Queen of Sweden. She was originally Princess of Denmark of the Estrith Dynasty, the daughter of King Eric IV Plowpenny and Queen Gytha (Jutta), an Ascanian princess of Saxony. She was born about 1241, and her father was assassinated nine years later at the instigation of his brother King Abel. In 1260 she became a queen consort when she married King Waldemar of Sweden, whose step-mother was Abel's widowed queen from Denmark. This created a strange family relationship between Sophia and Matilda, now the wife of the great Duke of Sweden, Birger Jarl, who had placed his young son the Swedish throne. Birger died in 1266 and Waldemar's reign in his own right began, plus the trouble with his brothers which was to lead to his eventual downfall. In 1269, Queen Sophia visited Denmark and saw her sisters Agnes and Gytha (Jutta) who were nuns. Another sister Ingiburga was married to King Magnus VI the Lawbidder of Norway. Princess Gytha left her Danish nunnery in 1272 and went to Sweden with a glittering entourage, where she soon was having a scandalous relationship with her brother-in-law, King Waldemar. A year later she was pregnant and the King had to go to Rome to beg forgiveness at the feet of the Pope. Quote Sophia his queen: "Woe is me! This sorrow I shall never live down. Woe the day my sister ever laid eyes on the Swedish Realm!". The queen had or developed a sharp tongue and made sarcastic comments about her brothers-in-law Magnus, who was dark as stove soot, and Eric who had no duchy, calling them "Magnus Kettlebiter" and "Eric Ain't-at-All". In 1275 they revolted against Waldemar and deposed him and Sophia, notification of utter defeat reaching her as she was playing chess at Ramundeboda. Within two years she was back in Denmark, but then returned to Sweden where she died nine years later. Her husband had been securely imprisoned the year before, putting a definite end to any hopes they may have had of reigning again. Their surviving son Eric was disqualified from the succession by the new King Magnus III, but served his government as a senator. Three of their five daughters married distinguished continental princes. Besides her sharp wit, Sophia was considered lovely to look at, though haughty and overly domineering. It seems she and Waldemar had some kind of a legal separation or divorce enabling him to remarry at least once while she was still alive. Vreta has been named authoritatively as her final resting place, though the grave itself is unknown.