Category Archives: Current Monarchies

Valdemar I, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Statue of Valdemar I, King of Denmark in Ringsted, Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Valdemar I, King of Denmark, who reigned from 1154 to 1182, was the son of Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, and Ingeborg of Kiev. His paternal grandparents were King Eric I of Denmark and Bodil Thurgotsdatter. Valdemar’s maternal grandparents were Grand Prince Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. Valdemar was born January 14, 1131, just seven days after his father was murdered. He was named after his mother’s grandfather, Vladimir II Monomakh, Grand Prince of Kiev.

Valdemar’s father Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 7, 1131, Valdemar’s father, Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, was killed by his cousin Magnus the Strong, the son of King Niels of Denmark, because Magnus saw Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother Eric Emune, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

Valdemar’s paternal uncle, King Eric II of Denmark, started the canonization process of his half-brother Cnut Lavard by establishing Ringstead Abbey in the same Danish town as St. Bendt’s Church, where Cnut Lavard was buried. The monks at Ringstead Abbey were to document reports of miracles at Cnut Lavard’s grave. Cnut Lavard was canonized as a saint, but not until 1170, thirty-three years after Eric II died.

Valdemar grew up at the court of Asser Rig, a Zealand chieftain from the Hvide family, with Asser Rig’s sons Esbern Snare (later a royal chancellor and chieftain) and Absalon (later Bishop of Roskilde and then Archbishop of Lund). Asser Rig had been raised with Valdemar’s father, Cnut Lavard, and his sons, Esbern and Absalon, were Valdemar’s lifelong friends and advisors.

In 1146, Eric III, King of Denmark became seriously ill and abdicated. Sweyn Grathe (Sweyn III), son of Eric II, King of Denmark, was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Zealand, and Cnut Magnusson (Cnut V), son of Magnus (the Strong) Nielsen, was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Jutland. For eleven years, there was a civil war, the Feud of 1146 – 1157, for the control of the Kingdom of Denmark, fought between King Sweyn III, King Cnut V, and Valdemar. In 1154, Cnut V joined with Valdemar and were recognized as Co-Kings. In July 1157, Sweyn III, Cnut V, and Valdemar I agreed to divide the Kingdom of Denmark between the three of them and serve as Co-Kings. This agreement barely lasted for a month.

The murder of Cnut V, King of Denmark at the Blood Feast of Roskilde; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 9, 1157, in what was supposed to be a reconciliation feast at Cnut V’s royal estate in Roskilde, Denmark, Sweyn III attempted to assassinate his rivals, Cnut V and Valdemar I. According to the Danish historian, theologian, and author Saxo Grammaticus (circa 1160 – after 1208), Sweyn III had planned the murder of his rivals and had his men carry out the attack. Cnut V, aged about twenty-eight, was killed, but Valdemar I escaped, although he was wounded. This incident, known as the Blood Feast of Roskilde, is a significant historical event in Danish history.

Valdemar I defeated Sweyn III in the Battle of Grathe Heath on October 23, 1157. After the battle, while fleeing from the battlefield, Sweyn III was killed by a group of peasants. Having survived his rival pretenders to the Danish throne, Valdemar I became the sole King of Denmark, reigning until he died in 1182.

In 1157, in Viborg, Denmark, Valdemar I, King of Denmark married Sophia of Minsk, the daughter of Volodar Glebovich, Prince of Minsk and Richeza of Poland.

Valdemar I and Sophia had nine children:

In 1158, Valdemar’s childhood friend Absalon was elected Bishop of Roskilde, and Valdemar made him his chief advisor. After the past internal conflict in Denmark, Valdemar instituted a policy of internal reconciliation. He reorganized and rebuilt war-torn Denmark. He strengthened the fortifications in the south, building military installations to control the straits along the Baltic Sea. Valdemar was successful in making the Danish monarchy hereditary, abolishing the elective monarchy. He was recognized as hereditary king by Pope Alexander III in 1165. Valdemar reinforced this by having his son, Canute VI, proclaimed as co-king in 1166.

Saint Bendt’s Church; Credit – Wikipedia by Mariusz Paździora

From 1161 to 1170, under Valdemar I’s patronage, a new church, Saint Bendt’s Church, was built in Ringsted, Denmark, where his martyred father, Saint Cnut Lavard, was buried at the Ringsted Monastery church. The still unfinished church was consecrated on June 25, 1170. At the consecration, Eskil, Archbishop of Lund, laid to rest Saint Cnut Lavard’s remains in a magnificent gold casket in a chapel behind the high altar and crowned King Valdemar I’s seven-year-old son, King Cnut VI, as co-king and heir to the throne. St. Bendt’s Church served as the center of worship for King Valdemar I’s father, Saint Cnut Lavard.

Grave of Valdemar I, King of Denmark at St. Bendt’s Church; Credit – Wikipedia by Oleryhlolsson – Own work

Valdemar I, King of Denmark died, aged fifty-one, on May 12, 1182, at Vordingborg Castle in Vordingborg, Denmark. His remains were transported to Ringsted, Denmark, where peasants carried his body to Saint Bendt’s Church for burial. There, King Valdemar I lies in rest with his father Cnut Lavard, his wife Sophia of Minsk, Queen of Denmark, his son Cnut VI, King of Denmark, his daughter Rikissa of Denmark, Queen of Sweden, and his son Valdemar II, King of Denmark.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2011). König von Dänemark. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_I._(D%C3%A4nemark)
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark (1131-1182). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdemar_den_Store
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Cnut V, King of Denmark [Review of Cnut V, King of Denmark]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/cnut-v-king-of-denmark/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Saint Bendt’s Church in Ringsted, Denmark [Review of Saint Bendt’s Church in Ringsted, Denmark]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/saint-bendts-church-in-ringsted-denmark/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Valdemar I of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Saint Knud’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Saint Knud’s Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia by Samuel Damon – Own work

Saint Knud’s Cathedral, also known as Odense Cathedral, in Odense, Denmark, is named for King Knud IV of Denmark, who reigned from 1080 until 1086, when rebels killed him. The Roman Catholic Church canonized Knud as a saint in 1101. Originally a Roman Catholic church, Saint Knud’s Cathedral has been a Lutheran church since the Danish Reformation.

