Born in 1353 in Soborg, Denmark. Her father was King Valdemar IV of Denmark. It's been said by some sources that her father had her mother sent away after she was accused of infidelity, but others say it was because he wanted to make way for his own mistress. When she was only 6 years old, she was betrothed to Haakon, the 18 year old son of King Magnus Eriksson of Norway & Sweden. The bethrothal was intended to provide a solution to the conflicts that arose over the dynastic claims to the Scandinavian thrones by the Dukes of Mecklenburg & the plotting of some aristocratic factions in Scandinavia. The alliance was imperiled in 1360, when an old rivalry reignited between King Valdemar of Denmark & King Magnus of Sweden. But due to the urging of his nobles, King Magnus was forced to step back from the fight, in 1363. Haakon & Margaret were married in Copenhagen later that same year.
Haakon's ambition to become King of Norway included getting retribution for when he & his father, King Magnus were defeated in battle by Albert of Mecklenburg, who ruled Sweden from 1364-89. However, Haakon held on to his claim as a member of the Norwegian royal family. So this is where Margrethe spent her formative years (living apart from her husband), under the guidance of Märta Ulfsdotter, daughter of the Swedish saint, Bridget. From a young age, Margrethe showed great potential as a future leader. She even came to outshine her husband & is said to have held real power in spite of her youth. Haakon & Margrethe's only child, a son, Olaf, was born in 1370.
Margrethe's father, King Valdemar died in 1375 & in defiance of Mecklenburg, Margrethe was able to have her son, who was only 5, elected as the new King of Denmark. This would be the first time that Denmark would be ruled by woman. When her husband died in 1380, Margrethe became the queen regent of Norway, which began the 434 year union of the kingdoms of Norway & Denmark which lasted until 1814. Margrethe also skillfully consolidated her borders by wresting strategic positions on the west coast of the Scandinavian peninsula from the Hanseatic League & secured Denmark's southern borders by coming to an arrangement with the Dukes of Holstein.
Just as Margrethe's son, Olaf came of age in 1385, he & his mother were plotting to go to war with Albert of Mecklenburg, to stake their claims to the Swedish throne. Their plans however were brought to a screeching halt when Olaf unexpectedly died in 1387. But Margrethe was able to use her deft negotiation skills to reinforce her position as regent of both Norway & Denmark. As she had no other heir, she adopted her nephew, Eric of Pomerania . Than joining forces with members of Swedish nobility, who were rankling under the rule of the unpopular King Albert, after he'd removed land rights from Bo Jonsson Grip, who was an influential chancellor. She was declared "sovereign lady & rightful ruler of Sweden", after the signing of the Treaty of Dalaborg in 1388; the treaty also granted her a large portion of Bo Jonsson Grip's expansive lands. Margaret's forces defeated Albert's the following year & she had him arrested, only releasing him 6 years later, after she was able to establish a lasting peace. Nonetheless, Albert's supporters who'd allied themselves with a number of pirate bands in the Baltic Sea did not surrender Stockholm, until 1398.
By the beginning of the 15th century, Margaret was the undisputed ruler of all 3 Scandinavian states: Norway, Sweden & Denmark. Her adopted son, Erik was declared king of of Norway in 1389 & was elected King of Denmark & Sweden (which included Finland at the time), 13 years later in 1396. Erik was crowned the next year in the southern Swedish town of Kalmar, with several important Scandinavians present at the ceremony; but there were undercurrents of unrest at the ceremony, as many aristocrats opposed Margrethe's ever-expanding power. This was largely due to the conflicting concepts of hereditary rulership that Margrethe had created when she had Erik crowned & the preexisting elected kingship, that was preferred by many nobles. In the end, Margrethe came out victorious.
Though Erik was now king, Margrethe remained the real power behind the throne for the remainder of her life. She strove in particular to consolidate a United Scandinavia with a strong central ruling power with it's base in her birthplace of Denmark. She was able to squelch rebellions of the nobility, curb the excess of influence of heads of state & establish an effective administration run by sheriffs, employed by the crown. In order to secure her position financially, Margrethe levied heavy taxes on the people & took over a number of church lands, that were exempt from payments to the crown. Which also gave her great influence over the church & politically-significant elections of high church officials.
Margrethe's saavy with all aspects of statecraft was also evident in foreign affairs. She especially wanted to put a stop to German expansion in northern Europe & secure Denmark's southern borders; both matters which she handled with her aforementioned negotiation & political skills. But a war broke out with her former allies, Holstein & Margrethe died died unexpectedly on October 28, 1412.
Margrethe was one of Scandinavia's most powerful & important rulers. She was able to establish peace & unity amoung 3 kingdoms, while also holding onto her integrity as a leader against the encroaching German princes & the more economically fruitful Hanseatic League. She left behind a well-established monarchy, that remained for over a century, until 1523, though not without some near mishaps.
Side notes:
Dukes of Mecklenburg- noblemen from a region of northern Germany, from 1230's-1815, they had 4 principalities called: Schwerin, Werle, Rostock & Parchim.
Hanseatic League- a medieval confederation of German merchant guilds & market towns in Central & Northern Europe.
Dukes of Holstein- the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the modern-day state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany; founded in 1474.
Pomerania- the name of a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in central Europe, divided between the modern nations of Germany & Poland.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-I
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Women who Ruled
Non-FictionThese women were rare examples of women holding power in a male-dominated world. Many went on to became beacons of hope, strength and perserverance to their respective peoples. They are remembered for their beauty, intelligence, bravery and unwaveri...
