# Gytha (princess)

Gytha or Gyda (Danish: Gyda Svendsdatter) was a Danish princess, daughter of King Sweyn Forkbeard, who ruled Denmark, England, and Norway.
She belonged to the Scylding dynasty, descended from Gorm the Old and Thyra. She was most likely the half-sister of King Cnut of England and the wife of the deposed Jarl of Lade, Eiríkr Hákonarson, who commanded Swedish forces at the Battle of Svolder (also known as the Battle of Øresund).
In modern historiography, the historicity of Gytha is questioned.

## Biography
### Origin

Gytha was most likely the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, and the granddaughter of Harald Bluetooth. The identity of her mother is uncertain. The only wife of Sweyn known by name is Sigrid the Haughty. However, she was not Gytha's mother, as Sweyn married her only around 996, while Gytha was already married by about 997. It is presumed that Gytha's mother was either Sweyn's first, unnamed wife or his concubine. According to one hypothesis, her mother might have been Gunhilda, possibly of Obotrite origin.
Gytha was probably the half-sister of King Cnut of England, King Harald II of Denmark, Estrid Svendsdatter, and Świętosława [pl].

### Marriage to Jarl Eiríkr

The marriage of Gytha and Jarl Eiríkr was noted under the year 996 by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th-century Saga of Olaf Tryggvason. However, the date of the wedding given by Sturluson is questioned by historians. It is believed that the marriage took place between 995 and 1000, most likely around 997. Eiríkr of Lade was the illegitimate son of Haakon Sigurdsson, King of Norway, by an unknown concubine. In 995, after his father's death, Eiríkr was deposed by Olaf Tryggvason and, together with his brother Sweyn, fled to Sweden, and a year later to Denmark. There, he married Gytha and became an ally of Sweyn Forkbeard in his fight against Olaf Tryggvason. Eiríkr also had the support of King Olof Skötkonung of Sweden, who was the brother-in-law of his brother Sweyn. In 1000, with the help of Sweyn and Olof, Eiríkr, commanding Swedish forces, defeated Tryggvason in the Battle of Svolder. He likely died around 1023.
The later fate of Eiríkr's wife, Gytha, as well as the date of her death, is unknown.

### Offspring

According to Snorri Sturluson, a year after Gytha and Eiríkr's wedding, their son Haakon was born. According to his account, Haakon was born in 997, but historians place his birth around 998. He was the only child from this marriage. Around 1016, he left Norway after being captured by King Olaf II. He went to England, where he found refuge with King Cnut. In 1029, he married Cnut's niece, Gunhilde [pl], daughter of the Slavic prince Wrytgeorn and possibly Świętosława. In 1029 or 1030, he drowned while returning from England to Norway. He had a daughter, Botilda, who became the wife of the Danish Jarl Ulf, ending the Lade line.

### Historical authenticity

Recent historiography has raised doubts about the historicity of Princess Gytha. It is suggested that her figure may have been created by saga authors to justify Sweyn Forkbeard's alliance with the sons of Jarl Haakon Sigurdsson.

## Gytha's family tree

| | | Tove of the Obotrites or Gunhilde | Tove of the Obotrites or Gunhilde | Tove of the Obotrites or Gunhilde | Tove of the Obotrites or Gunhilde | Tove of the Obotrites or Gunhilde | Tove of the Obotrites or Gunhilde | | | | | | | Harald Bluetooth | Harald Bluetooth | Harald Bluetooth | Harald Bluetooth | | |
| Gunhilde of the Oborites? | Gunhilde of the Oborites? | Gunhilde of the Oborites? | Gunhilde of the Oborites? | Gunhilde of the Oborites? | Gunhilde of the Oborites? | | | Sweyn Forkbeard | Sweyn Forkbeard | Sweyn Forkbeard | Sweyn Forkbeard | Sweyn Forkbeard | Sweyn Forkbeard | | | | | | | | | | | Sigrid the Haughty | Sigrid the Haughty | Sigrid the Haughty | Sigrid the Haughty | Sigrid the Haughty | Sigrid the Haughty | | | Haakon | Haakon | Haakon | Haakon | Haakon | Haakon | | | Tyra of Denmark | Tyra of Denmark | Tyra of Denmark | Tyra of Denmark | Tyra of Denmark | Tyra of Denmark | | | Gunhilde | Gunhilde | Gunhilde | Gunhilde | Gunhilde | Gunhilde |
| | | | | Gytha | Gytha | Gytha | Gytha | Gytha | Gytha | | | Eiríkr Hákonarson | Eiríkr Hákonarson | Eiríkr Hákonarson | Eiríkr Hákonarson | Eiríkr Hákonarson | Eiríkr Hákonarson | Cnut | Cnut | Cnut | Cnut | Cnut | Cnut | | | Harald II of Denmark | Harald II of Denmark | Harald II of Denmark | Harald II of Denmark | Harald II of Denmark | Harald II of Denmark | | | Świętosława [pl] (wife of Wyrtgeorn [pl]?) | Świętosława [pl] (wife of Wyrtgeorn [pl]?) | Świętosława [pl] (wife of Wyrtgeorn [pl]?) | Świętosława [pl] (wife of Wyrtgeorn [pl]?) | Świętosława [pl] (wife of Wyrtgeorn [pl]?) | Świętosława [pl] (wife of Wyrtgeorn [pl]?) | | | Estrid Svendsdatter | Estrid Svendsdatter | Estrid Svendsdatter | Estrid Svendsdatter | Estrid Svendsdatter | Estrid Svendsdatter |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Haakon Ericsson | Haakon Ericsson | Haakon Ericsson | Haakon Ericsson | Haakon Ericsson | Haakon Ericsson | | | | | | | | | | | | | Gunhilde [pl] | Gunhilde [pl] | Gunhilde [pl] | Gunhilde [pl] | Gunhilde [pl] | Gunhilde [pl] |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Botylda | Botylda | Botylda | Botylda | Botylda | Botylda | Ulf | Ulf | Ulf | Ulf | Ulf | Ulf |