Ingegerd Birgersdotter of Bjelbo

Ingegerd (or Ingegärd) Birgersdotter of Bjelbo (Bjälbo), (ca 1180-7 April after 1210, possibly 1230), was a Swedish queen, second consort of king Sverker II of Sweden.

Ingegerd was born in to one of Sweden's most powerful noble families, the Bjälbo family, as the child of Birger Brosa and Brigida Haraldsdotter; her mother was the child of king Harald Gille of Norway and had in her first marriage been titular queen of Sweden in 1160-1161.

In 1200, she was married to king Sverker after the death of his first consort and became queen of Sweden directly upon her marriage. Through her connections, she was to play an important part in her husband's politics. In 1202, her father died, and queen Ingegerd and her husband proclaimed their one year old son Prince Johan as the heir and head of the Bjelbo clan through her. In 1204, a conflict broke out between her husband and her family, and in 1205, her family borke with her after the death of the sons of Knut Erikson at the Battle of Älgarås. She acted as mediator between the king and her family, but failed to reconcile them, and in 1210, her husband was deposed at the Battle of Gestilren.

The life of dowager queen Ingegerd is not known, nor is the year of her death. In 1216, her son was made king. Historians guess she spent her later life with her brother Magnus, in Scania or in Denmark. The year of 1230 is sometimes suggested as the date of her death.

Children

* John I of Sweden, (1201?-1222), king 1216–1222.

References

*Agneta Conradi Mattsson: "Riseberga kloster, Birger Brosa & Filipssönerna", Vetenskapliga skrifter utgivna av Örebro läns museum 2, 1998, ISBN 91-85642-24-X
*Dick Harrison: "Jarlens sekel - En berättelse om 1200-talets Sverige, Ordfront, Stockholm, 2002, ISBN 91-7324-999-8
*Åke Ohlmarks "Alla Sveriges drottningar."

Sucession