Princess Helen's heraldic image

See also Helena of Sweden

Helena Sverkersdotter of Sweden (born c. 1190- d. after 1222), was a Swedish princess, daughter of King Sverker II of Sweden and queen mother of queen Catherine of Sweden.

[edit] Biography

Helena was born the daughter of King Sverker II of Sweden and queen Benedikte Ebbesdotter of Hvide. She was born in Denmark, where her father was an exile at that time. In 1195 or 1196, her father was crowned king of Sweden. In 1208, he was deposed, and in 1210, he fell in battle and was killed.

She was the first of the three prominent victims of the Maid Abduction from Vreta, others being her daughter and granddaughter. Helena Sverkersdotter, the only daughter of the deposed King, was educated at Vreta Abbey at the time of her father's death. Her relatives would not even hear the proposal of young Sune Folkason (d.1247), son of an earl who had been among Sverker's opponents in that battle and himself fell. Sune Folkesson was of one of the two dynasties that had rivaled over the Swedish throne since 1130; Helena was from the other, the Sverker dynasty. Sune Folkason abducted Princess Helena and took her, according to folklore, to the castle of Ymseborg. They married, and two daughters survived from the marriage. Thus, the two Swedish dynasties was united, but only in a sideline.

In 1216, the brother of Helena was made King John I of Sweden, and wheh he died childless in 1222, lady Helena and her daughters were made heirs of the Sverker dynasty. One of her daughters, Catherine, was in 1243 married to King Eric of Sweden, thus finally uniting the two Swedish dynasties.

[edit] References

• Lars O. Lagerqvist (1982) (in Swedish). "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år",("Sweden and it's regents under a 1000 years").. Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. ISBN 91-0-075007-7. 

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