Edla
Encyclopedia
Edla, traditionally called Edla, Duchess of Venden (Edla, hertiginna av Venden) (10th-11th centuries), was a Slavic
Viking age
woman. She was the mother of King Emund of Sweden and Queen Astrid
of Norway.
Tradition says Edla was the daughter of a West Slavic
Tribal chief
from Northern Germany
. She was brought to Sweden as a prisoner of war c. 1000 at the same time or a little before, the arrival of Estrid of the Obotrites
(Estrid av obotriterna). King Olof Skötkonung married Estrid but also fell in love with Edla and took her as his mistress. She became the mother of Emund, Astrid, and probably Holmfrid. Snorre Sturlasson says that her children were sent to foster parents away from the royal court because Queen Estrid was not kind to them. This could indicate that Edla died when her children were small.
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
Viking age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
woman. She was the mother of King Emund of Sweden and Queen Astrid
Astrid Olofsdotter
Astrid Olofsdotter was the Queen Consort of King Olav II of Norway.-Biography:...
of Norway.
Tradition says Edla was the daughter of a West Slavic
West Slavic
West Slavic can refer to:* West Slavic languages* West Slavic peoples...
Tribal chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
from Northern Germany
Northern Germany
- Geography :The key terrain features of North Germany are the marshes along the coastline of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, and the geest and heaths inland. Also prominent are the low hills of the Baltic Uplands, the ground moraines, end moraines, sandur, glacial valleys, bogs, and Luch...
. She was brought to Sweden as a prisoner of war c. 1000 at the same time or a little before, the arrival of Estrid of the Obotrites
Estrid of the Obotrites
Estrid of the Obotrites was a Medieval and Viking age Swedish Queen consort and West Slavic Princess, married to Olof Skötkonung, the King of Sweden, ca...
(Estrid av obotriterna). King Olof Skötkonung married Estrid but also fell in love with Edla and took her as his mistress. She became the mother of Emund, Astrid, and probably Holmfrid. Snorre Sturlasson says that her children were sent to foster parents away from the royal court because Queen Estrid was not kind to them. This could indicate that Edla died when her children were small.
Children
- Emund the Old, King of Sweden
- Astrid OlofsdotterAstrid OlofsdotterAstrid Olofsdotter was the Queen Consort of King Olav II of Norway.-Biography:...
, married King Olav II of Norway - Holmfrid, wife of Sven Ladejarl