Jutta of Denmark

Jutta of Denmark Abbess of St. Agneta Reign 1266-1270 Born 1246 Died 1286/95 Issue Erik of Sweden (Illegitimate) House House of Estridsen Father Eric IV of Denmark Mother Jutta of Saxony Religion Roman Catholicism

Jutta of Denmark also known as Judith (1246-1286/95) was a daughter of Eric IV of Denmark and his wife Jutta of Saxony. She was a younger sister of Queen Sophia of Sweden, and Queen Ingeborg of Norway, as well as an older sister of Agnes. Jutta was also mistress for a brief period of time to her brother-in-law Valdemar, King of Sweden. Jutta was a member of the House of Estridsen.

Life

In 1250, when Jutta was around four years old, her father was murdered. Her mother remarried to Burgrave Burchard VIII of Magdeburg. Her two eldest sisters Sophia and Ingeborg were soon married off, while Jutta and her sister Agnes were placed in the Abbey of St. Agneta in Roskilde. Neither Jutta or Agnes could find pleasure in the tough and lonely monastic life.^[1]

In 1269, her sister queen Sophia of Sweden stopped at their father's grave in Denmark on a visit to her sisters, Agnes and Jutta in Roskilde. In 1272, Jutta journeyed to Sweden where she became the mistress to her brother-in-law, Valdemar. The affair resulted in a child who was born in 1273. The boy was named Erik^[2] although, some ^[3] dispute this. The following year, Jutta was again placed in the convent of St. Agneta, and Valdemar was forced to make a pilgrimage to Rome to ask for the Pope's absolution. According to legend, Queen Sophia said: I will never recover from this sorrow. Curse the day my sister saw the kingdom of Sweden^[4] Sophia and Valdemar later separated.

Jutta remained in the convent for the rest of her life. Eric V of Denmark (Jutta's cousin) denied Jutta and Agnes their rightful inheritance from their father; this, however, was settled in 1284 when the sisters received their inheritance.^[5] Judith died sometime between 1286 and 1295.^[6] Around the same time, Agnes supposedly married her cousin Eric Longbone, Lord of Langeland. Sophia died in 1286.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Jutta of Denmark

16. Canute Lavard               8. Valdemar I of Denmark                       17. Ingeborg of Kiev               4. Valdemar II of Denmark                             18. Volodar of Minsk               9. Sophia of Minsk                       19. Richeza of Poland               2. Eric IV of Denmark                                   20. Afonso I of Portugal               10. Sancho I of Portugal                       21. Maud of Savoy               5. Berengaria of Portugal                             22. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona               11. Dulce of Aragon                       23. Petronila of Aragon               1. Jutta of Denmark                                         24. Albert the Bear               12. Bernard III, Duke of Saxony                       25. Sophie of Winzenburg               6. Albert I, Duke of Saxony                             26. Canute V of Denmark               13. Birgitte of Denmark                       3. Jutta of Saxony                                   28. Leopold V, Duke of Austria               14. Leopold VI, Duke of Austria                       29. Helena of Hungary               7. Agnes of Austria                             15. Theodora Angelina

References

1. Translation from Swedish Wikipedia
2. Cawley, Charles, SWEDEN KINGS, Medieval Lands, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, retrieved August 2012,
3. Brenner, p. 270
4. Christer Öhman (Swedish): Helgon, bönder och krigare. Berättelser ur den svenska historien (Saints, farmers and warriors. Stories from the history of Sweden)
5. Regesta Diplomatica Danica 1348, p. 166
6. Cawley, Charles, DENMARK, Medieval Lands, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, retrieved August 2012,