Galen - kusinerna eller systrarna från Skåne, gifta med danska vasaller - och ej Sverker IIs döttrar

[M.Sjöström]

In the turn of 13th century, there were two, presumably Scandinavian ladies, Kristina and Margareta, who were married in southern shores of Baltic.
Kristina was Princess of Mecklenburg and Rostock, her husband was Henry II who died 1226.
Margareta was Princess of R?gen, her husband was Wizlaw I who died 1249.
 
Both have been proposed to have been daughters of Sverker II. My view is that they just were daughters of a magnate or magnates (stormännadöttrar) in Skåne, which then was Danish.
 
 
Historically, Kristina is known to have been wife of Henry II of Mecklenburg, Prince of Rostock, and mother of John I of Mecklenburg, as well as some other, less prominent children. Instead, there is no explicit attestation as to who were her parents.
 
Her husband Henry was until his death (in other words, during the marriage) a vassal of king Valdemar II of Denmark. Vassal almost similarly as Danish magnates in Islands and Skåne, as well as in R?gen. Why not Henry to make alliances (sealed by marital alliances) with other important vassals of the Danish kingdom.
 
Kristina's origins: several of her children are clearly mentioned being in kinship (consanguinei) with priest Jacobus Erlandi, Archbishop of Lund (archbishop 1254-74); who himself was one of the Galen brothers in Danish Skåne (and relative of the Hvide clan).
 
Kristina's two (elder) children received first names rare in Northern Germany that far, but present in the Galen clan and in Denmark (Scandinavia) already: Margareta and Johannes
 
One of archbishop's mother's female first cousins had been Benedikte Ebbesdatter, queen of Sweden, and some researchers have tentatively assigned this lady Kristina as Benedikte's daughter (of course by her husband king Sverker II). Sweden, a country behind the Smalandian forests, whose coasts were far away, was much less interesting partner to Rostock of that era than a magnate clan  (Hvide-Galen) in Danish Islands and Skåne, just across some water (look at map). Swedish sources do not mention any other surviving daughter of king Sverker than his well-attested daughter Helena Sverkersdotter, and no source ever mentions a living nephew for the childless king John I of Sweden who would have been in dire need of male heirs (his sister Helena had just daughters), if such existed. Highly probable is that if a nephew of John I existed, such boy or man would have been used, after 1222, by some Swedish faction as claimant of throne, and highly likely found thus his way to recorded history in such capacity. Those Princes of Mecklenburg however were not present in that way in history.
 
(The possibility of Kristina being a daughter of Sverker II and Benedikte Ebbesdatter of course cannot be totally excluded. It is just highly unlikely.)
 
 
I would just call her: Lady Kristina (från Skåne)
 
Highly likely, this lady Kristina was a daughter or granddaughter of the Galen clan of Skåne, Eastern Denmark. Her sons are mentioned as kinsmen of a Galen, dominus Jacobus Erlandi who was Archbishop of Lund in Skåne 1254-74. This Kristina was presumably some sort of cousin, and probably even a sister, of Lady Margareta (från Skåne), Princess of R?gen, wife of Wizlaw I, Prince of R?gen.
 
 
Historically, lady Margareta is known to have been wife of Wizlaw I of R?gen, and mother of his children, including Jaromar II. Instead, there is no explicit attestation as to who were her parents.
 
Princes of R?gen were Denmark's vassals since the Danish had in late 12th century destroyed pagan rulers of the island (notably the conquest of Arkona 1168) and set up their own vassal dynasty. The Hvide-Galen clan had been instrumental in those wars, particularly archbishop Absalon (at that time just bishop of Roskilde), a naval leader.
 
Her origins: I highly presume lady Margareta to have been born from the extended family of the Galen of Skåne (either cognatic or even agnatic descendant of the Galen lords). Namely, her son Jaromar II (and Jaromar's issue) are clearly mentioned being in kinship (consanguinei) with priest Jacobus Erlandi, Archbishop of Lund (archbishop 1254-74); who himself was one of the Galen brothers in Danish Skåne (and relative of the Hvide clan).
 
This lady's younger son received first names rare in Northern Germany that far and not present earlier in R?gen dynasty, but present in the Galen clan and in Denmark (Scandinavia) already for a century: particularly Peder was a name from the Galen family.
 
Some researchers have tentatively assigned this lady Margareta as Benedikte and king Sverker II's daughter. Sweden, a country behind the Smalandian forests, whose coasts were far away, was much less interesting partner to R?gen of that era than a magnate clan in Danish Skåne (look at map), just across the channel north of R?gen.
 
Not Prince Jaromar II nor his any brother was present in history as claimant to Swedish throne and the Sverker legacy.
 
(The possibility of Margareta being a daughter of Sverker II and Benedikte Ebbesdatter of course cannot be totally excluded. It is just highly unlikely.)
 
 
I would call her just: Lady Margareta (från Skåne)
 
Highly likely, this lady Margareta was a daughter or granddaughter of the Galen clan of Skåne, Eastern Denmark. Her son Jaromar II of R?gen is mentioned as kinsman of a Galen, dominus Jacobus Erlandi who was Archbishop of Lund in Skåne 1254-74. Princes of R?gen since Jaromar I, had been vassals of Denmark, and in relations with the Galen and Hvide clans. This Margareta was presumably some sort of cousin, and probably even a sister, of Lady Kristina (från Skåne), Princess of Rostock, wife of Henry II of Mecklenburg and Rostock.
 
 
sources used:
 
Hans Gillingstam, Utomnordiskt och nordiskt i de äldsta svenska dynastiska förbindelserna, Personhistorisk Tidskrift 1981 pp 17..28 and p 180.