It has been edited
*cough* Erikson *cough*
Names only change when they were easier or confused with local pronunciations cf Sancha to Cynthia (similar in AngloFrench)
Margaret, Queen of Scotland and Norway, Queen consort of England (1283-1354)
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*cough* Erikson *cough*
Names only change when they were easier or confused with local pronunciations cf Sancha to Cynthia (similar in AngloFrench)
THE WAR OF THE NORWEGIAN SUCCESSION (PART 1)
Eric II (left) and Haakon V (right), the last two Norwegian monarchs from the House of Sverre (Sverreætten). Busts from Stavanger Cathedral.
Eric II (left) and Haakon V (right), the last two Norwegian monarchs from the House of Sverre (Sverreætten). Busts from Stavanger Cathedral.
The death of King Haakon V on 8 May 1319 without legitimate male issue, left open the question about who was the rightful heir to the throne, because all the potential claimants are either females or from illegitimate descendent:
- Margaret, Sovereign Queen of Scotland and Dowager Queen of England, eldest legitimate daughter of King Eric II of Norway (Haakon V's older brother and predecessor).
- Ingeborg (renamed Isambour), Queen consort of France, second legitimate daughter of King Eric II of Norway and half-sister of Margaret.
- Ingeborg, Dowager Duchess of Södermanland, only legitimate daughter of King Haakon V of Norway.
- Jon Havtoresson, eldest son of Agnes Haakonsdatter, Dame of Borgarsyssel, illegitimate but recognized eldest daughter of King Haakon V of Norway.
In early June 1319 arrived to the Haugating (national assembly) of Tønsberg an embassy leaded by Count Bjørnar Gyldenløve af Rossø, who jointly with Eilif Arnesson Kortin (Archbishop of Nidaros) and Audfinn Sigurdsson (Bishop of Bergen) in representation of Queen Margaret of Scotland supported the veracity of her claims.
Count Bjørnar showed an alleged charter signed by both King Eric II and King Haakon V (then only a Duke) under which was recognized that "all the female descend of the older brother had the rights over the crown if both brothers died without any sons". The Archbishop of Nidaros and Bishop of Bergen also showed several letters from his predecessors Jørund and Narve (who accompanied the Maid in her trip of Scotland) under which they swored that both were present at King Eric II's deathbed in Bergen on July 1299 and the then Duke Haakon renewed his pact with the dying King, where, "the said Lord King Eric recognized the rights of his brother the Duke Haakon with the provision that his daughters had precedence over any daughters born of the said Duke".
Duchess Ingeborg's embassy (who resided in Sweden with her children in her husband's fiefs) refuted the veracity of the letters, because "all the mentioned persons are already dead (both Jørund and Narve died in 1309) and nobody trusted could verify that letters as real". Several noblemen and lords supported the Duchess, moreover because of the popularity that she and her late husband Prince Eric of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland already had over both Sweden and Norway.
By the other hand, other group of nobles showed their preference to an alliance with both Scotland and England, because not only this could bring for them more political benefits that an alliance with Sweden or Denmark (their natural enemies) but also because they recognized the strict principle of primogeniture, under which Queen Margaret of Scotland had the first place as the eldest daughter (primogenita) of the older brother (King Eric II).
The Haugating was still deliberating when on mid-July 1319 arrived news from the neighbor Kingdom of Sweden: after the local nobility deposed King Birger under grounds to be a fraticide (he ordened that his brothers Dukes Eric of Södermanland and Valdemar of Finland were imprisoned and starved to death at Nyköping Castle in February 1318), Duke Eric and Ingeborg's son Magnus was elected as King of Sweden on 8 July 1319.
A part of the partisans of Duchess Ingeborg, dissatisfied about the possibility that their future King could be raised and lived in Sweden (and with this bring Norway in a junior position in the eventual union of both Kingdoms), joined to Queen Margaret's side, especially after the arrival of the letter from the Swedish Council of Regency, who counted with the Duchess' signature, under which they threatened with an invassion to Norway if "the rights of the King Magnus over the Norwegians wasn't recognized inmediately".
