three kingdoms of Scandinavia, between which
rivalry and hostility had often prevailed, became united into one great
Scandinavian realm, under the rule of a woman, the great Queen Margaret.
This was a very important event, as its results continued until our own
day, the subjection of Norway, which was then achieved, not being broken
until the early days of the present century. It is important to describe
the various steps by which this union was brought about.

From 930, when Harold Fair-Haired, the maker of Norway, died, until 1319,
when a king known by the odd title of Haakon Longlegs followed him to the
grave, the throne of Norway had been nearly always filled by some one of
Harold's many descendants. But with the death of Haakon the male line of
King Harold's descendants was finally broken, and only a woman remained
to represent that great royal stock, Princess Ingeborg, the daughter of
King Haakon. This fair maiden was promised in marriage while still a
child to Duke Erik, son of the late king of Sweden. They were married in
1312, and on the same day Duke Valdemar, Erik's brother, married another
princess of Norway, also named Ingeborg. About four years later a son was
born to each of these happy couples, and King Haakon was full of joy,
for he now felt that the old royal line was restored.

One person was not pleased by the birth of these princes. This was King
Birger of Sweden, who had long been at sword's point with his ambitious
brothers and wanted the throne of Norway as well as that of Sweden to
descend to his own son Magnus. He pretended to be pleased, however, for
he had in mind a treacherous plot to destroy his brothers and their
children and thus leave the way clear for his ambitious schemes. The
steps he took to bring this about and their fatal end to his brothers and
his son we have told in the previous tale. After the indignant people had
driven King Birger from the throne the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway were
left in a strange plight. Magnus, the son of Duke Erik and Ingeborg, was
only three years old when his grandfather, the king of Norway, died. This
left him the successor to the Norse realm. But the deposition of King
Birger and the execution of his son left this royal infant the king of
Sweden also, so that these two kingdoms became for the first time united,
and this under the rule of a three-year-old child, with regents to govern
in his name. But the two countries remained separate in everythi