Saint Knud

Murder of King Knud IV in Saint Alban’s Church by Christian Albrecht von Benzon (1843); Credit – Wikipedia

Note: There are variations of the name: Knut (Norwegian and Swedish), Knud (Danish), Knútur (Icelandic), Canute (Anglicized)

King Knud IV feared the Danish nobles’ support for his half-brother Olaf, the future King Olaf I of Denmark. Olaf had concerns about Knud IV’s ambitions and saw his two-year-old son Carl, Count of Flanders (1084 – 1127), as a future rival for power. Ironically, Carl was also killed in a church, Saint Donatian Church in Bruges, County of Flanders, now in Belgium, by a conspiracy of the rich whom he had offended. Carl was beatified, a step toward sainthood, in 1883, and is known as Blessed Carl the Good.

Knud IV blamed Olaf for stirring up trouble, and Olaf was imprisoned by their brother Eric, the future King Eric I of Denmark. Olaf was banished to Flanders, under the supervision of Robert I, Count of Flanders, Knud IV’s father-in-law.

However, Knud IV’s actions resulted in open rebellion. He had to flee from the royal estate in Børglum and continued to flee to Aggersborg, Viborg, and Schleswig, finally ending up in Odense. On July 10, 1086, Knud IV, his brother Benedikt Svendsen, and seventeen of their followers took refuge in the wooden, Viking Age Saint Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at Saint Alban’s Priory in Odense. The rebels stormed into the church and killed Knud IV, his brother Benedikt, and their seventeen followers before the altar. The Benedictine monks of St. Alban’s Priory buried Knud IV and his brother Benedikt in front of the main altar of the St. Alban’s Priory Church.

Soon, there were reports of miracles occurring at Knud IV’s burial site. His canonization as a saint was already being sought during King Olaf I of Denmark’s reign (1086 – 1095). In 1101, persuaded by King Eric I of Denmark (reigned 1095 – 1103), brother of King Knud IV and successor of their brother King Olaf I of Denmark, Pope Paschal II canonized King Knud IV as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

The First Saint Knud’s Cathedral

Soon after King Knud IV’s murder, construction began on the first Saint Knud’s Cathedral, just southwest of St. Alban’s Priory Church in Odense, Denmark. In 1095, construction had progressed enough for Knud IV’s remains to be transferred from St. Alban’s Priory Church to the crypt at Saint Knud’s Cathedral. The new cathedral was completed in 1122 and consecrated in Saint Knud’s name.

The Second Saint Knud’s Cathedral

The nave of Saint Knud’s Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia by Malene Thyssen – Own work,

In 1247, a fire devastated Odense, and the cathedral was badly damaged. In 1280, construction began in Odense, Denmark, on the second and current Saint Knud’s Cathedral in the Brick Gothic style. By 1300, construction had progressed enough to allow the reburial of Knud IV, King of Denmark, and his brother Benedikt in the cathedral’s crypt. It took more than 200 years to complete the second cathedral, which was dedicated on April 30, 1499. In 1586, the single tower over the west entrance was completed in the Brick Gothic style.

Altarpiece by the sculptor Claus Berg; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1807, when St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Belgium was demolished, its magnificent late Gothic altarpiece, carved between 1515 and 1525 by German sculptor Claus Berg, was moved to Saint Knud’s Cathedral.

The remains of Saint Knud IV, King of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia by Hideko Bondesen

The remains of King Knud IV and his brother Benedikt were walled up by the monks in an alcove in the cathedral to protect the remains from destruction during the Danish Reformation. During the 19th century, their long-forgotten coffins were discovered, and the remains of Knud and his brother Benedikt are now on display in the cathedral.

Burials at Saint Knud’s Cathedral

King Christian II, his wife Isabella of Austria, and their son Prince Hans were moved from their original burial site, St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Belgium, and reinterred in Saint Knud’s Cathedral in 1883.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). (Saint) Knud IV, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/saint-cnut-iv-king-of-denmark/
  • Odense Domkirke – Odense Domkirke. (2024). Odense Domkirke. https://odense-domkirke.dk/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). St. Canute’s Cathedral. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Cnut V, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

A coin with the image of Cnut V, King of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Cnut V was King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-king in shifting alliances with Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Born circa 1129, Cnut V was the son of Magnus (the Strong) Nielsen, the son of Niels I, King of Denmark, and Richeza of Poland.

On January 7, 1131, Cnut V’s father, Magnus the Strong, killed his cousin Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, the son of Eric I, King of Denmark, because he viewed Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus the Strong against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother Eric Emune, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

The civil war between the family members culminated on June 4, 1134, when the two sides fought the Battle of Fodevig near Lund in Scania, now in Sweden. The battle was a decisive victory for Eric Emune, who became the next King of Denmark as Eric II. Cnut V’s father, Magnus the Strong, was killed in battle, and his grandfather, King Niels, fled to Schleswig, where the citizens avenged Cnut Lavard, their beloved Duke of Schleswig, by murdering King Niels on June 25, 1134. Now a widow, Cnut V’s mother Richeza left her two sons in Denmark, returned to Poland, and married two more times.

In 1146, Eric III, King of Denmark became seriously ill and abdicated. Sweyn Grathe (Sweyn III), son of Eric II, King of Denmark, was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Zealand, and Cnut Magnusson (Cnut V) was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Jutland. For eleven years, there was a civil war, the Feud of 1146 – 1157, for the control of the Kingdom of Denmark, fought between King Sweyn III, King Cnut V, and King Valdemar I, the son of murdered Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig and the grandson of King Eric I of Denmark.