The letter of the Swedish Council had the opposite effect: outraged and furious about this menace, the whole Haugating condemned the actions of the Duchess, and inmediately send letters to Queen Margaret inviting her to came to Norway to discuss personally the succession issues; however, this move proved to be unnecessary, because in early August 1319 arrived the news that Queen Margaret, with her two younger sons and a large army composed by Scottish, English and Frenchs, arrived to the port of Stavanger, ready to reaffirm her hereditary rights.
Once the news of the arrival of the Queen of Scotland were knew in Sweden, Duchess Ingeborg reacted quickly: a large army, leaded by Mats Kettilmundsson (head of the Council of Regency) and composed of Swedish and contigents from Rügen and Mecklenburg, entered in Norwegian territory, besieging Akershus Fortress. The war for the Norwegian throne began.
TO BE CONTINUED.......
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By the way,what happened to Ponthieu?The matter of Aquitaine was settled,but did they ever settle the status of Ponthieu as well?The King of England was the Count of Ponthieu through the dowry of Eleanor of Castille(wife of Edward I).
Perhaps, the eldest daughter of Edward II could have given Pointhieu to his eldest daughter as a dowry...to Louis of Bavaria, the holy roman emperor..
That's just ridiculous.No way the HRE would want a place so far away just to antagonize the French.
Perhaps Louis IV of HRE marries Eleanor of England in order to gain allies with England, the possible alternate husband that I propose for Eleanor will be the Leopold I of Austria(Habsburg)..since the widowerhood of Louis IV might be butterflied..
THE WAR OF THE NORWEGIAN SUCCESSION (PART 2)
Fresco at Nidaros Cathedral, who showed the coronation of Margaret as Queen of Norway, with both Archbishop Eilif of Nidaros and Bishop Audfinn of Bergen next to her.
Fresco at Nidaros Cathedral, who showed the coronation of Margaret as Queen of Norway, with both Archbishop Eilif of Nidaros and Bishop Audfinn of Bergen next to her.
The siege of Akershus Fortress began in the early hours of 29 August 1319; however, the Swedish forces leaded by Mats Kettilmundsson were unable to conquer the inexpugnable walls of the Fortress, and after two weeks they finally realized that was useless to continue the fight, moreover when the Frenchs troops of Queen Margaret's army, leaded by Robert III of Artois, arrived to rescue the citizens of Akershus. Once the Swedish leaves the walls, the citizens opened the gates of the Fortress and acclaimed Margaret as their Queen.
Mats Kettilmundsson took the unwise decision to retreat to the inner parts of Norway instead to withdraw to Sweden and return with more troops, as was the advice of the generals. Pursued by the French, the Swedish army was finally caught at the Gudbrand Valley (Gudbrandsdalen), where took place the Battle of Lillehammer (7 November 1319), with a complete victory of the Frenchs and the capture of Mats Kettilmundsson, along with several others Swedish nobles.
In the meanwhile, Margaret, despite the reportedly "violent warnings" of the Earl of Lancaster (in charge of the English troops) and Nigel de Brus (brother of the Lord of Annandale and leader of the Scottish army), put herself at the head of both troops and leaded the siege of Bohus Fortress, the second most important Norwegian castle of that period (alongside with the already taken Akershus) and vital in the defence against Sweden along the coast. After one week, and when was confirmed the Swedish defeat, the Fortress opened their gates to the Scottish-English army on 26 November 1319 and the population also acclaimed the Queen of Scotland as their sovereign.
Once secured Akershus and Bohun Fortresses by the French troops, the Queen, with the rest of her troops, continue the fight in the Swedish-Norwegian borders, pursuing the Rügen and Mecklenburg troops (splitted from the Swedish one shortly before the liberation of Akershus by orders of Duchess Ingeborg), who plundered and destroyed several villages. The peasantry, at first supportive to Duchess Ingeborg, once saw the atrocities comitted by the German troops, began to intensenly supporting Queen Margaret as their savior.
