For the last day of Women’s History Month, we present a brief glimpse into the interconnectend lives of several powerful medieval Scandinavian women, in particular, Queen Margaret I (1353-1412) and the family of her instructress, Märta Ulfsdotter, (ca. 1319-71). Märta was the daughter of Birgitta Birgersdotter–the future Saint Birgitta of Sweden (Bridget, 1303-73) and sister of Katarina Ulfsdotter, later known as Saint Katarina (Catherine, ca. 1331-81).
What made Margaret so successful as a ruler? Undoubtedly, the environment in which she grew up had an important impact. At the tender age of six, for purely politic