Cnut V traveled to Sweden to console his mother after the assassination of her third husband, Sverker I, King of Sweden. While in Sweden, Cnut V married a daughter of Sverker I from his first marriage, whose name is believed to be Helen.

Cnut V and Helen had four children:

In 1154, Cnut V joined with Valdemar I, and they were recognized as Co-Kings. In July 1157, Sweyn III, Cnut V, and Valdemar agreed to divide the Kingdom of Denmark between the three of them and serve as Co-Kings. This agreement barely lasted for a month.

The murder of Cnut V, King of Denmark at the Blood Feast of Roskilde; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 9, 1157, in what was supposed to be a reconciliation feast at Cnut V’s royal estate in Roskilde, Denmark, Sweyn III attempted to assassinate his rivals, Cnut V and Valdemar I. According to the Danish historian, theologian, and author Saxo Grammaticus (circa 1160 – after 1208), Sweyn III had planned the murder of his rivals and had his men carry out the attack. Cnut V, aged about twenty-eight, was killed, but Valdemar escaped, although he was wounded. This incident, known as the Blood Feast of Roskilde, is a significant historical event in Danish history. Cnut V’s burial site is unknown, but since he died in Roskilde, he may have been buried at Roskilde Cathedral.

Valdemar I defeated Sweyn III in the Battle of Grathe Heath on October 23, 1157. After the battle, while fleeing from the battlefield, Sweyn III was killed by a group of peasants. Having survived his rival pretenders to the Danish throne, Valdemar I became the sole King of Denmark, reigning until he died in 1182.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2007). Knut V Dänischer König. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knut_V._(D%C3%A4nemark)
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2006). Blodgildet i Roskilde. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blodgildet_i_Roskilde
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Knud 5 Konge af Danmark (1129-1157). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knud_5.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Niels, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/niels-king-of-denmark/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Sweyn III, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-iii-king-of-denmark/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Canute V of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Helen of Sweden (12th century). Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Saint Bendt’s Church in Ringsted, Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Saint Bendt’s Church; Credit – Wikipedia by Mariusz Paździora

History

Now an Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark, Saint Bendt’s Church in Ringsted, Denmark, was originally a Roman Catholic church, part of a Benedictine monastery. The first church, built around 1080, was located in the northern wing of the Ringsted Monastery. It was initially called the Church of Our Lady and Saint Cnut the Martyr, named for Cnut IV, King of Denmark, who was murdered in 1086, as he prayed at the altar of St. Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at St. Alban’s Priory in Odense, Denmark.

Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1115, Niels, King of Denmark created his nephew Cnut Lavard, the legitimate son of Niels’ brother Eric I, King of Denmark, the Earl of Schleswig. Cnut Lavard used the title Earl of Schleswig for a short time before he began to style himself Duke of Schleswig. He was the first of many Dukes of Schleswig.

Magnus Nielsen stands over the body of his cousin Cnud Lavard after the murder; illustration by Louis Moe, 1898; Credit – Wikipedia

On January 7, 1131, Cnut Lavard was killed by his cousin, King Niels’ son Magnus (the Strong) Nielsen, who saw Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother Eric Emune, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

Cnut Lavard’s initial resting place was at Ringsted Monastery church, one of the earliest Benedictine houses in Denmark. In 1157, Canute Lavard’s remains were moved into a new chapel in the monastery church with the approval of his son, Valdemar I the Great, King of Denmark. Many miracles were said to have occurred there, and the monastery church immediately became a popular pilgrimage site. Because he was a murder victim, Cnut Lavard became a saint in the minds of the Danish people. He was canonized as a saint by Pope Alexander III in 1169, at the request of his son, King Valdemar I of Denmark. St. Cnut Lavard is the patron saint of Denmark, and his feast day is celebrated on January 7.

The nave of Saint Bendt’s Church; Credit – Wikipedia

With the funds raised from the pilgrims and King Valdemar I’s royal patronage, a second church was built in the Romanesque style from 1161 to 1170. The church is cross-shaped with a central tower, typical of Romanesque architecture. It is the oldest brick church in Scandinavia, and was named for the Italian Saint Benedict of Nursia (480 – 547), the founder of the Benedictine order. Benedict’s main achievement was the Rule of Saint Benedict, a set of rules for his monks to follow. St. Bendt’s Church served as the center of worship for King Valdemar I’s father, Saint Cnut Lavard.

Saint Cnut Lavard’s grave; Credit – www.findagrave.com

The still unfinished church was consecrated on June 25, 1170. Invitations were extended to the Kingdom of Denmark’s highest secular and clerical elite. At the consecration, Eskil, Archbishop of Lund, laid to rest Cnut Lavard’s remains in a magnificent gold casket in a chapel behind the high altar and crowned King Valdemar I’s seven-year-old son, King Cnut VI, as co-king and heir to the throne.

Over the years, there were Gothic-style modifications, including vaults replacing the original flat ceiling and the pointed arches in the tower. A fire in 1806 destroyed the monastery and damaged Saint Bendt’s Church. Because of this, the western wall was pulled down and replaced with an Empire-style facade. The original red brickwork of the church’s outer walls was covered with cement and limewashed.

Scene from the interior of Ringsted Church by Danish artist Constantin Hansen, 1829. In the foreground are the artist Constantin Hansen and his friend Jørgen Roed, also a Danish artist: Credit – Wikipedia

Danish architect Hermann Baagøe Storck led large-scale restoration work from 1899 to 1910, intending to restore Saint Bendt’s Church to its former Romanesque style. New Romanesque windows were installed in the nave, and a pyramid-shaped spire was added to the tower. The cement, which was put on the red brickwork of the church’s outer walls after the 1806 fire, was removed, revealing the original red brickwork.