Responding to the requests of Archbishop Eilif of Nidaros to help his diocese from the inminent invasion of the German troops, Margaret and her army quickly marched there, cutting their pass on the banks of Aursunden River, where both forces engaged in a violent battle (Battle of Aursunden River, 17 December 1319). Thanks to the help of the peasants who joined the Scottish-English army, the German troops were defeated; in addition to the several casualties at the German side, were captured Vitslav III, Prince of Rügen (uncle of Duchess Ingeborg) and Henry II, Lord of Mecklenburg.
With this defeat, Duchess Ingeborg finally realized that she had lost the battle, and in early January 1320 entered in negociations for a dignified peace.
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The Haugating of Tønsberg, reunited again on 16 January 1320, unanimously recognized Margaret, Queen regnant of Scotland as "Sovereign Lady and Ruler of the Kingdom of Norway"; however, they still were some discussions about to gave her the title of Queen, because in Norway never a female ruled by her own right.
A part of the nobility wanted that one of the two younger sons of the Queen, Alexander or Eric, could be chosen and hailed as King, but under the Regency of his mother until his 20th birthday, following a statute promulgated by Haakon V in 1302. Other part of the nobles, by the other hand, after seeing the courage and bravery of Margaret at battle and her experience in government affairs in Scotland, wanted that she could be hailed as Queen regnant.
Finally, was the population who made the decisive choice, acclaiming Margaret as their "Only and truly Queen and Sovereign". After further ten days of deliberations, the Haugating finally proclaimed Margaret as the first Queen Regnant of Norway (26 January 1320).
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Margaret, Queen of the Scots, was crowned Queen regnant of Norway at Nidaros Cathedral on 1 February 1320 in a magnificent ceremony, attended by the main nobles and major church hierarchy. She was crowned by Archbishop Eilif of Nidaros, while was anointed by Bishop Audfinn of Bergen; in this way, she wanted to connected both traditional places of coronations of the Norwegian monarchs, Nidaros and Bergen.
One of the first acts of her government was to settled a truce with Sweden. The Peace of Oslo was signed on 14 February 1320 in the following terms:
- Duchess Ingeborg, in the name of her children, renounced to any rights over the Norwegian throne.
- All the fiefs who were holded by Duchess Ingeborg in Norway as part of her paternal inheritance (including Bohus Fortress) reverted to the crown.
- The Kingdom of Sweden had to pay a monetary compensation for the villages and towns destroyed during the invasion.
TO BE CONTINUED.......
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Magnus VI of Norway (b.1238: d.1280) m. Ingeborg of Denmark (b.1244: d.1287) (a)
1a) Eric II of Norway (b.1268: d.1299) m. Margaret of Scotland (b.1261: d.1283) (a), Isabel Bruce (b.1272) (b)
2a) Haakon V of Norway (b.1270: d.1318) m. Euphemia of Rügen (b.1280: d.1312) (a), p. Various Women (b)
1a) Margaret I, Queen of Scotland and Norway (b.1283) m. Edward II of England (b.1284: d.1318) (a)
2b) Ingeborg *Isambour* Eiriksdatter of Norway (b.1297) m. Louis X of France (b.1289) (a)
1a) Edward III of England, Prince of Scotland (b.1302) m. Isabella of France (b.1295) (a)
2a) Eleanor of Scotland and England (b.1303)
3a) Alexander of Scotland and England (b.1304)
4a) Eric of Scotland and England (b.1310)
5a) Margaret of Scotland and England (b.1314)
6a) Joan of Scotland and England (b.1316)
1a) Margaret of England (b.1317)
2a) Eleanor of Scotland and England (b.1303)
3a) Alexander of Scotland and England (b.1304)
4a) Eric of Scotland and England (b.1310)
5a) Margaret of Scotland and England (b.1314)
6a) Joan of Scotland and England (b.1316)
2b) Ingeborg *Isambour* Eiriksdatter of Norway (b.1297) m. Louis X of France (b.1289) (a)
1a) Philip of France (b.1316)
2a) Haakon V of Norway (b.1270: d.1318) m. Euphemia of Rügen (b.1280: d.1312) (a), p. Various Women (b)
1b) Agnes Haakonsdatter, Dame of Borgarsyssel (b.1290) m. Baron Havtore Jonsson (b.1275) (a)
2a) Ingeborg Håkansdotter of Norway (b.1301) m. Eric, Duke of Södermanland (b.1282: d.1318) (a)
1a) Jon Havtoresson (b.1312)
2a) Sigurd Havtoresson (b.1315)
2a) Sigurd Havtoresson (b.1315)
2a) Ingeborg Håkansdotter of Norway (b.1301) m. Eric, Duke of Södermanland (b.1282: d.1318) (a)
1a) Magnus Eriksson, IV of Sweden (b.1316)
2a) Euphemia Eriksdotter of Södermanland (b.1317)
2a) Euphemia Eriksdotter of Södermanland (b.1317)
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Interesting update. I suspect many in Norway will still push for her second son to succeed her or if England separates from Scotland then to have the latter be King.
