| Adalbjorg II | |
|---|---|
| |
| Adalbjorg II | |
| Queen of Álengiamark | |
| Reign | 26th March, 1459 - 30th December, 1463 |
| Predecessor | Thyri |
| Successor | Elin V |
| Born | September, 1439 Kaater, Álengiamark |
| Died | 30th December, 1463 St. Hafdiss, Álengiamark |
| Spouse | Tryggvi Thórarinnsson |
| Issue | Jóhanna Tryggvisdottír |
| Full name | |
| Adalbjorg Hrafnkellsdottír | |
| House | Eiriksdottír |
| Father | Hrafnkell Magnusson |
| Mother | Elísabet Ásgeirsdottír |
The short reign of Adalbjorg II, Queen of Álengiamark, is chiefly only remembered for the execution of Jón Irronsson.
She was the eldest daughter of the Earl of Quiripi, Hrafnkell Magnusson, and was elected by an unanimous decision following the death of the much admired Thyri in 1459.
That year had been overshadowed by the heretical production of a vernacular Bible by the cleric Jón Irronsson. Irronsson was a Quiripilander and it may have been that Hrafnkell Magnusson regarded it as a Quiripi problem, however the propaganda soon made it seem like it was a national issue. Her predecessor Thyri had merely exiled the heretics from the Royal Domain and then only after pressure. Adalbjorg and her father meanwhile wanted to solve the issue once and for all. This chimed well with the general feeling in the country. While differences in politics and taxation were jealously guarded by the autonomous cities and earldoms, difference of religion was unthinkable and quickly rallied most if not all lords to the cause. In scenes not seen since the early years of Thorey II's reign the 1459 midsummer Althing was packed with delegates quick to pledge allegiance to the church and the crown. Irronsson's blasphemies were thoroughly rejected and his options began to shrink.
In this rapidly souring mood he was expelled from previously welcoming Reyrvatnstadh. Margirhaedeyja refused him sanctuary and a royal army would pick him up on the border between Margirhaedeyja and Quiripiland in August. Brought to St. Hafdiss he was put on trial; presided over in part by Adalbjorg. Irronsson would found guilty and was burned at the stake on 3rd November. A couple of his acolytes who refused to recant were burned the following year, along with almost all of the copies of the Bible.
The religious crisis appeared solved and for a moment unity had been achieved. Trying to seize the initiative Adalbjorg reconvened the Althing in mid-1460 and tried to argue for a national army to deal with the still restful Aniyunwiyan and Kanienmark borders. At this, however, the delegates baulked. Uniting the army meant ceding powers and this they were not going to do. Thyri's achievements in this regard had been built over decades of slow diplomacy and accretion; they were not going to simply accept Adalbjorg's decrees after a single year. The Althing dissolved without pledging anything and 'normalcy' in Álengsk politics was quickly restored.
Devoutly religious Adalbjorg apparently regularly starved herself and it was probably thanks to this that she would die shortly after giving birth to her only child in 1463. She was succeeded by Elin of Ílaekjurland.
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