APPENDIX ONE

FAMILIES AND THEIR LANDHOLDINGS

A.1.1. Danish kings

Our knowledge of lands owned by the Danish kings in derives largely from the inventory in Valdemar II’s jordebog. The pos- sessions listed as Sigridlev were believed to derive from ‘Sigrid Storråda’, the wife of Erik Segersäll and later Sven Forkbeard, according to Snorri. Several sources tell us of her wealth, including and the B 17 king list.1 The latter late source says specifically that Sigridlev was named after ‘Sigrid the rich (or powerful)’. The name Sigrid is not recorded in any source from the period of Erik Segersäll, but Thietmar and Adam of Bremen both say that Erik Segersäll was married to a Polish princess, almost certainly the sister of Boleslav Chrobry, who married Sven after Erik’s death.2 The lands may well have passed into the hands of the Danish king through this queen, whatever her actual name was. Other lands were inherited from Margareta Fredkulla, grand- daughter of King Stenkil.3 Both Snorri and Saxo mention her mar- riages, and Saxo recounts the division of her lands into three parts.4 Her last marriage was to King Niels of , and as a result

1 SSH 1, Olafs saga Tryggvasonar 43, p. 193. 2 Thietmar 8:39, pp. 216–17, and ABG 2:37, schol. 24. Thietmar says specifically that the princess was Boleslav’s sister. Although the practice of renaming foreign princesses with a native name when they came from abroad to marry was fre- quently followed in Anglo-Saxon England and Normandy, in Scandinavia Slavic princesses usually retained their names, but these were subsequently ‘scandinavicised’, rather than changed altogether (Dragomir-Dagmar, Ryksa-Rikissa etc.). A Polish genealogist of the Piast , Kasimierz Jasi…ski, suggests that ‘Sigrid’ was a daughter of Mieszko named •wi\tos∑awa: Jasi…ski 1990 (with English summary). Snorri says Sigrid was a daughter of Sköglar-Tósti: SSH 1, Haralds saga Gráfeldar 11, p. 143. Thietmar and Adam, writing nearer the time of the event, are more likely to be correct, but Thietmar was prone to confusing names and relationships outside his own region. 3 See Beckman 1912 p. 4. 4 Saxo 13:1 pp. 108–10 and 13:5, pp. 120–22, SSH 2, Magnúss saga berfætts 15, p. 711 and 24, p. 736. 482 appendix one some of Margareta’s lands went to his son Magnus, killed at Fotevik. Some of these lands were sold by his grandson Knud Magnussen, who fled to Sweden after his defeat by Sven Grade in 1151.5 He gave a further third of his lands as a dowry to Sofie, his sister, who became queen of Valdemar I. More of Margareta Fredkulla’s lands were given as a dowry to her niece Ingrid, when she married Harald Gille. According to Snorri Ingrid had nine children by at least five men, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, which must have resulted in the fragmentation of her part of her aunt’s lands.6 Another niece of Margareta, Ingeborg, was given lands when she married Knud Lavard, who had only one known son, the later Valdemar I.7 When his son Knud died, all ended up in the hands of his second son, Valdemar II. According to Saxo, Valdemar I also inherited land from Sverker, presumably because Sverker supported Sofia, his stepdaughter (see below) and donated land to Valdemar when he and Sofia were mar- ried. This land was probably in Östergötland, where more was acquired after the death of Burislev, son of Sverker and Sofia’s brother, as listed in the jordebog. According to Östgötalagen a sister inherited if no brother lived, and this must have applied before the law code was written down, just as it appears to have applied in Västergötland. Sofia’s lands went to her son Valdemar II. Two kings of Sweden in the early twelfth century were Danish. The first was King Magnus Nielsen, who inherited his right to the Swedish kingship from his mother Margareta, daughter of Inge the Elder (died c. 1110). The short-lived king of c. 1160–61, Magnus Henriksen, was the last Dane to become king before the establish- ment of the Scandinavian Union in 1398. Magnus was a son of Henrik Skadelår and Ingrid, daughter of Ragnvald, a son of Inge the Elder.8 Henrik himself was a son of Sven, one of the sons of King Sven Estridsen. Magnus Henriksen’s brother Knud had been made Duke of Sleswig by Sven Grade, and he appears as dux in the witness list for the foundation of the Cistercian monastery of Vitskøl.9

5 Saxo 14:4, p. 370. 6 SSH 2, Magnúss saga blinda og Haralds Gilla 1, p. 747 and Saga Inga konungs og bræära hans 14, pp. 778–79. Ingrid is not mentioned by name in Saxo’s history, but is called daughter of Margareta’s brother Regnaldus (Rognvald): Saxo 13:1, p. 110. 7 Saxo 13:1, p. 110. 8 Saxo 13:1, pp. 109–10. 9 Saxo 14:20, p. 416, and DD 120 (1158).