Sofia of Minsk

Sofia of Minsk or "Sophie of Polotzk" (b.1138/1141-d.1198), was a Danish mediavel queen, Queen consort of King Valdemar I of Denmark.

Sophia was born daughter of Dowager Queen Rikissa of Sweden from her marriage with a man called "Valador" King in Poloni Lands. Several speculations have been put forward as to exactly who her father was, but his identity is still uncertain; he is guessed to have been Prince Volodar of Minsk or Prince Vladimir of Halicz. She was half-sister of Canute V of Denmark. She was engaged in 1154 and married in 1157 to Valdemar.

She is described as beautiful but mean in the legends, were she murdered Valdemar's mistress Tove and injured his sister Kirsten, but this is not confirmed. As a widow, Sofia married Louis III, Landgrave of Thuringia in about 1184, but was repudiated very soon after the marriage, and returned to Denmark.

Children and family

"Sofia married Valdemar I of Denmark (c 1131-1182), and they had the following children:"
*King Canute VI of Denmark (1163-1202)
*King Valdemar II of Denmark (1170-1241)
*Sophie, (1159 –1208), married Siegfried III, Count of Orlamünde
*Margareta and Maria, nuns at Roskilde
*Rikissa of Denmark (died 1220), married King Eric X of Sweden
*Helen (died 1233), married William, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg
*Ingeborg (1175-1236), married King Philip II of France

External links

* [http://www.thepeerage.com/p10547.htm Sophie of Polotzk thepeerage.com]
* "This article is partically based on its ecquivalent on Swedish wiki"

Succession