Richeza of Poland, Queen of Sweden
Rikissa of Poland (also Richeza or Ryksa Bolesławówna ) (* April 12, 1116; † after December 25, 1156 ) was a Polish princess from the family of the Piast dynasty. She was married three times, during the first and third marriage Queen of Sweden, mother of the Danish king Knut V. and mother of his successor Waldemar I.
Life
1st marriage
Rikissa was the eldest daughter of Bolesław III. Wry-mouthed with his second wife Salome von Berg. Her father sought an alliance with the Danish king Niels married and she already 1127/28 with the king chosen by Sweden Danish prince Magnus. Around 1130 she gave birth to the son of Knut. However, Magnus could not compete with Sverker I. and had to leave Sweden 1130. In 1131 he murdered Knud Lavard, a competitor to the Danish throne. He fell in 1134 at the Battle of Fodevig against Knud Erik Emune Lavards half-brother, the King of Denmark, after the assassination of King Niels in Schleswig.
2nd marriage
Rikissa returned as a widow back to Poland, where her father 1135/36 with Volodar Gļebovič ( 1090 - after 1167 ), Prince of Minsk and Grodno married from the dynasty of Rurik, which in due to disputes about the succession in his home in exile of Poland bored. This marriage served to consolidate an alliance between Poland and Minsk against Denmark and the Kievan Rus. Your sprung from the sons of Vladimir, who succeeded his father as Prince, and Wasilko and daughter Sophia. In 1145 this marriage was divorced and Rikissa returned with her daughter back to Poland, where now there was her brother Władysław II. This divorce may go to the fact that the alliance with the Kievan Rus, whose power was already in the death of Vladimir Monomakh in 1125 Vsyevolodovitch dwindling, no longer seemed necessary.
3 marriage
1148 died Ulvhild Håkonsdatter, wife of Sverker I, who Rikissas first man had driven from Sweden. A little later married Sverker Rikissa, possibly in order to legitimize his claims to the Swedish throne. For Rikissa allowed this marriage that she could support her as a Swedish queen 's son from his first marriage, who had become in 1146 as Knut V. king of Denmark. Because Knut was after the abdication of Erik III. not the only contender for the succession, but at first ruled jointly with his cousin Sven III. However, after the common Wendish Crusade in 1148 disputes had broken out. Knut fled to Sweden in 1150 and married his step-sister Helena Sverkersdotter.
1154 was Rikissas daughter Sophia with Waldemar, the son of Knud Lavard, engaged. This had a year with Sven III. fallen and is now supported Knut. Together Knut and Waldemar were elected kings. Sven was sent into exile. 1157 Knut was murdered by his returned from exile competitors Sven, who, however, was defeated in the same year by Waldemar. Waldemar I, who was now the sole ruler, married his bride. Under Rikissas grandchildren from this marriage were two Danish kings, a Swedish and a French queen.
Sverker In recent years, his position was weakened as king. For Christmas 1156 he was assassinated. Rikissa survived his death, but is not mentioned in the sources. From the marriage with Sverker she had a son Burislev Sverkersson. Maybe she was also the mother of Sune Sik, the father of Ingrid Ylva.