Margaret Sambiria
Margaret Sambiria, in Danish: Margrethe Sambiria or Sambirsdatter, (1230?-1282) was the Queen consort of Christopher I of Denmark, and acted as regent for Eric V of Denmark. In Danish she is also known as queen Margrethe Sprænghest.
Family
She was born around 1230 to duke Sambor II of the ruling family of Slavic (Vendic) Cassubians and his wife Mechtild of Mecklenburg. They held a lordship (then treated as duchy or principality) of Gdańsk Pomerania.
Her paternal grandparents were Mestwin I of Pomerelia and his wife Swinislawa. Yet more interesting from Danish viewpoint were Margaret's maternal grandparents, who were Henry II of Mecklenburg, Prince of Rostock, and his wife Lady Kristina from Skåne, who according to newest research was a daughter of the mighty Danish Galen clan, magnates in Eastern Denmark, and related with the Hvide clan of Zealand.
Margaret received her first name, then yet relatively rare in North Germany and Poland (Margaret is actually a Greek name) in honor of her maternal Scandinavian relations (where the name Margaret came in the late 11th century with the family of Inge I of Sweden), presumably of her aunt (countess of Schwerin) and great-aunt (princess of Rugia).
Queen consort
She was 1248 married to prince Christopher, the youngest son of Valdemar II of Denmark and Berengária of Portugal. Her husband ascended the throne of Denmark in 1252 as Christopher I of Denmark by the then succession custom which followed so called agnatic seniority and Margaret was crowned together.
Regent
Her husband died on 29 May 1259 (rumoredly poisoned). Their son and heir Eric V of Denmark who succeeded was a minor and Margaret was made regent, in which position she continued until 1264.
Eric's succession overrode rights of sons of earlier monarchs and was against the traditions of agnatic seniority. However, only such living were sons of king Abel of Denmark, who had the fame of fratricide, murderer, and it was easier to dispossess them. King Christopher had all his reign made work to ensure his own line's succession. Although the accession of Eric led to serious rivalry for generations, Christopher's line was usually victorious and kept the kingship.
Margaret quarreled with lord Jakob Erlendsen and her husband's nephew Eric Abelson, as well as with counts of Holstein. After a loss in Lohede 1261 she together with her son the young king became imprisoned by Holsteins, but soon succeeded to liberty with help from Duke Albert of Brunswick. She took initiative.
A never-ending rivalry between Eric and his supporters on one side, and the kin of former King Abel on the other, made Queen Margrethe write to Pope Urban IV in Rome around 1262 or 1263, asking him to allow for women to inherit the Danish throne, thus making it possible for one of Eric's sisters to become reigning Queen of Denmark in the event of the young King's death (he had no children as of yet). Urban IV seemingly agreed.
Margaret has a reputation of a very competent regent. Her nicknames "Spränghäst" and "Svarta Grete" are based on her strong will and energy. She died in December 1282 and was buried in a Cistercian Church in Bad Doberan on the Baltic Sea coast of Germany.
Children
Margaret and Christopher had three children:
- Matilda (died 1311), married to Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel.
- Margaret (died 1306), married count John II of Holstein-Kiel.
- Eric V of Denmark (1249-1286).
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