Brynja I of Álengiamark (The Kalmar Union)

Brynja I was queen of Álengiamark for the first two decades of the 15th century.

The sister of the Earl of Sudervik, Brynja was elected queen on the death of Elin IV of Álengiamark in 1402. Elin had been a distant queen spending virtually all of her short reign in Kristjanaborg rather than St. Hafdiss. Brynja was a Sudervik noble however, much closer the Álengsk core of the country. Vinland under Asdis II spent much of this period reforming its Althing and there is much evidence that Brynja planned the same for Álengiamark but the hopelessly divided earls and the weak Althing resisted all attempts at recentralisation. It even refused to meet when called in 1418. The title of queen was rapidly become worthless.

With government all but extinguished and no charismatic politicians such as Vinland's Jón Ísleifursson to draw the threads together the political life of Álengiamark drifted away to the regions. Brynja toured her realm twice hoping to build a consensus for foreign ventures, which may have helped draw the country together slightly, but with little lasting success. Most earldoms or cities were raising their own militias for defense but these were steadfastly withheld from central command and Brynja's generals could only rely on the forces of Sudervik and the Royal Domain though others would join if the cause suited them. Campaigns against Kanienmark were popular if sometimes pointless, those against the Aniyunwiyan successor kingdoms, less so.

Even so, Brynja presided over a period of welcome growth in the country as trade across the Atlantic and down into the Taino Sea became more reliable. Álengsk ships would even start visiting European ports themselves (an annoyance to the Portuguese who meant to keep the trade all for themselves). A minor outbreak of the plague notwithstanding, the population recovered considerably from its decimation in the 14th century. Farmlands spread, forests tamed and swamps were drained. Brynja's one good move was to clear the roads of encroaching woodland vastly improving the safety of travellers. If government couldn't be relied to keep the country together then safe trade would.

Brynja died in the summer of 1422. The earls met in St. Hafdiss that autumn and elected Thyri of Langaeyjar.