In any case any move for a second son would have interesting consequences over the Norwegian vassals in the North Sea...
FYI Kynan you haven't indicated that Magnus Erikson is now King of Sweden.
In any case any move for a second son would have interesting consequences over the Norwegian vassals in the North Sea...
FYI Kynan you haven't indicated that Magnus Erikson is now King of Sweden.
They don't need to push for her second son to succeed her,they can just straight out make him King legally.Norway is an elective monarchy,so they can just randomly elect anyone as king.Whether the other guy accepts this is another matter though.It would be illegal on the other hand to do this in Scotland.
I was under the impression that Norway had transitioned to a hereditary monarchy by this point? Hence why Magnus Erikson was accepted as King of Norway but had to be elected by the Swedes as their King.
You are right on that matter, the Kingdom of Norway had become hereditary after the "tronefølgeordningen" law of 1260 where the throne was made hereditary where the legitimate came before the bastards and the older before the younger, also there was never a co-rulership of the country after this. Another thing to note was that it changed from everyone got a claim to an orderly line of succession. Also, there was a change made to the law by Håkon V Magnusson which stated that the sons of his daughters was the next in line if he had no sons, though this was in the 1310s.
THE SCOTTISH-NORWEGIAN UNION
Coat of Arms who represented the Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and Norway.
Coat of Arms who represented the Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and Norway.
The Union of the Kingdoms of Scotland and Norway was confirmed with the sign of the Treaty of Bergen on 19 March 1320 between the representants of both goverments: Nigel de Brus for Scotland and Archbishop Eilif of Nidaros for Norway. The terms of the Treaty, who was approved by the Haugating of Tønsberg on 1 April, were as follows:
- Scotland and Norway had a personal union between each other, and would last only during Queen Margaret's lifetime.
- Before her death, the Queen had the obligation to named one of her two younger sons, Princes Alexander or Eric, as the future King of Norway, following the consent of the Haugating. In the case that both Princes predeceased their mother without any issue, their sisters Princesses Eleanor, Margaret and Joan had the rights of inheritance by order of birth, and after them, any offspring of King Edward III of England who wasn't in direct line of succession to the English throne; finally, in the case of the extinction of all the direct bloodline of Queen, the Haugating had the obligation to offer firstly the throne to any descendant of Queen Isambour of France who wasn't in direct line to the French throne, and in case that the offering was refused, they had the right to choose a ruler from a new dynasty, always avoiding the union with Sweden.
- Both Kingdoms kept their natural laws and customs without any interference of the other; in addition, the Queen only could appointed for the main government positions of each Kingdom native nobles of knights.
- A complete tax exemption in the trade of all kind between Norway and Scotland came into force since 1 May 1320. In addition, were given special concessions and reduction in the trade taxes with the Kingdoms of England and France (as a reward for their cooperation in the preservation of the independence of Norway).
- If one of the Kingdoms entered in a war, the other had the obligation to provide arms and troops but without affecting their local security.
- Was determined that the Queen could spend six months in Norway and six months in Scotland, to "guaranteed the presence of the Sovereign in both Kingdoms". In addition, she had the right to have two different Households in the two Kingdoms, composed exclusively from native ladies-in-waitings, minstrels, physicians, and servants.
