Mette Dyre

Mette Iversdotter Dyre (In Swedish: Mätta or Märta Ivarsdotter), (c. 1465 in Tirsbæk on Jylland in Denmark- c. before 1533), was a Danish noble, nominal sheriff and chancellor. She was married to Svante, Regent of Sweden, and as such a de facto queen consort of Sweden. Mette is believed to have been politically active.

Early life

Mette Iversdatter was born to the Danish knight Iver Jenssen Dyre (d. cirka 1463) and Kristine Pedersdatter Oxe (d. after 1503). In cirka 1483, she married the Norwegian knight and riksråd Anders van Bergen (d. 1491). In 1496, she married secondly to the Swedish noble Knut Alvsson Tre Rosor (d. 1502), who was a Norwegian riksråd and the fiefholder of Akershus Fortress in Oslo. In 1499, Knut Alfsson lost his position in Norway, and she followed him to Sweden. In Sweden, the couple allied themselves with Svante Sture, at that time not yet Regent of Sweden but a leading member of the Swedish party who wished to dissolve the union between Sweden and Denmark-Norway. In 1502, supported by Sture, Knut Alfsson invaded Norway in an attempt to unite Sweden and Norway against John, King of Denmark. Mette remained in Sweden on his estate Stäkeborg. Initially successful, Knut Alfsson was murdered by Henrik Krummedige. Mette, however, continued his work to encourage Norway to ally with Sweden against the Danish monarch and maintained negotiations through a correspondence with Norwegian representatives. She was aided in the negotiations by Svante Sture.

Regent consort

On 17 November 1504 in Stockholm, she married thirdly to her ally Svante, Regent of Sweden, after his recent election to the post of Regent. While nominally in union with Denmark, Sweden was de facto an independent Kingdom with Svante as King in all but title, and Mette in the position as queen as first lady of the Swedish court. She was rumored to have participated in an alleged attempt to murder Svante's predecessor Sten Sture the Elder.

Mette was described as the loyal adviser of Regent Svante and took and active part in the management of state affairs. A correspondence of about 40 preserved letters between Mette and Svante illustrates their close cooperation in politics as well as their personal devotion to each other. In 1507, Mette served as the commander of Stockholm during the absence of Svante. In 1510, she served as the messenger and representative of Svante on a mission to Finland.

However, Mette did not have a good relationship to her step-son, Sten Sture the Younger. When Svante died in 1512 and was succeeded by Sten Sture as Regent, he accused her of having stolen the gold and silver which was rightly his after his mother, and confiscated the dower lands given to her by Svante upon their marriage. After three years of dispute, she was offered a sum of money as compensation.

Sheriff and chancellor

In 1515, she left for Denmark and applied for the support of Christian II of Denmark against Sten Sture the Younger in the dispute. Christian II appointed her Sheriff (Lensmand) of the Bishopal Fief of Hørby near Holbæk, and Chancellor of the Convent of Saint Agnete in Roskilde. She kept these position until her death in c. 1527.

In 1516, Mette and her three nephews, who's estates in Sweden had also been confiscated by Sture, collaborated in financing a pirate ship, which took a ship belonging to the Swedish Regent and the Hanseatic League on the Trave river. This incident reportedly contributed to the final break between Denmark and Sweden in 1517 the following year. The inheritance dispute between her and Sten Sture was not ended until 1541, fourteen years after her death.

Mette was born between 1460 and 1465 and died earliest 1527 and latest 1533.

She had a daughter, Kristina Andersdatter.

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Succession

Mette Dyre
Born: 1465 Died: before 1533
Preceded by
Ingeborg Åkesdotter Tott
as Regent consort		 Regent consort of Sweden
1504–1512 		Succeeded by
Christina Gyllenstierna
as Regent consort
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