Margaret
Margaret (1353–1412), a queen of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. She united the Scandinavian countries by the Union of Kalmar in 1397. Because she was such a strong and capable ruler, Margaret is called the “Semiramis of the North,” after a legendary Assyrian warrior queen.
Margaret was the daughter of King Waldemar IV of Denmark. In 1363 she married King Haakon VI of Norway. On the death of Waldemar in 1375 and of Haakon in 1380, she became regent in each of the kingdoms for her son, Olaf. After Olaf died in 1387, Margaret ruled in her own right. In 1389 she overthrew King Albert of Sweden. Margaret had her grandnephew, Eric of Pomerania, crowned king of the three united kingdoms at Kalmar, Sweden, in 1397, but she remained the real ruler until her death.