Burials

List of burials in St. Bendt’s Church; Credit – Wikipedia

Since Saint Cnut Lavard was buried at St. Bendt’s Church, the Danish kings descended from his son Valdemar I, King of Denmark, were also buried there. From 1182 to 1341, all Danish kings and queens were buried at St. Bendt’s Church. Only Roskilde Cathedral, the main burial site of Danish royalty, has more Danish royal burials.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2009). Kirchengebäude in Ringsted Kommune, Dänemark. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.-Bendts-Kirche_(Ringsted)#K%C3%B6nigsgr%C3%A4ber
  • Behrens, J. (2025). Sct. Bendts Kirke , Ringsted – Sankt Bendts Church Ringsted. Sanktbendtskirke.dk. https://sanktbendtskirke.dk/
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2006). Bygning i Ringsted. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Bendts_Kirke
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Dansk Prins og Hertug af Slesvig (1096-1131). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knud_Lavard
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). (Saint) Cnut IV, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/saint-cnut-iv-king-of-denmark/
  • Guide – St. Bendt’s Church Ringsted. St. Bendt’s Kirke. Retrieved 2025, from https://sanktbendtskirke.dk/publikation-sctbendtskirke-uk.pdf
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). St. Bendt’s Church, Ringsted. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Canute Lavard. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Sweyn III, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Illustration of Sweyn III in the 13th-century Saxon World Chronicle; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1125, Sweyn III was a King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-king in shifting alliances with Cnut V and Valdemar I. He was the illegitimate son of Erik II, King of Denmark and his concubine Thunna. Sweyn III’s father, Eric II, cruelly treated his enemies to secure and keep power. In 1137, when Sweyn III was about twelve years old, his father was killed at a thing, an assembly of nobles, in Umehoved, Denmark. A local nobleman, Sorte Plov (link in Danish), stabbed King Eric II with his spear in revenge for the execution of a relative.

Sweyn III was too young to become king, and his cousin Eric Haakonson reigned as Eric III, King of Denmark from 1137 – 1146. Eric III sent Sweyn III to the court of Konrad III, Duke of Franconia, in the Duchy of Franconia, located in present-day northern Bavaria, and parts of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, and South Thuringia. There, Sweyn III became friends with Konrad III’s nephew, the young Friedrich of Swabia. Friedrich of Swabia was destined to become the powerful Friedrich Barbarossa, also known as Friedrich I, Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until he died in 1190. Historians consider him one of the Holy Roman Empire’s greatest medieval emperors.

In 1146, King Eric III became seriously ill and abdicated. Sweyn III, about 21 years old, was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Zealand, and Cnut Magnusson (King Cnut V), the son of Magnus the Strong and the grandson of King Niels I of Denmark, was elected King of Denmark by the nobles in Jutland. For eleven years, there was a civil war, the Feud of 1146 – 1157,  for the control of the Kingdom of Denmark, fought between King Sweyn III, King Cnut V, and King Valdemar I, the son of Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, and the grandson of King Eric I of Denmark.

In 1152, during the civil war, Sweyn III married Adela of Meissen (circa 1133 – 1181), the daughter of Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, and Luitgard of Ravenstein. They had two children:

In 1154, Valdemar I joined with Cnut V, and they were recognized as Co-Kings. In July 1157, Sweyn III, Cnut V, and Valdemar agreed to divide the Kingdom of Denmark between the three of them and serve as co-regents. This agreement barely lasted for a month.

The Blood Feast in Roskilde, created in 1250: Cnut V is killed and Valdemar is attacked, while Sweyn III follows with the royal crown; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 9, 1157, in what was supposed to be a reconciliation feast at Cnut V’s royal estate in Roskilde, Denmark, Sweyn III attempted to assassinate his rivals, Cnut V and Valdemar. According to the Danish historian, theologian, and author Saxo Grammaticus (circa 1160 – after 1208), Sweyn III had planned the murder of his rivals and had his men carry out the attack. Cnut V was killed, but Valdemar escaped, although he was wounded. This incident, known as the Blood Feast of Roskilde, is a significant historical event in Danish history.

King Valdemar I defeated Sweyn III in the Battle of Grathe Heath on October 23, 1157. After the battle, while fleeing from the battlefield, Sweyn III was killed by a group of peasants. According to local tradition, Sweyn III was buried where he was killed, and a chapel, later demolished, was built on the site. Having survived his rival pretenders to the Danish throne, Valdemar I became the sole King of Denmark, reigning until he died in 1182.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2006). Blodgildet i Roskilde. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blodgildet_i_Roskilde
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Svend Grathe Konge af Danmark (1125-1157). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svend_Grathe
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Valdemar den Store, Konge af Danmark (1131-1182). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdemar_den_Store
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Eric II, King of Denmark [Review of Eric II, King of Denmark]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eric-ii-king-of-denmark/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Canute V of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Sweyn III of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Eric III, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Coin depicting King Eric III of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia – by Hedning

Eric III, King of Denmark reigned from 1137 until he abdicated in 1146. He was the only Danish monarch to abdicate voluntarily, until 878 years later in 2024, when Queen Margrethe II of Denmark abdicated in favor of her son, King Frederik X of Denmark. Eric III was born circa 1120, probably on Funen, the third-largest island in Denmark. He was the son of Danish noble Haakon Sunnivasson, a great-grandson of Magnus the Good, King of Denmark and Norway, and Ragnhild of Denmark, the daughter of King Eric I of Denmark. Therefore, Eric III was the grandson of King Eric I of Denmark and the nephew of King Eric II of Denmark, whom he succeeded.

