Canute Lavard

Canute Lavard (Danish: Knud Lavard) (March 12, 1096 – 7 January 1131) was a Danish prince. Later he was the first Duke of Schleswig and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a German vassal, a position leading towards the historical double position of Southern Jutland. He was killed by his cousin Magnus, (later King Magnus I of Sweden) (ca. 1106-1134) who saw him as a rival to the Danish throne. Canute Lavard was canonized in 1170.[1][2]

Not to be confused with Canute IV of Denmark.
Saint Canute Lavard
Canute Lavard in a fresco in Vigersted Church near Ringsted.
Martyr
Born1096
Roskilde, Denmark
Died7 January 1131
forest of Haraldsted near Ringsted in Zealand, Denmark.
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Canonized1169 by Pope Alexander III
Feast7 January
Attributesknight with a wreath, lance, and ciborium
PatronageZealand, Denmark

He was an ancestor of the Valdemarian kings (Valdemarerne) and of their subsequent royal line. Canute Lavard was the father of King Valdemar I of Denmark (Valdemar den Store) and grandfather of King Valdemar II of Denmark (Valdemar Sejr).[3][4][5][6]

Biography

Canute was the only legitimate son of King Eric I of Denmark (died 1103) and Boedil Thurgotsdatter but as a minor he was bypassed in the election of 1104. He grew up in close contact with the noble family of Hvide, who were later on to be among his most eager supporters. In 1115, his uncle, King Niels of Denmark, placed him in charge of the Duchy of Schleswig (jarl af Sønderjylland) in order to put an end to the attacks of the Slavic Obotrites. During the next fifteen years, he fulfilled his duty of establishing peace in the border area so well that he was titled Duke of Holstein (Hertug af Holsten) and became a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire.[7]

He seems to have been the first member of the Danish royal family who was attracted by the knightly ideals and habits of medieval Germany, indicated by his changing his title to Duke of Schleswig (Hertug af Slesvig). His appearance made him a popular man and a possible successor of his uncle, but he also acquired mighty enemies among the Danish princes and magnates, who apparently questioned his loyalty and feared his bond with Emperor Lothair III, who had recognized him as sovereign over the western Wends.[8][9]

Both Niels and his son, Magnus the Strong, seem to have been alarmed by Canute's recognition by the emperor. On 7 January 1131, Canute was trapped in the Haraldsted Forest (Haraldsted Skov) near Ringsted in Zealand and murdered by Magnus. Ringsted Abbey, one of the earliest Benedictine houses in Denmark, became the initial resting place of Canute Lavard. In 1157, Canute Lavard's remains were moved into a new chapel at St. Bendt's Church in Ringsted. A chapel (Knut Lavards Kapel) was erected at the site of his death during medieval times but disappeared after the Reformation. The ruins were rediscovered in 1883. In 1902 a memorial in the form of a 4-metre crucifix was erected near the site of the death of Canute Lavard.[10][11]

After the death of Canute Lavard, the Obotrite lands were partitioned between Pribislav and Niklot (1090–1160), both chiefs of the Obotrites. Some sources consider the death of Canute to be a murder committed by Magnus; some attribute it to Niels himself. The death provoked a civil war that intermittently lasted until 1157, ending only with the triumph of Canute’s posthumous son Valdemar I. The fate of Canute and his son’s victory formed the background for his canonisation in 1170, which was requested by King Valdemar. His feast day (Knutsdagen) is celebrated on the day of his death, January 7.[12][13]

Issue

Canute Lavard was married to Ingeborg of Kiev, daughter of Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden.[14] They had four children:

  1. Margaret, married Stig Hvitaledr
  2. Christina (b. 1118), married (1133) Magnus IV of Norway[15]
  3. Catherine, married Prislav, son of Niklot, prince of Obotrites[16]
  4. Valdemar I of Denmark (born 1131)
Canute Lavard
Born: c. 1090 Died: 7 January 1131
Regnal titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Olaf		 Earl/Duke in Southern Jutland
titled there: Duke of Denmark
1120–1131		 Succeeded by
Magnus Nielsen

Ancestry

See also

References
  1. "Knud Lavard". Danmarks Konger. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  2. Carl Frederik Bricka. "Magnus (Nielsen), 1106-1134". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  3. "Valdemarstiden 1157-1241". Aarhus University. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  4. "Valdemar den Store". Kings of Denmark.dk. Archived from the original on 2008-10-21. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  5. "Valdemar Sejr". Kings of Denmark.dk. Archived from the original on 2008-10-21. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  6. "Kong Valdemar Sejr". Danmarks Konger. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  7. "Knud Lavard, ca. 1096-1131". Aarhus University. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  8. "Knud Lavard". Wiki - Ringstedhistorie. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  9. "Ved hellig Knuds lidelse". Heimskringla.no. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  10. Haraldsted Sø (Sol og Strand Feriehusudlejning A/S) Archived August 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Knud Lavards Kapel". Visit Ringsted. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  12. Murder at Haraldsted (The Scandinavian Remedy) Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
  13. "Den hellige Knut Lavard (~1096-1131)". Den katolske kirke. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  14. "Ingeborg". Den Store Danske. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  15. Nils Petter Thuesen. "Magnus 4 Sigurdsson Blinde". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  16. Susanne Schurr (1992). "Knud Lavard, Jarl in Schleswig". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). 4. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 183–186. ISBN 3-88309-038-7.

Other sources
  • Susanne Schurr (1992). "Knud Lavard, Jarl in Schleswig". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). 4. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 183–186. ISBN 3-88309-038-7.
  • Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John (1993) The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. (New York: Penguin Books) ISBN 0-14-051312-4
  • Mortensen, Lars Boje (2006) The Making of Christian Myths in the Periphery of Latin Christendom (Ca. 1000-1300) (Museum Tusculanum Press) ISBN 978-87-635-0407-2
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