Valdemar I of Denmark
Valdemar I of Denmark (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (Danish: Valdemar den Store), was King of Denmark from 1146 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its zenith under his second son, and successor, King Valdemar II of Denmark. [1]
Valdemar I | |||||
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1157 bracteate depicting Valdemar and his wife, Sophia | |||||
King of Denmark | |||||
Reign | 1154 – 12 May 1182 | ||||
Predecessor | Sweyn III | ||||
Successor | Canute VI | ||||
Born | 14 January 1131 Schleswig, Denmark | ||||
Died | 12 May 1182 51) Vordingborg Castle, Vordingborg, Denmark | (aged||||
Burial | St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted, Denmark | ||||
Consort | Sophia of Minsk | ||||
Issue more... | Canute VI, King of Denmark Valdemar II, King of Denmark Ingeborg, Queen of France Helena, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg Richeza, Queen of Sweden | ||||
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House | Estridsen | ||||
Father | Canute Lavard, Duke of Schleswig | ||||
Mother | Ingeborg of Kiev | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Childhood
Valdemar was the son of Canute Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, the chivalrous and popular eldest son of King Eric I of Denmark. Valdemar's father was murdered by King Magnus I of Sweden days before the birth of Valdemar; his mother, Ingeborg of Kiev, daughter of Grand Prince Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, named him after her grandfather, Grand Prince Vladimir Monomakh of Kiev.
As a possible contender to the throne, and with his rivals quickly gaining power, Valdemar was raised at Ringsted in the court of Danish nobleman Asser Rig of Fjenneslev (ca. 1080-1151). Asser was a member of the Hvide noble family and had been raised together with Valdemar's father Canute Lavard. Valdemar was raised together with Asser's sons, including Absalon (c. 1128–1201) who would become his trusted friend and minister.[2][3][4] The other brother was Esbern Snare.[5]
Struggle for the throne
In 1146, when Valdemar was fifteen years old, King Eric III of Denmark abdicated and a civil war erupted. The pretenders to the throne were: Sweyn III Grathe, son of King Eric II of Denmark, the son of King Eric I; and Canute V, son of Magnus I of Sweden, the son of King Niels of Denmark, brother of King Erik I. Valdemar himself held Jutland, at least Schleswig, as his possession. The civil war lasted the better part of ten years.
In 1157, the three agreed to divide the country in three among themselves. Sweyn hosted a great banquet for Canute, Absalon, and Valdemar, during which he planned to dispose of all of them. Canute was killed, but Absalon and Valdemar escaped. Valdemar returned to Jutland. Sweyn quickly launched an invasion, only to be defeated by Valdemar in the Battle of Grathe Heath on 23 October 1157. He was killed during flight, supposedly by a group of peasants who stumbled upon him as he was fleeing from the battlefield. Valdemar, having outlived all his rival pretenders, became the sole king of Denmark. [6]
Sole reign
In 1158, Absalon was elected bishop of Roskilde, and King Valdemar I made him his chief advisor. The king reorganized and rebuilt war-torn Denmark. He built Sønderborg Castle as a fortified fortress, constructed on an islet in the Als Strait (Als Sund) that later was connected to Als Island.[7] [8]
At Absalon's instigation, he declared war upon the Wends who were raiding the Danish coasts. They inhabited Pomerania and the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. In 1168, the Wendish capital, Arkona, was taken, and the Wends became Christians and subject to Danish suzerainty. Danish influence had reached into Pomerania. In 1175, King Valdemar I built Vordingborg Castle as a defensive fortress and as a base from which to launch raids against the German coast.[9]
Issue
Valdemar married Sophia of Minsk (c. 1141–1198), the daughter of Richeza of Poland, dowager queen of Sweden, from her marriage to Prince Volodar of Minsk. She was the half-sister of King Canute V of Denmark. Valdemar and Sophia had the following children:
- Sophia of (1159–1208), married Siegfried III, Count of Weimar-Orlamünde.
- Canute VI of Denmark (1163–1202)
- Maria (born c.1165), became a nun at Roskilde (1188).
- Margaret (c.1167 - c.1205), became a nun at Roskilde (1188).
- Valdemar II of Denmark (1170–1241)
- Ingeborg (1174–1237), married King Philip II of France.
- Helena (c.1176 – 1233), married William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
- Richeza (c.1178 – 1220), married King Eric X of Sweden.
- Walburgis (d. 1177), married Bogusław I, Duke of Pomerania.
After Valdemar's death, Sophia married Landgrave Louis III of Thuringia.
Valdemar also had a son, Christopher (c. 1150-1173), with his lover, Tove. Christopher was duke of Jutland from c. 1170 until his death.
Notes
- "Valdemar Den Store 1131-1182". Danmarks Historien. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- "Asser (Rig), 1151". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- "Asser Rig". Den Store Danske, Gyldendal. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- "Absalon". Den Store Danske, Gyldendal. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- Bradley, S. A. J. (12 December 2008). N.F.S. Grundtvig, A Life Recalled: An Anthology of Biographical Source-Texts. ISD LLC. pp. 464, 578. ISBN 978-87-7934-007-7.
- "Slaget på Grathe Hede 1157". Danmarks Historien. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- Otto Norn, Jørgen Paulsen and Jørgen Slettebo, Sønderborg Slot. Historie og bygning, G.E.C. Gad forlag, 1963.
- "Sønderborg Castle". kongeligeslotte.dk. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- About Vordingborg Castle (Museerne.dk)
External links
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Valdemar I.. |
Media related to Valdemar I of Denmark at Wikimedia Commons - Valdemar I of Denmark at Find a Grave
- Valdemar den Store Kings of Denmark, DK
Valdemar the Great Born: 14 January 1131 Died: 12 May 1182 | ||
Regnal titles | ||
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Preceded by Eric III |
King of Denmark 1146–1182 with Sweyn III (1146–1157) Canute V (1146–1157) |
Succeeded by Canute VI |
Vacant Title last held by Magnus |
Duke in Southern Jutland ca. 1152–1154 |
Vacant Title next held by Christopher |