Richardis of Schwerin, Duchess of Schleswig
Encyclopedia
Richardis of Schwerin, also called Richardis of Lauenburg or Rixa, (year unknown – before 1386), was a Duchess consort of Schleswig
and possibly a Danish queen consort, married to Valdemar III of Denmark (Valdemar V, Duke of Schleswig)
. She was the daughter of Gunzelin VI, Count of Schwerin
-Wittenburg and Richardis of Tecklenburg
. She was the aunt of Richardis of Schwerin, Queen of Sweden.
The year of her marriage is unknown; her spouse was king of Denmark in 1326-1329, and if she married him before 1329, she would have been queen of Denmark. They had two sons, Henry (1338–1375) and Valdemar (1342–1364), elder of whom, Henry, succeeded in Schleswig upon Valdemar's death. Richardis is mainly known for an incident in 1358, during the war between her spouse and king Valdemar Atterdag of Denmark. Atterdag made a siege on Sønderborg castle on Als
, which was at the time the residence of Richardis. She defended the castle successfully for a long time, but when it was no longer possible, she opened the gates and walked out to the king with her daughters and all the women of the castle "in an attempt to beg the victorious master for mercy". This succeeded, and Atterdag agreed to leave her in control of the castle, on condition that she stay out of the war. In 1364, her son made peace with Atterdag. In 1373, Richardis made Atterdag the protector of her widow fiefs, including Als. This is the last time she is mentioned; in 1386, her nephew Otto VI, Count of Tecklenburg gave permission to her nephew Eric of Saxony
to claim Otto's inhertience after Richardis in his name.
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
and possibly a Danish queen consort, married to Valdemar III of Denmark (Valdemar V, Duke of Schleswig)
Valdemar III of Denmark
Valdemar III of Denmark was a king of Denmark from 1326 to 1329 briefly when underage, as well as in 1325–26 and from 1330 to 1364 Duke of Schleswig as Valdemar V. He was a rival king set up against the unsuccessful Christopher II and was widely opposed by his many subjects. His term was ended...
. She was the daughter of Gunzelin VI, Count of Schwerin
Gunzelin VI, Count of Schwerin
Günzel VI of Schwerin was a son of Count Niklot I of Schwerin and his wife, Elisabeth of Holstein. In of, he succeeded his father in Schwerin-Wittenburg....
-Wittenburg and Richardis of Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg
Tecklenburg is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:It is located at the foothills of the Teutoburg Forest, southwest of Osnabrück.-Division of the town:...
. She was the aunt of Richardis of Schwerin, Queen of Sweden.
The year of her marriage is unknown; her spouse was king of Denmark in 1326-1329, and if she married him before 1329, she would have been queen of Denmark. They had two sons, Henry (1338–1375) and Valdemar (1342–1364), elder of whom, Henry, succeeded in Schleswig upon Valdemar's death. Richardis is mainly known for an incident in 1358, during the war between her spouse and king Valdemar Atterdag of Denmark. Atterdag made a siege on Sønderborg castle on Als
Als
Als is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea. It lies east of the Jutland peninsula of Denmark at the town of Sønderborg, and north of the German coast at Schleswig. Covering an area of 321 km² , the island has a total population of 51,322 as of 1 January 2010...
, which was at the time the residence of Richardis. She defended the castle successfully for a long time, but when it was no longer possible, she opened the gates and walked out to the king with her daughters and all the women of the castle "in an attempt to beg the victorious master for mercy". This succeeded, and Atterdag agreed to leave her in control of the castle, on condition that she stay out of the war. In 1364, her son made peace with Atterdag. In 1373, Richardis made Atterdag the protector of her widow fiefs, including Als. This is the last time she is mentioned; in 1386, her nephew Otto VI, Count of Tecklenburg gave permission to her nephew Eric of Saxony
Eric III, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg
Eric III of Saxe-Bergedorf was the youngest son of Duke Albert IV of Saxe-Lauenburg and Beata of Schwerin , daughter of Gunzelin VI, Count of Schwerin. Eric was determined for and started a career as cleric...
to claim Otto's inhertience after Richardis in his name.