Vatnsfjarðar-Kristín Björnsdóttir
Kristín Björnsdóttir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1374 |
| Died | 1458 (aged 83–84) |
| Other names | Vatnsfjarðar-Kristín |
| Spouse(s) | Jón Guttormsson (1392–1403), Þorleifur Árnason (1405–1433) |
| Children | Einar Þorleifsson, Björn Þorleifsson, Árni Þorleifsson, Helga (the elder) Þorleifsdóttir, Solveig Þorleifsdóttir, Helga (the younger) Þorleifsdóttir, Guðný Þorleifsdóttir |
| Parent(s) | Björn Einarsson Jórsalafari, Solveig Þorsteinsdóttir |
Kristín Björnsdóttir (c. 1374–1458),[1] often called Vatnsfjarðar-Kristín,[2] was an Icelandic noblewoman in the 14th and 15th centuries and one of the richest people in Iceland during her day.[3]
Family
Kristín was the daughter of Björn Einarsson Jórsalafari and his wife Solveig Þorsteinsdóttir who lived in Vatnsfjörður in Ísafjarðardjúp. It is alleged, probably wrongly, that she had one brother, Þorleifur who had apparently been in peak health, while Kristín was sickly and confined to bed for long periods of time from a young age. Þorleifur drowned in Melgraseyri as an adult and, supposedly, when his corpse was brought home to Vatnsfjörður, Kristín shot up out of bed and was completely healthy from that point on,[4][5] living to an old age.[1] After her parents died, Kristín inherited all her family's wealth including dozens of plots of land spread widely throughout the Westfjords and several other assets.[3] Many of the properties had provided access to fishing, driftwood and other resources. Kristín was considered a force to be reckoned with and very generous.
Marriages
Kristín married twice. Her first husband, Jón, who she married in 1392, was the brother of Loftur Guttormsson[4] and later died in the Black Plague.[5] They lived in Hvammur in Dalir and had a son who was also named Jón who died when he was a teenager; Kirstín inherited a lot of wealth from him. She later married Þorleifur Árnason, a sýslumaður with many holdings in northern Iceland, such as the manors Auðbrekka in Hörgárdalur, Glaumbær in Skagafjörður,[6] and many other properties in Húnaþing. She lived in Vatnsfjörður after he died,[7] but spent her final years in Æðey. She was typically known by Vatnsfjörður although she never owned land there. Her mother Solveig gave Kristín's son Björn property there in 1433.[8]
Children
Kristín and Þorleifur's children, five of whom married Loftur Guttormsson's children,[8] were:
- Einar Þorleifsson, a seneschal[9]
- Björn Þorleifsson, seneschal of Skarð and husband to Ólöf Loftsdóttir[10]
- Árni of Glaumbær who married Soffía Loftsdóttir[11]
- Helga the elder who married Guðmundur Arason ríki ("the rich") in Reykhólar[12][4]
- Solveig Þorleifsdóttir, a housewife in Víðidalstunga and Breiðabólsstaður, wife of Ormur Loftsson[13]
- Helga the younger, a housewife in Holtastaðir in Langadalur, wife of Skúli Loftsson[14]
- Guðný, wife of Eiríkur Loftsson slógnefur of Grund in Eyjafjörður[15]
References
- ^ a b Guðfinna, Ragnarsdóttir (2014-02-01). "Leikur að ættfræði" [A game of genealogy]. Fréttabréf Ættfræðifélagsins (in Icelandic). 32 (1): 10. ISSN 1023-2672 – via Tímarit.
- ^ Blöndal, Sigrúna (1926-02-01). "Ólöf ríka" [Ólöf the rich]. Úrval (in Icelandic). p. 49. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ a b Ragnarsdóttir, Guðfinna (2015-11-01). "Ég er Þingeyingur, Langnesingur, MR-ingur..." [I'm from Þingeyingur, from Langnes, from MR]. Fréttabréf Ættfræðifélagsins (in Icelandic). 33 (4): 8, 10. ISSN 1023-2672. Retrieved 2026-02-16 – via Tímarit.
- ^ a b c Jónsson, Janus (1914). "Björn bóndi Einarsson Jórsalafari" [The farmer Björn Einarsson Jórsalafari]. Andvari Tímarit: Hins Íslenzka Þjóðvinafélags (in Icelandic). 39: 158–159 – via Tímarit.
- ^ a b Blöndal, Sigrún (1961-06-19). Helgadóttir, Guðrún P. (ed.). "Ólöf ríka Loptsdóttir" [Ólöf Loftsdóttir the rich] (in Icelandic). p. 6. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ "17. Kynþáttur: Ætt Solveigar ríku" [17. Ethnic background: The family of Solveig the rich]. Almanak fyrir árið 1927 [1927 Almanac] (in Icelandic). Vol. 33. Winnipeg: Ólafur S. Thorgeirsson. 1926. p. 99.
- ^ Sigurðardóttir, Sigríður (2011). "Glaumbær: Kirkja og staður" [Glaumbær: Church and Location] (PDF). Glaumbaer.is (in Icelandic). p. 3. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ a b Arthur, Susanne Miriam. Sigurðsson, Gísli; Pálsson, Viðar (eds.). "The importance of marital and maternal ties in the distribution of Icelandic manuscripts from the middle ages to the seventeenth century". Gripla. XXIII. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar: 205 – via Tímarit.
- ^ Hjartarson, Hjörtur (1998-10-17). "Ráðgátanum Guðmund Ríka" [The enigma of Guðmundur the Rich]. Lesbók Morgunblaðsins (in Icelandic). p. 4. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ Arnórsson, Einar (1949). "Víg Páls á Skarði" [The Death of Páll of Skarð]. Saga: Tímarit Sögufélags (in Icelandic). XXIV: 127–128 – via Tímarit.
- ^ "Family of Árni ÞORLEIFSSON and Soffía LOFTSDÓTTIR". www.faroeiceland.ca. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ "Miðaldakonur" [Women of the Middle Ages]. 19. Júní (in Icelandic). Vol. XIII, no. 5. 1929-05-01. p. 67. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ "Family of Ormur LOFTSSON and Sólveig ÞORLEIFSDÓTTIR". www.faroeiceland.ca. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ "Family of Loftur "ríki" GUTTORMSSON and Kristín ODDSDÓTTIR". www.faroeiceland.ca. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
- ^ "Family of Eiríkur "slógnefur" LOFTSSON and Guðný ÞORLEIFSDÓTTIR". www.faroeiceland.ca. Retrieved 2026-02-16.