Ingegerd Knutsdotter facts for kids

Ingegerd Knutsdotter (1356 – September 14, 1412) was a Swedish nun and a member of the noble class. She became the first official leader, known as an abbess, of the Bridgettine Abbey of Vadstena in Sweden. She held this important role from 1385 or 1388 until 1403.

Early Life and Joining the Abbey

Ingegerd Knutsdotter was the daughter of Märtha (Margareta) Ulfsdotter and Knut Algotsson. Her maternal grandmother was the famous Saint Bridget of Sweden.

Ingegerd grew up alongside the future Queen Margaret, who would later unite the Nordic kingdoms. This was because Ingegerd's mother worked as a royal governess, teaching and caring for the young princess.

In 1374, when Ingegerd was eighteen years old, she joined the Vadstena Abbey. This was the same year that the body of her grandmother, Saint Bridget, was brought back to Sweden.

Becoming the First Abbess

In 1385, Ingegerd took over as abbess from Margareta Bosdotter (Oxenstierna). At this time, the abbey was not yet officially recognized by the church.

However, on May 18, 1388, the Vadstena Abbey received official approval from the pope. After this, Ingegerd was formally appointed as its first official abbess.

Leading the Abbey

During her time as abbess, Ingegerd welcomed Queen Margaret to the abbey. The Queen claimed to have had a special spiritual experience there. She showed great respect for the nuns and even became a lay sister, which meant she followed some of the abbey's rules while living outside its walls.

In 1400, the city of Vadstena was given special city rights by Queen Margaret. This important step happened because Ingegerd had requested it.

Challenges and Investigation

Later, Ingegerd faced serious accusations. People claimed she had mismanaged the abbey's documents and its property. There were also concerns that she had not followed all the rules expected of an abbess. This was a big deal because she was related to Saint Bridget.

Some accusations suggested she had been too close with people outside the abbey, both ordinary men and church officials. It was also claimed that she had misused money meant for the pope and given it to a relative, Bishop Canute of Linköping. This bishop was said to have helped her misuse the abbey's funds by accepting documents with forged seals.

There were also claims that she allowed a monk, Lucas Jacobi, to break his vows and enter the nuns' area of the abbey. He was accused of destroying an important document that gave the abbey special rights from the Pope. It was also said that she prevented six monks from becoming priests because they refused to break their vows.

The abbey members complained to Queen Margaret, but nothing changed at first. This was because Ingegerd had high status as Saint Bridget's granddaughter.

In 1400, Ingegerd removed the leader of the monks, Sten Stensson. She replaced him with Lucas Jacobi, who then went to Rome as her representative to the Pope.

In 1401, the monks disagreed with Ingegerd's actions. They chose Petrus Johannis as their new leader, who then removed Jacobi and brought Stensson back. Bishop Canute of Linköping visited the abbey and told everyone to obey Ingegerd.

After this, the nuns asked Ingegerd to step down. When she refused, the nuns and monks worked together to remove her from her position. They chose Christina Staffansdotter Stangenberg as acting abbess while Ingegerd was investigated. Stangenberg and Martin, the monks' leader, asked the Pope directly to investigate Ingegerd's leadership. Bishop Canute of Linköping tried to stop the investigation.

Later Life and Passing

In November 1402, the Pope ordered Bishop Peter of Strängnäs to investigate the accusations against Ingegerd. The investigation looked into claims of mismanagement and not following abbey rules.

The investigation found that the accusations were true. As a result, Ingegerd was declared guilty and removed from her role as abbess on February 5, 1403. In the election that followed, Gerdeka Hartlevsdotter took over as abbess.

After being removed from her leadership role, Ingegerd continued to live as a regular member of the abbey. When she passed away in 1412, the convent believed her actions had been forgiven. She died saying, "O! dulcissima Maria, Mater Dei, adjuva nunc" (Oh! sweetest Mary, Mother of God, help now), after receiving the sacrament.