Cecilia Johansdotter of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Cecilia Johansdotter of Sweden, (fl.
1193), is the traditional name of the Queen Consort of King Canute I of Sweden
and mother of King Eric X of Sweden
.
(d. 1156). The name Cecilia is not confirmed. She was to have been married to Canute about the year 1160. In 1167, seven years later, her husband became King and she was made Queen of Sweden.
There is only one story that truly mentions the queen in more detail. In 1190, the queen was taken ill. It was a grave illness, and people worried that she would die. To avoid death, the queen promised on her sick bed, that if God would spare her life, she would enter a convent
after her recovery to show her gratitude. Eventually, she recovered form her sickness, but did not wish to become a nun
, nor did her husband wish it. They sent an appeal to Pope Clement III in Rome to ask if the she could be released from her promise and continue her marital obligations. The Pope answered that the queen should honour her promise to God, and Queen Cecilia was forced to abandon her throne and enter a convent. This letter is dated to 1193. The year of her death is unknown.
in 1998, where she was used to create the fictional queen, Cecilia Blanka.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1193), is the traditional name of the Queen Consort of King Canute I of Sweden
Canute I of Sweden
Canute I, Swedish: Knut Eriksson , was king over all of Sweden from 1173 to 1195...
and mother of King Eric X of Sweden
Eric X of Sweden
Eric "X" of Sweden, Swedish: Erik Knutsson; Old Norse: Eiríkr Knútsson was the King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as Eric the Survivor when he became King, he was the only remaining son of King Canute I of Sweden and his queen of an undetermined name, who probably was Cecilia...
.
Biography
Despite the fact that she was queen for over twenty years, the queen consort of King Canute is one of the most unknown of Swedish queens. Neither her name, her parents or her birth and death years are confirmed. Some sources guess that she was the daughter of Prince John (Johan) Sverkersson of Sweden (d. 1150), son of King Sverker I of SwedenSverker I of Sweden
Sverker I or Sverker the Elder was King of Sweden from about 1130 till his death.-Biography:Sverker was a mighty landowner from Östergötland...
(d. 1156). The name Cecilia is not confirmed. She was to have been married to Canute about the year 1160. In 1167, seven years later, her husband became King and she was made Queen of Sweden.
There is only one story that truly mentions the queen in more detail. In 1190, the queen was taken ill. It was a grave illness, and people worried that she would die. To avoid death, the queen promised on her sick bed, that if God would spare her life, she would enter a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
after her recovery to show her gratitude. Eventually, she recovered form her sickness, but did not wish to become a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, nor did her husband wish it. They sent an appeal to Pope Clement III in Rome to ask if the she could be released from her promise and continue her marital obligations. The Pope answered that the queen should honour her promise to God, and Queen Cecilia was forced to abandon her throne and enter a convent. This letter is dated to 1193. The year of her death is unknown.
Cecilia Blanka
Queen Cecilia Johansdotter is used as a character in a book by author Jan GuillouJan Guillou
Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou is a Swedish author and journalist. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson...
in 1998, where she was used to create the fictional queen, Cecilia Blanka.
Marriage
She married, around 1160, Prince Canute Eriksson of Sweden (King, 1167). The marriage was dissolved when she was obliged to enter a convent in the 1190s (see above).Children
- Jon Knutsson (slain November 1205 at Älgarås)
- Knut Knutsson (slain November 1205 at Älgarås)
- Joar Knutsson (slain November 1205 at Älgarås)
- Eric X of SwedenEric X of SwedenEric "X" of Sweden, Swedish: Erik Knutsson; Old Norse: Eiríkr Knútsson was the King of Sweden between 1208 and 1216. Also known as Eric the Survivor when he became King, he was the only remaining son of King Canute I of Sweden and his queen of an undetermined name, who probably was Cecilia...
, (d. 1216), King of Sweden 1208-1216. - Daughter, NN Knutsdotter (possibly Sigrid, or Karin), who is said to have married either jarl Knut Birgersson (and become mother of Magnus Broka), or married Magnus Broka himself (and with Magnus had a son Knut Magnusson, or, Knut Katarinason, claimant of Swedish throne; killed in 1251). Existence of this daughter is based on unclear mentions in old saga and chronicle material, and is to an extent accepted in research literature, to explicate Knut Magnusson's hereditary claim to the throne. This daughter was by necessity born in 1170s or 1180s. She is also proposed by old romantical-looking genealogies as mother of a Duke's daughter Cecilia Knutsdotter (by necessity born near 1208 at earliest), whose parentage however is fully shrouded in mists of history.