The White Witch and the Chess Player
Extraordinary Women, Part 9
My mother, Helen Isabella Estes Seltzer, died Dec. 28, 2010, at the age of 90. She had a life-long interest in family history. In her memory, I compiled profiles of powerful and strong-willed women among her ancestors, thinking those women might inspire her descendants. These brief biographies are grouped by the lines of descent, which are shown afterwards, leading down to the present.
Lady Ingrid Ylva — the White Witch
Lady Ingrid Ylva, a Swedish noblewoman was renowned as a “white witch” — a master of magic used for good — and for her ability to foretell the future.
During insecure times (which were common around 1200), she lived in a church tower on her estates in Bjalbo.
Legend has it that when Bjalbo was attacked by enemies of the family, she rushed to the top of the church tower, ripped open a pillow full of feathers, and turned those feathers into knights in amor, who fought off the invaders.
Sofia of Denmark — the Chess Player
Daughter of Eric IV, King of Denmark, Sophia of Denmark was “a politically interested, witty beauty with a quick tongue. She was also known for her interest in chess.” In fact, she was playing chess when news arrived that her husband Valdemar I, King of Sweden, had just lost his throne to his brother Magnus III and had been thrown in prison. Considering her strained relationship with her husband, she probably continued the game, ignoring the interruption, and won.
While in imprison, Valdemar lived openly with mistresses. And before that, he had taken Sophia’s sister, Jutta, a nun, as a mistress, and she bore him a son. Eventually, Jutta was then sent back to her nunnery and Valdemar had to make a pilgrimmage to Rome to ask the Pope for absolution.
Line of Descent
1) Ingrid Ylva (1180–1250) md. Magnus Minneskold (d. 1210)
2) Birger Magnusson, founder of Stockholm (1210–1266) (md. Ingeborg Eriksdotter of Sweden)
3) Valdemar I, King of Sweden (1239–1302) (md. Sophia of Denmark)
4) Ingeborg of Sweden (md. Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Ploen)
5) Gerhard IV, Count of Holstein-Ploen (md. Anastasia of Wittenberg)
6) Ingeborg of Holstein-Ploen (md. Conrad I, Count of Oldenburg)
7) Christian V, Count of Oldenburg (1347–1423) (md. Agnes Honstein)
8) Dietrich, Count of Delmenhorst and Oldenburg, “Theodoric the Lucky” (1398–1440) (md. Hedwig Schauenburg)
9) Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (1426–1481) (md. Dorothea Hohenzollern)
10) Margaret Oldenberg AKA Margaret of Denmark (1456–1486) (md. James III, King of Scotland)
11) James IV, King of Scotland (1473–1513) (md. Agnes Stewart)
12) Janet Stewart, “Lady Janet” (1505–1563) (md. Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming)
13) John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming (1537–1572) (md. Elizabeth Ross)
14) John Fleming, 6th Lord Fleming and 1st Earl of Wigton (1567–1619) (md. Lilias Graham)
15) John Fleming (1589–1650) (md. Margaret Livingston)
16) Alexander Fleming, emigrated from Scotland to Virginia (1612–1668) (md. Elizabeth Anderson)
17) John Fleming, emigrated with his father from Scotland to Virginia) (1627–1686) (md. Mary)
18) Charles Fleming (1659–1717) (md. Susannah Tarleton)
19) Susannah Tarleton Fleming (md. John Bates)
20) James Bates (1721–1786) (md. Winnifred Grymes)
21) Daniel Bates (1756–1801) (md. Elizabeth Cary Bell)
22) Sarah Langhorne Bates, moved from Virginia to Tennessee (1781–1825) (md. Joel Estes)
23) Albert Monroe Estes (1804–1863) (md. Mildred Colman)
24) Louis Powhatan Estest (1849–1902) (md. Lily Yates Moore)
25) Smith William Estes, moved from Tennessee to Philadelphia (1881–1943) (md. Mae Griffith)
26) Helen Isabella Estes (1920–2010) (md. Richard Warren Seltzer, Sr.)