In 1143, Eric III married Lutgard of Salzwedel, daughter of Rudolf I, Margrave of the Northern Marsh. Lutgard’s brother Hartwig, Count of Stade and Archbishop of Bremen, married the couple at Bremen Cathedral in Bremen, now in Germany. Lutgard had been previously married to her uncle Friedrich II, Count of Sommerschenburg, with whom she had four children. Lutgard and her uncle Friedrich were forced to divorce on the grounds of a prohibited degree of relation.

Lutgard and Eric III had no children. As Queen of Denmark, Lutgard was criticized for promiscuous behavior and for influencing Eric III to waste money. Lutgard was accused of adultery and exiled. After Eric III’s death, Lutgard married a third time to the widower Herman II, Count of Winzenburg-Northeim, and they had three daughters. The local nobles and clergy hated Herman II because he was violent and wanted to seize their territories. On the night of January 29, 1152, local knights murdered Herman II and his wife Lutgard, who was pregnant.

Eric III’s uncle Cnut Lavard was murdered, causing a civil war; Credit – Wikipedia

At this time in Danish history, there were no succession laws. The Danish nobles elected the King of Denmark. However, might and murder often came into play. In 1131, the future King Eric II’s half-brother Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, later canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, was killed by their cousin Magnus, the son of King Niels of Denmark. Magnus saw Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

The civil war between the family members culminated on June 4, 1134, when the two sides fought the Battle of Fodevig near Lund in Scania, now in Sweden. The future King Eric III fought on the side of his uncle, the future King Eric II. The battle was a decisive victory for the next King of Denmark, Eric II. His cousin Magnus was killed in battle, and his uncle King Niels fled to Schleswig, where the citizens avenged Cnut Lavard, their beloved Duke of Schleswig, by murdering Niels on June 25, 1134. In Scania, at a thing, an assembly of nobles, Eric II was proclaimed King of Denmark.

Portrait of Eric III’s uncle, Eric II, King of Denmark, erected at his burial site, Ribe Cathedral in 1576; Credit – Wikipedia

The future Eric III was a member of the court of his uncle, King Eric II, and was known as Eric Haakonson before he became King of Denmark. To secure and keep power, Eric II treated his enemies cruelly, even his illegitimate half-brother Harald Kesja, whom Eric II saw as a threat. In 1135, Eric II had Harald Kesja and eight of his sons beheaded. The Roskilde Chronicle describes King Eric II as a “rex tyrannus” – a tyrannical king – who spread terror wherever he went.

On September 18, 1137, in Umehoved, Denmark, a thing, an assembly of nobles, was held, and the future King Eric III was present. A local nobleman, Sorte Plov (link in Danish), asked permission to approach King Eric II. Sorte Plov carried a spear with a piece of wood over the tip. After determining that Eric II had no armor under his clothing, Sorte Plov removed the wood from the spear’s tip and stabbed Eric II in revenge for the execution of a relative. Eric II’s nephew, the future King Eric III, stepped forward with his mace, ready to protect his uncle. However, Sorte Plov explained to Eric that he could be King of Denmark by saying, “Put away your mace, young Eric. A juicy piece of meat has fallen in your bowl!” Sorte Plov escaped with his life, and Eric II, King of Denmark was succeeded by his nephew, the son of his sister Ragnhild and Haakon Sunnivason, Eric III, King of Denmark.

King Eric III’s reign was mostly peaceful. Olaf Haraldsson, the only surviving son of Eric II’s half-brother Harald Kesja, claimed the throne in 1139, but Eric III was able to defeat and kill him in 1143. Eric III was the first Danish king strongly influenced by German culture. He had spent his childhood surrounded by German knights and adopted their ideals of chivalry.

In 1146, Eric III became seriously ill and abdicated. Sweyn Grathe, an illegitimate son of Eric II, King of Denmark, was elected king by the nobles in Zealand, and Cnut Magnusson, the son of Magnus the Strong, was elected king by the nobles in Jutland, resulting in another civil war.

St. Canute’s Cathedral – The yellow building on the left stands on the site of the former St. Canute’s Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia – By Jonay CP from Gran Canaria, Spain

On August 27, 1146, 26-year-old Eric III, King of Denmark, died at Saint Canute’s Abbey in Odense, Denmark, where he was buried. St. Canute’s Abbey forms the core structure of the present St. Canute’s Cathedral.

A 2015 study suggested that King Eric III may have died of Brugada syndrome, a genetic disorder in which the electrical activity in the heart is abnormal. It increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death. The study showed that perhaps up to fourteen Danish kings who suddenly died at a relatively young age without being ill possibly died of Brugada Syndrome.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark (ca. 1120-1146). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Lam
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2010). Luitgard af Salzwedel. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luitgard_af_Salzwedel
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Eric II, King of Denmark [Review of Eric II, King of Denmark]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eric-ii-king-of-denmark/
  • Wenande, Christian. (2015). Mystery of Danish king’s deaths fosters new theory – The Copenhagen Post. The Copenhagen Post. https://cphpost.dk/2015-10-16/general/mystery-of-danish-king-deaths-fosters-new-theory/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Eric III of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Lutgard of Salzwedel. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Eric II, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Portrait of Eric II, King of Denmark, erected at his burial site, Ribe Cathedral in 1576; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1090, Eric II reigned as King of Denmark from 1134 – 1137. He was an illegitimate son of Eric I, King of Denmark and an unknown concubine. He is also known as Eric Emune – Emune means “the always remembered”.

