Era / Region: High Middle Ages, Western Europe and Anatolia
Lifespan: 1083–1097
Primary Role(s): Crusader noblewoman
Alternate Names / Titles: Florina of Burgundy
The Life
Florine of Burgundy was born in 1083 into the ruling house of Burgundy, the daughter of Duke Odo I of Burgundy and Sybilla of Burgundy. She was raised within the political and military culture of the Burgundian nobility, where warfare, dynastic alliances, and religious obligation shaped aristocratic life.
According to later tradition, Florine married Sweyn the Crusader, a Danish prince who had taken the cross during the First Crusade. Together, they joined the movement of armed pilgrims traveling east toward the Holy Land, intending to reach Jerusalem.
Florine and Sweyn are said to have led a force of approximately 1,500 Danish knights across Anatolia. While passing through Cappadocia, near Philomelium in modern-day Turkey, their army was ambushed by Turkish forces. The crusaders were heavily outnumbered, and the encounter ended in defeat.
One account states that Florine fought alongside her husband until she was killed by multiple arrows during the battle. Another version claims she was captured alive, brought before a Turkish ruler, and executed. Both Florine and Sweyn died in 1097, and their force was destroyed.
Her death occurred during the early phase of the First Crusade, a period marked by severe losses among crusading armies attempting to cross Anatolia.