Cecilia Johansdotter of Sweden

Cecilia Johansdotter of Sweden, (d. after 1193), was the traditional name of a Swedish queen, Queen Consort of king Canute I of Sweden and mother of King Eric X of Sweden.

Despite the fact that she was queen for over twenty years, the queen consort of King Canute is one of the most unknown of Swedish queens. Neither her name, her parents or her birth and death years are confirmed. Some sources guess that she was the daughter of Prince John (Johan) Sverkersson of Sweden (d. 1150), son of King Sverker I of Sweden (d. 1156). The name Cecilia is not confirmed. She was to have been married to Canute about the year 1160. In 1167, seven years later, her husband became King and she was made Queen of Sweden.

There is only one story that truly mentions the queen in more detail. In 1190, the queen was taken ill. It was a grave illness, and people worried that she would die. To avoid death, the queen promised on her sick bed, that if God would spare her life, she would enter a convent after her recovery to show her gratitude. Eventually, she recovered form her sickness completely. But she did not wish to become a nun, nor did her husband whish her to be, and they sent an appeal to the Pope in Rome to ask if the she could be released from her promise and continue her marital obligations. The Pope answered that the queen should honour her promise to God, and Queen Cecilia was forced to abandon her throne and enter a convent. This letter is dated to 1193. The year of her death is unknown.

Queen Cecilia Johansdotter is used as a character in a book by author Jan Guillou in 1998, where she was used to create the fictional queen Cecilia Blanka.

Children and family

"Married in about 1160 to Prince Canute Eriksson of Sweden, king 1167. Marriage dissolved when she enterred a convent in 1190, latest 1193. Children:"

* Jon Knutsson (slain November 1205 at Älgarås)
* Knut Knutsson (slain November 1205 at Älgarås)
* Joar Knutsson (slain November 1205 at Älgarås)
*Eric X of Sweden, (d. 1216), King of Sweden 1208-1216.
* Daughter, NN Knutsdotter (possibly Sigrid, or Karin), who is said to have married either jarl Knut Birgersson (and become mother of Magnus Broka), or married Magnus Broka himself (and with Magnus had a son Knut Magnusson, or, Knut Katarinason, claimant of Swedish throne and killed in 1251). Existence of this daughter is based on unclear mentions in old saga and chronicle material, and is to an extent accepted in research literature, to explicate Knut Magnusson's hereditary claim to the throne. This daughter was by necessity born in 1170s or 1180s. She is also proposed by old romantical-looking genealogies as mother of a Duke's daughter Cecilia Knutsdotter (by necessity born near 1208 at earliest), whose parentage however is fully shrouded in mists of history.

References

* cite book
author =Lars O. Lagerqvist
title = "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år",("Sweden and its rulers during 1000 years").
publisher = Albert Bonniers Förlag AB
id = ISBN 91-0-075007-7
date = 1982
language = Swedish
*Åke Ohlmarks, "Alla Sveriges drottningar".
*Herman Lindqvist, "Historien om alla Sveriges drottningar".

Sucession