Eric II’s half-brother Saint Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig; Credit – Wikipedia

Eric II had one half-brother from his father’s marriage to Bodil Thrugotsdatter, Queen Consort of Denmark:

Eric II’s father, Eric I, had several children born out of wedlock, who were Eric II’s half-siblings:

  • Harald Kesja (1080 – 1135), married Ragnild Magnusdotter, daughter of King Magnus III of Norway, had six legitimate children and nine illegitimate children
  • Benedict
  • Ragnhilde, married Haakon Sunnivason, mother of King Eric III of Denmark

Painting by Danish history painter Niels Anker Lund (1840 – 1922) depicting the uproar caused when King Eric I announced his decision to go to the Holy Land; Credit – Wikipedia

When Eric II was around thirteen years old, his father, Eric I, King of Denmark, announced that he would go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. King Eric I and his wife Queen Bodil traveled with a large entourage via Novgorod, Russia, to Constantinople, then the capital of the Byzantine Empire, now the city of Istanbul in Turkey. In Constantinople, Eric I and Bodil were received by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. However, Eric I never made it to the Holy Land. While in Constantinople, Eric I became ill, but despite his illness, he continued his travels by sea. On July 10, 1103, in Paphos, Cyprus, King Eric I of Denmark died and was buried in Cyprus. King Eric I had chosen Harald Kesja (1080 – 1135), one of his illegitimate children and Eric II’s half-brother, as his successor. However, when the nobles met, they chose Niels, the fifth of five illegitimate sons of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark who reigned as King of Denmark.

Eric II’s wife Malmfred of Kyiv, pictured on a stamp from Ukraine; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1130, Eric II married Malmfred of Kyiv, the daughter of Grand Duke Mstislav I of Kyiv and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. Eric II and Malmfred had no children.

With his concubine Thunna, Eric II had one illegitimate son:

In 1131, Eric II’s half-brother Cnut Lavard, Duke of Schleswig, was killed by their cousin Magnus, the son of King Niels, because Magnus saw Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother Eric Emune, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

The civil war between the family members culminated on June 4, 1134, when the two sides fought the Battle of Fodevig near Lund in Scania, now in Sweden. The battle was a decisive victory for Eric Emune, who became the next King of Denmark as Eric II. His cousin Magnus was killed in battle, and his uncle King Niels fled to Schleswig, where the citizens avenged Cnut Lavard, their beloved Duke of Schleswig, by murdering Niels on June 25, 1134.

At a thing, an assembly of nobles, in Scania, Eric Emune was proclaimed Eric II, King of Denmark. He made Lund his capital city, and during his short reign, King Eric II lived in Lund, now in Sweden, but then part of Denmark.

Eric II started the canonization process of his half-brother Cnut Lavard by establishing Ringstead Abbey in the same Danish town as St. Bendt’s Church, where Cnut Lavard was buried. The monks at Ringstead Abbey were to document reports of miracles at Cnut Lavard’s grave. Eric II wanted to establish the divine right of kings in Denmark, and canonizing Cnut Lavard as a saint would support the claim of Eric II and his family to the Danish throne. Cnut Lavard was canonized as a saint, but not until 1170, thirty-three years after Eric II died.

To secure and keep power, Eric II treated his enemies cruelly, even his illegitimate half-brother Harald Kesja, whom Eric II saw as a threat. In 1135, Eric II had Harald Kesja and his eight surviving sons beheaded.

The Roskilde Chronicle describes King Eric II as a “rex tyrannus” – a tyrannical king – who spread terror wherever he went. The number of his enemies continually grew. Eskil, Bishop of Roskilde and the aristocrat Peder Bodilsen (link in Danish), formerly Eric II’s allies, but now his bitter enemies, began an unsuccessful rebellion. Just as Eric II was forcing Eskil, Bishop of Roskilde and Peder Bodilsen into a costly compromise, King Eric II was killed.

On September 18, 1137, in Umehoved, Denmark, a thing, an assembly of nobles, was held. A local nobleman, Sorte Plov (link in Danish), asked permission to approach King Eric II. Sorte Plov carried a spear with a piece of wood over the tip. After determining that Eric II had no armor under his clothing, Sorte Plov removed the wood from the spear’s tip and stabbed Eric II in revenge for the execution of a relative. Eric II’s nephew, Eric Haakonson, stepped forward with his mace. Eric Haakonson was the heir to the throne, and Sorte Plov pointed this out to him, saying, “Put away your mace, young Eric. A juicy piece of meat has fallen in your bowl!” Sorte Plov escaped with his life, and Eric II, King of Denmark was succeeded by his nephew Eric Haakonson, the son of Eric II’s sister Ragnhilde and Haakon Sunnivason, and reigned as Eric III, King of Denmark from 1137 – 1146.

Eric II, King of Denmark was buried at Ribe Cathedral in Ribe, Denmark. However, the cathedral has been rebuilt on several occasions. Although there are theories about where King Eric II was buried, no concrete evidence has emerged indicating where his grave may be. In 1576, a portrait of Eric II (at the beginning of this article) was erected at Ribe Cathedral accompanied by an epitaph (below), which is apparently quite unflattering.

Epitaph of King Eric II at Ribe Cathedral; Credit – By Oleryhlolsson – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108681527

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark (1090-1137). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Emune
  • Cathedral | Ribe Domkirke. (2024). Ribe-Domkirke.dk. https://doi.org/1068558.css?1736838294
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Eric I, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eric-i-king-of-denmark/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Battle of Fotevik. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Canute Lavard. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Eric II of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Harald Kesja. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024, November 4). Malmfred of Kiev. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Ribe Cathedral. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Niels, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Damaged coin depicting Niels, King of Denmark; Credit – By Hedning  Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10232349

Born circa 1065, Niels, King of Denmark from 1104 to 1134, was the fifth of five illegitimate sons of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark to become King of Denmark. Niels’ father, Sweyn II, married twice. His first marriage was childless. According to the chronicle “Jerusalem History”, Sweyn the Crusader, the legitimate son of a King of Denmark, took part in the First Crusade, dying in battle in 1097. Some researchers believe that he was the son of Sweyn II from his second marriage, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of Sweyn the Crusader. Sweyn the Crusader would have been living when Sweyn II died in 1076. It would seem logical that a legitimate son of Sweyn II would have been considered a candidate to be his successor. However, only his illegitimate sons Harald III, Sweyn II’s successor, and Cnut IV, who succeeded Harald III, were considered.

