Astrid Njalsdotter
| Astrid Njalsdotter | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Sweden | |
| Reign | 1050–1060 |
| Died | 1060 |
| Spouse | Emund the Old |
| Issue | Saint Ingamoder Emundsdotter of Sweden |
| Father | Nial Finnsson |
| Mother | Gunhild Halvdansdotter |
Astrid Njalsdotter (or Nialsdotter) of Skjalgaätten (also Aestrith) (died 1060) was a Swedish queen, consort of king Emund the Old of Sweden and mother-in-law of king Stenkil of Sweden.
Biography
Astrid was born child of the Norwegian nobleman Nial Finnsson (d. 1011) and Gunhild Halvdansdotter of the Skjalga family in Hålogaland in Norway. In about 1035, she married the Swedish jarl Ragnvald Ulfsson in his second marriage. After his death in about 1040, she married Prince Emund Olofsson of Sweden. In 1050, Emund became king, and she became the queen of Sweden. She became the mother of two sons, who both died before their father, and one daughter, known by legend as Ingamoder.
Because Ragnvald Ulfsson has sometimes been regarded as the father of Stenkil, Astrid has sometimes been regarded as the mother of Stenkil. In reality, she was his step-mother. In c. 1058, her daughter married Stenkil. As Queen Astrid was the former step-mother of Stenkil, it was against the law of the Christian church for her daughter to marry her former step-son. This has been suggested as a reason as to why Ingamoder is not mentioned by name in the documents.
Queen Astrid is believed to have died in 1060, one year before her husband. In 1061, her son-in-law Stenkil became king due to the marriage of her daughter, and Astrid was succeeded as queen by her own daughter, who became the queen of her own country.
Issue
References and litterature
- http://bruzell.se/winfamily.web/per01517.htm (in Swedish)
- http://historiska-personer.nu/min-s/p64862bcc.html (in Swedish)
- http://www.progressus.se/mormor_morfar/tree/PS08/PS08_314.HTML (in Swedish)
- Åke Ohlmarks: Alla Sveriges drottningar (All the queens of Sweden) (in Swedish)
- Gustaf Elgenstierna : Den introducerade adelns ättartavlor (in Swedish)