Estrid Svendsdatter

Estrid Svendsdatter of Denmark (also known as Estrith or Astrith; sometimes called Margaret); fl. 1017–1032;, b. c. 990s, d. after 1057 and before 1073, was a prominent Danish princess and titular queen of the Jelling dynasty, sister of Cnut the Great and wife of the magnate Ulf Jarl. She was the mother of Sweyn II Estridsen, during whose reign she was commonly styled dronning (“queen”) in Denmark, though she was never queen regnant nor a king's consort. Through Estrid, Sweyn traced his claim to the Danish throne and founded the matronymic House of Estridsen ("son of Estrid"), which ruled from 1047 to 1412. After the death of her father Swein Forkbeard in 1014, Estrid came under Cnut's guardianship. He married her to a son of Grand Prince Vladimir the Great or Yaroslav the Wise, but the prince died shortly afterwards. Several western chroniclers, including Rodulfus Glaber and Adam of Bremen, record a proposed or short-lived marriage with the duke of Normandy (probably Robert I, Duke of Normandy), though the precise details remain uncertain. By the early 1020s, she was married to the English magnate Ulf Thorgilsson, who later served as regent in Denmark. By marriage she was thus, successively, a Russian princess, duchess of Normandy and a Danish noblewoman. Increasing tensions between King Cnut and Jarl Ulf culminated in Ulf's killing at Roskilde in 1026, but Cnut's trust in Estrid was undiminished. Some modern scholars suggest that Estrid may have acquiesced in the act, but sources remain inconclusive. She retained her status and was charged with supporting Harthacnut's rule. As compensation, she received large estates in Scania and on Zealand, making her one of the wealthiest women of her time. Much of this property was granted to Roskilde Cathedral, where she is traditionally credited with replacing its timber church with...