Portrait of King Sweyn II that marks his place of burial in Roskilde Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least twenty children. The identity of the mothers of his illegitimate children is uncertain. Sweyn II’s illegitimate children, listed below, are either Niels’ full siblings or half-siblings. “Brother” will be used when discussing Niels’ male siblings, but whether they were full brothers or half-brothers is unknown.

In 1105, Niels married Margareta Fredkulla, daughter of King Inge the Elder of Sweden and Queen Helena.  Margareta had been married before. In 1101, she married King Magnus III of Norway. The marriage had been part of the peace treaty between Sweden and Norway. After two years of a childless marriage, King Magnus III died, and Margareta returned to Sweden.

Niels and Margareta had two children:

Niels’ brother King Eric I announced that he would go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. King Eric I and his wife Queen Bodil traveled with a large entourage via Novgorod, Russia, to Constantinople, then the capital of the Byzantine Empire, now the city of Istanbul in Turkey. In Constantinople, Eric and Bodil were received by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. However, Eric never made it to the Holy Land. While in Constantinople, Eric became ill, but despite his illness, he continued his travels by sea. King Eric I of Denmark died on July 10, 1103, in Paphos, Cyprus, where his wife had him buried. King Eric I had chosen Harald Kesja (1080 – 1135), one of his illegitimate children, as his successor, but when the nobles met, they chose Niels to be the next King of Denmark.

During King Niels’ early reign, a positive relationship developed between the Danish government and the Roman Catholic Church in Denmark, led by Asser Thorkilsen, Archbishop of Lund. Niels was the first Danish monarch to use the term “King by the Grace of God”. He limited the size of his entourage, reducing traveling costs. Niels appointed officials throughout Denmark whose responsibility was collecting fines, seizing the cargo of shipwrecks, and confiscating inheritances that went to the crown if there was no heir.

In 1130, King Niels’ wife Margareta died. The land she owned in Sweden became a base for her son Magnus. When Margareta’s first cousin, King Inge the Younger of Sweden, died circa 1125, Magnus claimed the Swedish throne as the eldest grandson of King Inge the Elder and reigned as King Magnus I of Sweden.

After Maragreta’s death, King Niels married Ulvhild Håkansdotter, the daughter of the Norwegian noble Haakon Finnsson. She had first married Margareta’s first cousin, King Inge the Younger of Sweden, but they had no children. Niels and Ulvhild also had no children. After Niels died in 1134, Ulvhild married King Sverker I of Sweden, and they had at least two surviving sons and two surviving daughters.

Niels’s nephew Saint Cnut Lavard, King Eric I’s son; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1115, King Niels of Denmark created his nephew Cnut Lavard (the legitimate son of Niels’ brother King Eric I), Earl of Schleswig. Cnut Lavard used the title Earl of Schleswig for just a short time before he began to style himself Duke of Schleswig. He was the first of many Dukes of Schleswig, and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a German vassal. In 1131, Cnut Lavard was killed by his cousin, King Niels’ son Magnus, who saw Cnut Lavard as a rival to the Danish throne. Cnut Lavard was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1170. The murder of Cnut Lavard started several years of civil war between King Niels and his son Magnus against Cnut Lavard’s illegitimate half-brother Eric Emune, the future Eric II, King of Denmark.

The civil war between the family members culminated on June 4, 1134, when the two sides fought the Battle of Fodevig near Lund in Scania, now in Sweden. The battle was a decisive victory for Eric Emune, who became the next King of Denmark as Eric II. Magnus was killed in battle, and King Niels fled to Schleswig, where the citizens avenged Cnut Lavard, their beloved Duke of Schleswig, by murdering Niels on June 25, 1134.

The Schlei, where local fishermen retrieved Niels’ body; Credit – By Frank Maahs – Selbst erstellt von Frank Maahs, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2746723

King Niels’ headless body was pulled out of the Schlei, a narrow inlet of the Baltic Sea, by local fishermen. The body was laid out in St. Peter’s Cathedral, then in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in Schleswig, Germany. The monks at the cathedral heard strange noises and thought Niels’ spirit was wandering in the cathedral. As a result, Niels’ body was instead buried in “a boggy grave”. A stake was hammered through Niels’ chest to keep him there. There are local legends that King Niels haunts St. Peter’s Cathedral and hunts the moors of Schleswig with his hounds.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Eric I, King of Denmark [Review of Eric I, King of Denmark]. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eric-i-king-of-denmark/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-ii-estridsson-king-of-denmark/
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Niels, Konge af Danmark. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niels_af_Danmark
  • Ulvhild Håkansdotter [Review of Ulvhild Håkansdotter]. (2025). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulvhild_H%C3%A5kansdotter
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Canute Lavard. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Eric I of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Niels of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Schleswig Cathedral. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Eric I, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Coin of King Eric I, depicting his image; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1056 in Slangerup, Denmark, Eric I, King of Denmark (also known as Eric the Good), from 1095 to 1103, was the fourth of five illegitimate sons of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark to become King of Denmark. Eric’s father Sweyn II married twice. His first marriage was childless. According to the chronicle “Jerusalem History”, Sweyn the Crusader, the legitimate son of a King of Denmark, took part in the First Crusade, dying in battle in 1097. Some researchers believe that he was the son of Sweyn II from his second marriage, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of Sweyn the Crusader. Sweyn the Crusader would have been living when Sweyn II died in 1076. It would seem logical that a legitimate son of Sweyn II would have been considered a candidate to be his successor. However, only his illegitimate sons Harald III, Sweyn II’s successor, and Cnut IV, who succeeded Harald III, were considered.

