akingswhore: Dyveke Sigbritsdatter (c. 1490 – 21 Sep 1517) Mistress of: King Christian II of D
akingswhore: Dyveke Sigbritsdatter (c. 1490 – 21 Sep 1517) Mistress of: King Christian II of Denmark.Tenure: c. 1507 – 1517.Royal Bastards: None.Fall From Power: She died. In 1506, Christian, prince of Denmark, was appointed viceroy of Norway by his father, King John. Christian had taken part in his father’s conquest of Sweden a few years earlier and, apart from a revolt in 1501, he managed to maintain control of the country throughout his seven year administration. It was during this time that Christian stumbled into the path of a Dutch peasant girl by the name of Dyveke, who then became his mistress. Dyveke’s mother was Sigbrit Willoms (or Villoms), and she ran a tavern in Bergen where her daughter of the future king first met (for some reason Dyveke’s father appears not important enough to be featured at all in the story of her life – I presume he was deceased). In 1513, King John died and Christian went back to Copenhagen to be crowned king of Denmark and Norway, bringing with him both his mistress and her mother. At the time, Denmark was actually an elective monarchy: the nobility selected the new king from among the sons or close male relatives of the previous one (hence Christian had actually “won” the election). The newly elected king then had to share his power with the nobility. Christian’s choice in mistress shocked the nobles – and this suited the King Christian just fine: he had a peculiar fondness for the common people which paired nicely with his distrust of the nobility. He soon began hacking away at their influence. Dyveke’s close affiliation with the king was enough to arouse suspicion, which then turned to hatred. The nobles at court attempted countless times to separate the lovers, but all endeavors failed. Dyveke probably didn’t deserve the wrath of the nobility, and although it is unclear whether or not she wielded any political power, she likely had nothing to do with Christian’s reforms. The king was an intelligent man but indecisive and irresolute, and these traits would later dominate his acts. Although Christian refused to give up Dyveke as his mistress he realized that, as king, he needed some legitimate heirs. Christian settled on a respectable fourteen-year-old bride by the name of Isabella of Austria, whom he almost immediately began to neglect. Dyveke’s presence caused tension between Christian and his new brother-in-law, Emperor Charles V, who demanded that Christian banish Dyveke and her mother, who by this point was a close advisor to the king from court. Of course, Christian was not about to give up his mistress of nearly a decade for a silly teenager and he flat-out refused. They carried on their affair the summer of 1517, when Dyveke suddenly died. Historians can’t say for certain what killed her, but at the time she was rumored to have been poisoned by contaminated cherries. A grieving Christian blamed a nobleman by the name of Torben Oxe, who was said to have sent Dyveke the fruit a few days before she died. Although Torben was likely innocent of the crime, the king had him executed. Other versions instead say that Sigbrit pointed the finger at Torben after she claimed that he had been in love with Dyveke. When Dyveke rebuffed his advances, he killed her with the tainted cherries as revenge. Following Dyveke’s early demise, Christian and Isabella’s relationship vastly improved and the royal couple went on to have six children. Isabella began working together with Sigbrit, who proved to be a capable financial advisor. Christian’s reign was cut short in 1523, when his uncle deposed him and took the throne as Frederick I. After an attempt to reclaim the throne in 1531, Christian was held in captivity until his death at the age of 77. He was forced to give up his ties with Sigbrit, who disappears from the records the following year (one assumption is that she was imprisoned for witchcraft and died in 1532). Sources A romanticized portrait of ” Christian II and Dyveke” by Vilhelm Rosenstand, c. 1890 (image). Ferguson, Robert. Scandinavians: In Search of the Soul of the North. The Overlook Press (2016). ISBN: 9781468314830. Dansk kvindebiografisk leksikon.” Dyveke (ca. 1490 - 1517). 2003. [http://www.kvinfo.dk/side/597/bio/625/origin/170/] -- source link