Thanks to her fluency in the Norwegian language and the knowledge of the local customs, Queen Margaret was extremely popular in the Kingdom. During the following months, she travel extensively throughout Norway, being warmly received the population.
For the Queen, the security of the Norwegian borders with Swedish and Finland was the first and main issue to resolve; for this, she ordened the construction of strategical fortresses in the main border towns of Norway, a work who lasted for the next ten years (1320-1330).
TO BE CONTINUED....
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Nice update.
I'll forgive the slight anachronism with the arms as a normal chronicler addition. She would have used separate arms for each (with the lions affronte if they were together) as it was a lifetime personal union only. It would be her sons who would be able to quarter if they so wished.
I'll forgive the slight anachronism with the arms as a normal chronicler addition. She would have used separate arms for each (with the lions affronte if they were together) as it was a lifetime personal union only. It would be her sons who would be able to quarter if they so wished.
So many lions....So basically the marriage of Margaret to Edward II is a union of a lot of lions....
FAMILY AND POLITICS (PART 1)
Extract of the Chroniques of Jean Froissart, who showed Queen Isabella's birth of her second daughter, Princess Joan.
Extract of the Chroniques of Jean Froissart, who showed Queen Isabella's birth of her second daughter, Princess Joan.
At the time that Queen Margaret returned to Scotland for her six months stay, in August 1320, she had to faced the continuous and constant problem of her reign: the union with England.
Although the goverment of the Guardians of the Kingdom, leaded by Robert de Bruce, 7th Lord of Annandale and Earl of Carrick, united with the Queen's popularity, stabilized Scotland, the nobility and church hierarchy began to showed worries about a renewal of the Scottish-English Union, who effectively ended with King Edward II's death in 1318.
The situation escalated in such proportions that when the Queen inaugurated the first meeting of the Parliament on 1 September 1320 at Stirling Castle, the whole Three Estates (Thrie Estaitis) presented to her a petition asking the "definitive resolution of the succession of the realm".
The Lord of Annandale advised Margaret that she must to gave to the Kingdom an official resolution in this matter; at first, the Queen hesitated, but when arrived to Stirling a letter of her son Edward III of England calling himself "King of the English and heir of Scotland" (Rex Anglorum et et Scotiae haeredem), she finally took a decision.
On 11 October 1320 at Edinburgh Castle, the Lord of Annandale officially renounced to his post as "Governor on behalf of the Lady Queen our sovereign" and effective leader of the Guardians. In the same ceremony, and with the representants of the whole Scottish clans and the Parliament attending, Queen Margaret (using the Papal privilege given to her following the arbitration of 1290) proclaimed her second son, Prince Alexander, as "Rightful Lord and Heir of Scotland", with all the privileges and obligations, and also appointed him Regent of the Kingdom during her absence. Two weeks later, on 27 October, the 16-years-old Prince was solemnly swored Heir of the Throne at Scone.
During the following months, the Queen traveled trough the Lowlands and Highlands with Prince Alexander, instructing him in the government affairs and with the intention to presented him to the main Scottish clans as their future King.
Margaret knew that the decision to appoint Alexander as her heir in Scotland would damage forever her relations with her eldest son Edward III, moreover thanks to the intrigues of his wife Isabella, and because between both women "wasn't either love or respect" (Jean Froissart). However, the fears of the Queen were unfounded, because the position of Isabella at that time wasn't the strong one that she previously enjoyed.
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Following the birth of her first daughter, Princess Margaret in 1317, Queen Isabella gained more prominence at court, intensified after the departure of her detested mother-in-law to Norway to claim that throne. However, the influence that she had over Edward III waned because of her failure to gave birth a male heir: following two miscarriages in mid-February 1318 and early January 1319, she gave birth a second daughter, Princess Joan (born at Windsor Castle, 1 September 1320). The Lords of the Kingdom, leaded by the Earl of Lancaster, began to think that "the Queen's womb was cursed", an opinion who apparently was a reality when Isabella suffered another miscarriage, in mid-January 1321.
