirth. Little is known of Philippa’s early childhood but when her father usurped the throne in 1399, becoming Henry IV, her future changed dramatically. No longer the youngest daughter of an earl, she was now a princess.

The new king almost immediately began searching for marriage alliances for his two daughters. 1401 saw Henry enter into marriage negotiations with Margrete of Denmark for Philippa to marry Margrete’s adoptive son and heir, Erik of Pomerania. Like Henry, Margrete was hoping for an alliance to strengthen her domestic position and that of the fledgling Kalmar Union of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. It wasn’t until 1405 that the marriage was formally agreed upon and in December, Philippa was proclaimed Queen of Norway, Denmark and Sweden. In August 1406, the 12-year-old Philippa sailed from England in August 1406. She married Erik at the cathedral of Lund, and her coronation soon followed. Famously, Philippa is the first documented European princess to wear white at her wedding.

She spent the next three years at Kalmar Castle in Sweden, the first year under the guidance of Katarina Knutsdotter (the granddaughter of Saint Birgitta of Sweden), and probably owing in no small part to her youth, Philippa remained in the sidelines of rule until Margrete’s death in 1412. She retained close ties to Sweden, serving as Erik’s de facto regent there, and was the only queen of the Kalmar Union to ever achieve popularity in Sweden. Of particular note is her patronage of Vadstenna Abbey, the motherhouse of the Bridgettine Order. She often stayed there when in Sweden, was a generous patron, and petitioned the pope multiple times on the Order's behalf, even enlisting the support of her brother, Henry V of England. In 1425, Philippa donated a choir dedicated to St. Anne, where she was later buried. This may have had particular significance for Philippa, as she had no surviving children..

Philippa was deeply involved in the rule of all three kingdoms of the Kalmar Union. In 1420, demonstrating Erik’s trust in her, it was decided that she would serve as regent to his heir, Bogislaw of Pomerania, should the marriage remain childless, and her widow’s pension would effectively give her a ‘queendom’ in Sweden. In 1423, Erik went on pilgrimage and Philippa served as his regent, with all power that entailed, until his return in 1425. She also obtained the resources and support Erik needed for his war against the Hanseatic League. Indeed, it was Philippa who organised the defence of Copenhagen against the bombardment of the Hanseatic League in 1428 to great acclaim.

In late 1429, Philippa, apparently in good health, travelled to Sweden to secure further support for the war against the Hanseatic League. She was staying in Vadstena Abbey when she fell seriously ill and died on the night of 5 and 6 January 1430, possibly following a stillbirth. Philippa was remembered almost universally favourably, a reputation that was surely deserved.

Sources: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, MS Lat. 17294), "Filippa, drottning", Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon (article by Charlotte Cederbom), Steinar Imsen, “Late Medieval Scandinavian Queenship”. Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe, Mary Anne Everett Green, Lives of the princesses of England from the Norman conquest, Vol 3.

[loki-was-framed]

Today's Old Norse Word in English:

scathe

verb

to harm or injure, especially by fire.

Old Norse: skaða, to injure.

[ancientstuff]

Never doubted it for an instant. True fact: when I was in high school, taking chemistry, I was so bored I wrote all my notes in runes. Took AGES to study from them. Don't copy me, little leaguers.

[er-cryptid]

Transcript of museum label:

These two handed broadswords were for ceremonial use. They were presumably carried by the town marshals of Copenhagen as insignia of the town judge. Similar swords are known from Ribe and Malmo. These three towns were outside the jurisdiction of the "landsting" (regional courts), which meant that the town judge here ranked with the judges of the "landsting".

-- Broadsword wall exhibit, Danish History Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark

Wall exhibit of various two-handed broadswords

Danish Middle Ages and Renaissance Exhibit

Danish History Museum

Copenhagen, Denmark

[illustratus]

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton

[vanpeltfoto]

Part 2 of the 15th century church I stumbled across in northern Sweden. Because it has never been heated, the original colours have been preserved. Part 1 HERE

(Photo: d.)

[mioritic]

Textile fragment with unicorn, deer, centaur, and lion

Scandinavia, ca. 1500

Cloisters collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art

[pol-ski]

Slavs and Vikings Festival in Wolin, Poland

The Slavs and Vikings Festival is one of the largest early-medieval events in the world. There are archery and spear-throwing competitions, games and contests for kids, craft-making presentations demonstrating how jewelry, coins, horns, and amber were created, live music, readings, and much more.

Wolin is a town located on Poland’s largest island (of the same name) on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It's a City of History, whose glory days date back to 1000 years ago. In the early Middle Ages, it was one of the largest and most powerful cities in this part of Europe, and ranked among the most important ports of the Baltic Sea. Wolin is considered to have been the gateway through which Scandinavians traveled southwards from the Baltic Sea to inland Piast state.

[axololtls]

The ruins of Åhus Borg, a castle / fort built circa year 1000-1100.

[diemelusine]

Örebro Castle at Svartån

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:ArildV

[une-sanz-pluis]

Philippa of England and Erik of Pomerania, Queen and King of Norway Denmark and Sweden really were the epitome of 'she's everything he's just Ken' huh?

[loki-was-framed]

[snakesandstone]

See, this is why I never draw sleipnir. Why is he built like that. What the fuck kinda skeleton does he have under there. What is my biology student speculative biology enjoying ass supposed to do with him. Horses are already janky as fuck why would you do this

[spokelseskladden]

it's gløgg season and honestly it's the best part of the holidays, and the store i work at put out gløgg taste tests this weekend so I'm basically living the life rn :')

[illustratus]

Hervör retrieves the sword from Angantýr by Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein Stub

Hervör awakens her father Angantýr's ghost from his barrow on Samsø to demand the cursed magic sword Tyrfing

[nickysfacts]

The vikings were the gay raiding family men of Scandinavia!

🇩🇰⚔️🏳️‍🌈