Helena Pedersdatter Strange

Helena Pedersdatter Strange ( Dates. Helena Pedersdatter Strange ; Swede. Helena Pedersdotter Strange ; in Sweden also known as Queen Elin ; c. 1200 - 1255) - Queen Consort of Sweden , wife of King Knut II . Came from a noble Ulfeldt family.

Her father was the Danish knight Peder Strangesson, her mother - Ingeborg Esbernsdatter from the Hvide dynasty, the niece of the Danish Archbishop Absalon . It is believed that Helena married Knut, who served as regent under the king of Sweden in about 1225, although the exact year of their marriage is unknown. Knut has been a regent under the underage King Eric XI since 1222 and himself took the throne in 1229. Helena, or Elin, as Swedish historians call her, thereby became the queen. Queen Elin used the same stamp on official documents as her husband: a curious fact that suggests that she could have great political influence in the kingdom.

In 1234, her husband died, and the ousted king Eric returned to his homeland. Dowager Queen Elin married a nobleman Philip Lauresson. In 1247, she witnessed how her son from his first marriage rebelled against the new monarch, but failed and was executed in 1248. Her second son was executed in 1251, and in the same year she became a widow. She died in 1255.