Edward III, a men of a soft and mild nature, was also deeply religious, and reportedly "pray day and night for male offspring for the sake of his Kingdom" (Florence of Worcester).
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Once Queen Margaret knew the suffering of her son, and despite all the warnings to made it, she parted to England in her way to Norway for her six months' stay there. Her official entry to London, who took place on 1 February 1321, was warmly celebrated by the population, despite the political tensions between England and Scotland.
Inmediately, the Queen parted to Windsor Castle, where she had a private meeting with her son. Edward III and his mother had an special and close relationship, and the King was sincerely relieved to saw his mother. Although their well-known bad relationship, the Queen also had a meeting with Isabella, who was in her chambers recovering from her last miscarriage.
TO BE CONTINUED.......
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Magnus VI of Norway (b.1238: d.1280) m. Ingeborg of Denmark (b.1244: d.1287) (a)
1a) Eric II of Norway (b.1268: d.1299) m. Margaret of Scotland (b.1261: d.1283) (a), Isabel Bruce (b.1272) (b)
2a) Haakon V of Norway (b.1270: d.1318) m. Euphemia of Rügen (b.1280: d.1312) (a), p. Various Women (b)
1a) Margaret I, Queen of Scotland and Norway (b.1283) m. Edward II of England (b.1284: d.1318) (a)
2b) Ingeborg *Isambour* Eiriksdatter of Norway (b.1297) m. Louis X of France (b.1289) (a)
1a) Edward III of England (b.1302) m. Isabella of France (b.1295) (a)
2a) Eleanor of Scotland and England (b.1303)
3a) Alexander of Scotland and England, Prince of Scotland (b.1304)
4a) Eric of Scotland and England (b.1310)
5a) Margaret of Scotland and England (b.1314)
6a) Joan of Scotland and England (b.1316)
1a) Margaret of England (b.1317)
2a) Miscarriage (c.1318)
3a) Miscarriage (c.1319)
4a) Joan of England (b.1320)
5a) Miscarriage (c.1321)
2a) Miscarriage (c.1318)
3a) Miscarriage (c.1319)
4a) Joan of England (b.1320)
5a) Miscarriage (c.1321)
2a) Eleanor of Scotland and England (b.1303)
3a) Alexander of Scotland and England, Prince of Scotland (b.1304)
4a) Eric of Scotland and England (b.1310)
5a) Margaret of Scotland and England (b.1314)
6a) Joan of Scotland and England (b.1316)
2b) Ingeborg *Isambour* Eiriksdatter of Norway (b.1297) m. Louis X of France (b.1289) (a)
1a) Philip of France (b.1316)
2a) Haakon V of Norway (b.1270: d.1318) m. Euphemia of Rügen (b.1280: d.1312) (a), p. Various Women (b)
1b) Agnes Haakonsdatter, Dame of Borgarsyssel (b.1290) m. Baron Havtore Jonsson (b.1275) (a)
2a) Ingeborg Håkansdotter of Norway (b.1301) m. Eric, Duke of Södermanland (b.1282: d.1318) (a)
1a) Jon Havtoresson (b.1312)
2a) Sigurd Havtoresson (b.1315)
2a) Sigurd Havtoresson (b.1315)
2a) Ingeborg Håkansdotter of Norway (b.1301) m. Eric, Duke of Södermanland (b.1282: d.1318) (a)
1a) Magnus Eriksson, IV of Sweden (b.1316)
2a) Euphemia Eriksdotter of Södermanland (b.1317)
2a) Euphemia Eriksdotter of Södermanland (b.1317)
As soon as Margaret's dead,there's bound to be a massive English invasion of Scotland.There's no doubt about it.Margaret's basically asking for trouble here.It's not a matter of whether Edward is a soft man or not,but there seems to be enough interest groups in England asking for a union to happen.
I would have to agree. Even Margret must know that she is completely snubbing her first born son and rightful heir (without right by conquest). The only thing she is doing by denying Edward the right to the throne is setting up a completely unending war wear the kingdom to the south with twice the population and wealth has an unending casus belli against their northern neighbor that every ruler in Europe would have to acknowledge.
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