where king Magnus had to make Eric his co-ruler and divide Sweden between them. During this conflict, queen Blanche seems to have supported her spouse against their son. When Eric and his spouse Beatrice of Bavaria died in 1359, Blanche was accused of having poisoned them, accusations that are however regarded to have been but a part of the propaganda against her. It is now believed that they died from the plague. From 1359, she seems to have resided in Tønsberg Castle in Norway. Tønsberg was a part of her dower lands, and she ruled the area as her dower. It appears that her finances were somewhat strained during these years. On 9 April 1363, she and Magnus attended the wedding of their son Haakon with Margaret, daughter of Valdemar IV of Denmark in Copenhagen. Shortly after the wedding, Blanche fell ill and died. The cause of death and the place where she is buried are unknown. Issue Eric XII of Sweden Haakon VI of Norway At least three daughters who died in infancy or early childhood, some buried at Ås Abbey. Legacy Queen Blanche is one of the most well-known of the Swedish/Norwegian medieval queens. Apparently, she was very politically and socially active and noticeable, not only as a queen, as many stories and songs were written about her. In Sweden, Queen Blanche is also remembered for the song: "Rida rida ranka, hästen heter Blanka" ("Ride, ride on my knee, the horse is called Blanka"), which has influenced the famous historical painting by Albert Edelfelt of her and her son Haakon. A Belgian wheat beer produced by Brasserie du Bocq is named "Blanche de Namur" (and was named "world's best wheat beer" at the 2009 World Beer Awards). References Wilhelmina Stålberg (Swedish): Anteqningar om svenska qvinnor [Notes on Swedish women] Further reading |- |- 1320 births 1363 deaths People from Namur (city) House of Dampierre Swedish queens Norwegian royal consorts 14th-century Swedish people 14th-century Swedish women 14th-century Norwegian people 14th-century Norwegian women