Mette Dyre
Encyclopedia
Mette Iversdotter Dyre (c. 1465 in Tirsbæk on Jylland in Denmark
- c. before 1533), was a Danish, Norwegian and Swedish noble
, nominal sheriff
and chancellor
. She was married to Svante, Regent of Sweden, over whom she was thought to have political influence, and de facto
queen consort
of Sweden.
Iver Jenssen (Dyre) and Christine Persdotter. In about 1483, she married the Norwegian knight and riksråd Anders van Bergen (d. 1491). In 1499, she married the Swedish noble Knut Alfsson (Tre Rosor) (d. 1502), who resided in Norway as the fiefholder of Akerhus in Oslo. She followed him to Sweden, were the couple allied themselwes with the Swedish noble separatist Svante Nilsson. In 1502, Alfsson attacked Norway to encourage the Norwegians to rebell toward Denmark: he died during the attempt, but Mette contacted the Norwegians with the same message.
17 November 1504, and it was during this marriage that she was to be known in history. Nilsson was elected regent of Sweden, which was formally in union with Denmark but in reality a free nation, and Mette thereby became de facto Queen consort of Sweden.
Mette was politically active as her husband's advisor. She was an influential power in the council. She was appointed commander of Stockholm during the absence of her spouse in 1507. In 1510, she served as the representative and messeger of her spouse in Finland. About forty of Mette's letters to Svante Nilsson are preserved.
She was rumored to have taken part in plots to murder Sten Sture the Elder
. She had a complicated relationship to her step-son, Sten Sture the Elder.
In 1512, her spouse died. The new regent, Sten Sture the Younger, accused her of having stolen the silver and gold he would have inherited after his mother. He also confiscated the estates given to her by her late spouse.
appointed her Sheriff
(Lensmand) of the Bishop
al Fief of Hørby near Holbæk
. He also appointed her Chancellor
of the Convent
of Saint Agnete in Roskilde
. She kept these position until c. 1527. In 1516, she prepared a ship which she used to confiscate a ship belonging to her step-son, the Swedish regent. This act contributed to the break between Sweden and Denmark in 1516. She was born between 1460 and 1465 and died earliest 1527 and latest 1533.
She had a daughter, Kristina Andersdatter.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
- c. before 1533), was a Danish, Norwegian and Swedish noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, nominal sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
and chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
. She was married to Svante, Regent of Sweden, over whom she was thought to have political influence, and de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Sweden.
Background
Mette Iversdatter was born daughter of the Danish knightKnight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
Iver Jenssen (Dyre) and Christine Persdotter. In about 1483, she married the Norwegian knight and riksråd Anders van Bergen (d. 1491). In 1499, she married the Swedish noble Knut Alfsson (Tre Rosor) (d. 1502), who resided in Norway as the fiefholder of Akerhus in Oslo. She followed him to Sweden, were the couple allied themselwes with the Swedish noble separatist Svante Nilsson. In 1502, Alfsson attacked Norway to encourage the Norwegians to rebell toward Denmark: he died during the attempt, but Mette contacted the Norwegians with the same message.
Regent consort
She married her ally Svante Nilsson in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
17 November 1504, and it was during this marriage that she was to be known in history. Nilsson was elected regent of Sweden, which was formally in union with Denmark but in reality a free nation, and Mette thereby became de facto Queen consort of Sweden.
Mette was politically active as her husband's advisor. She was an influential power in the council. She was appointed commander of Stockholm during the absence of her spouse in 1507. In 1510, she served as the representative and messeger of her spouse in Finland. About forty of Mette's letters to Svante Nilsson are preserved.
She was rumored to have taken part in plots to murder Sten Sture the Elder
Sten Sture the Elder
Sten Sture the Elder was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden from .-Background:...
. She had a complicated relationship to her step-son, Sten Sture the Elder.
In 1512, her spouse died. The new regent, Sten Sture the Younger, accused her of having stolen the silver and gold he would have inherited after his mother. He also confiscated the estates given to her by her late spouse.
Sheriff and chancillor
In 1515, she left Sweden to ask for the support of the Danish king in her economic dispute with her step-son. King Christian II of DenmarkChristian II of Denmark
Christian II was King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , during the Kalmar Union.-Background:...
appointed her Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
(Lensmand) of the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
al Fief of Hørby near Holbæk
Holbæk
Holbæk is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 27,055 . The city is located in the northeastern part of Region Sjælland, Denmark....
. He also appointed her Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the 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...
of Saint Agnete in Roskilde
Roskilde
Roskilde is the main city in Roskilde Municipality, Denmark on the island of Zealand. It is an ancient city, dating from the Viking Age and is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network....
. She kept these position until c. 1527. In 1516, she prepared a ship which she used to confiscate a ship belonging to her step-son, the Swedish regent. This act contributed to the break between Sweden and Denmark in 1516. She was born between 1460 and 1465 and died earliest 1527 and latest 1533.
She had a daughter, Kristina Andersdatter.