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Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir

Danish royal consorts

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ2656291 ↗
Source-derived summary

Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir or Gunnhildr Haraldsdóttir, Guda or Gyda (traditionally died in Gudhem, Västergötland, Sweden, c. 1060) was, according to the traditional view, a queen consort of King Anund Jacob of Sweden and of king Sveinn II of Denmark. However, the sources are so vague that several modern historians maintain that there were actually two queens of that name, of Sweden and Denmark respectively.

She is sometimes called Gude or Gyridje, but this is probably because of confusion with her daughter, Gyda, who is also known under her mother's name Gunnhildr.

Background

According to Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla (c. 1230) and the Knýtlinga saga (1250s) she was the child of the Norwegian jarl Svein Håkonsson and Holmfrid, daughter (or sister) of king Olof Skötkonung and sister (or niece) of king Emund the Old of Sweden. Gunnhildr's sister Sigrid was married to the grandee Aslak Erlingsson in Jaederen.

Queen of Sweden

Svein Håkonsson held part of Norway as fief under Olof Skötkonung. In 1015 he was defeated by the claimant Olaf Haraldsson (Olaf the Saint) and was forced to flee to Sweden with his family. From the near-contemporary chronicle of Adam of Bremen it is known that a Gunnhildr became married to Olof Skötkonung's son and successor King Anund Jacob (1022-c.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir” as danish royal consorts. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Gunnhildr, Sveinsdóttir and Danish.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1060, 1230, 1015, 1022—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1015. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Gunnhildr, Sveinsdóttir and Danish providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir”, the useful work is to connect “danish royal consorts” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2656291. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1060, 1230, 1015 and 1022.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.