Portrait of King Sweyn II that marks his place of burial in Roskilde Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least twenty children. The identity of the mothers of his illegitimate children is uncertain. Sweyn II’s illegitimate children listed below are either Eric’s full siblings or half-siblings. “Brother” will be used when discussing Eric’s male siblings but it is unknown whether they were full brothers or half-brothers.

Eric married Bodil Thrugotsdatter (circa 1056 – 1103 ), the daughter of Thrugot Ulfsen Fagerskind, a Danish earl and nobleman from Jutland, Denmark, and Thorgunna Vagnsdatter. It is believed they married before 1086 because it is documented that Eric and Bodil lived in exile in Sweden during the reign of Eric’s brother Olaf I, King of Denmark, who reigned from 1086 to 1095.

Saint Canute Lavard, Eric and Bodil’s son; Credit – Wikipedia

Eric I and Bodil had one son:

In 1115, King Niels of Denmark, the successor and brother of King Eric I, created his nephew Cnut Lavard, Earl of Schleswig. Cnut Lavard used the title Earl of Schleswig for only a short time before he began to style himself Duke of Schleswig. He was the first of many Dukes of Schleswig, and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a German vassal. In 1131, Cnut Lavard was killed by his cousin Magnus the Strong who saw him as a rival to the Danish throne. Cnut Lavard was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1170.

Eric I had an illegitimate son with an unknown concubine who was a King of Denmark:

  • Eric II, King of Denmark (circa 1090 – 1137), married Malmfred of Kiev, no children; with his concubine Thunna, Eric II had a son, Sweyn III, King of Denmark

Eric I had several other children born out of wedlock:

  • Harald Kesja (1080 – 1135), married Ragnild Magnusdotter, daughter of King Magnus III of Norway, had six legitimate children and nine illegitimate children. Harald Kesja and his eight surviving sons were beheaded after their defeat at the Battle of Fotevik during a civil war for control of the Danish throne.
  • Benedict
  • Ragnhilde, married Haakon Sunnivason, mother of King Eric III Lamb of Denmark

On July 10, 1086, Eric’s brothers (Saint) Cnut IV, King of Denmark and Benedikt, and seventeen of their followers, trying to escape from rebels, took refuge in the wooden, Viking Age St. Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at St. Alban’s Priory in Odense. The rebels stormed into the church and killed Cnut IV, his brother Benedikt, and their seventeen followers before the altar. Eric had been with his brothers but remained at the royal farm instead of accompanying them to St. Alban’s Priory.

During his reign, King Cnut IV blamed his brother Olaf for stirring up trouble, and Olaf was imprisoned by their brother Eric. Olaf was then banished to Flanders, under the supervision of Robert I, Count of Flanders, Cnut IV’s father-in-law. After Cnut IV died, Olaf, still imprisoned in Flanders, was proclaimed King of Denmark. An arrangement was made to exchange Olaf for his younger brother Niels, a future King of Denmark. When Olaf returned to Denmark as King Olaf I, his brother Eric fled to Scania, now in Sweden, fearing Olaf’s revenge for his support of King Cnut IV.

During the reign of King Olaf I, Denmark suffered from crop failure, and Olaf was given the nickname “Hunger”. The crop failure was seen as divine retribution for King Cnut IV’s murder. King Olaf I died on August 18, 1095, aged about 45, under uncertain circumstances, and Eric was elected as King of Denmark. Eric was well-liked by the Danish people and the famines that had plagued Denmark during King I’s Olaf reign ceased. For the Danes, it was a sign from God that Eric was the right king for Denmark. In 1101, Erik participated in a meeting of the Three Kings in what is now Kungälv, Sweden, where King Magnus III Olafson of Norway, King Inge of Sweden, and King Eric I concluded a peace treaty. King Eric I is known by the nickname “the Good”, probably because the food supply and living conditions improved during his reign.

In 1101, Eric visited Pope Paschal II in Rome. He promoted the cause of sainthood for his brother King Cnut IV and Pope Paschal II agreed to canonize Cnut as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, Eric obtained an Archbishop in Denmark instead of Denmark being under the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. Bishop Asser Thorkilsson then became the first Archbishop of Lund. Lund has been in Sweden since the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, and the Diocese of Lund is now one of thirteen dioceses in the Lutheran Church of Sweden.

Painting by Danish history painter Niels Anker Lund (1840 – 1922) depicting the uproar caused when King Eric announced his decision to go to the Holy Land; Credit – Wikipedia

Shortly afterward, King Eric I announced that he would go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. According to the Danish Chronicles by Danish historian and theologian Saxo Grammaticus, Eric felt he needed to make the pilgrimage because he was guilty about murdering four of his own men while he was drunk at a feast in his own hall. Despite many pleas not to go, Eric was not deterred from making the long journey. Eric appointed his son Harald Kesja and Asser Thorkilsson, Archbishop of Lund, to act as regents in his absence.

A memorial to Eric I, King of Denmark in Paphos, Cyprus, where he died; Credit – Von Lcw27 – Eigenes Werk, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9939587

King Eric I and his wife Bodil traveled with a large entourage via Novgorod, Russia to Constantinople, then the capital of the Byzantine Empire, now the city of Istanbul in Turkey. In Constantinople, Eric and Bodil were received by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. However, Eric never made it to the Holy Land. While in Constantinople, Eric became ill and despite his illness, he continued his travels by sea. King Eric I of Denmark died on July 10, 1103, in Paphos, Cyprus, where his wife had him buried. However, the location of his grave is no longer known. After Eric died, Bodil continued the journey and reached Jerusalem later in 1103. She died in Jerusalem that same year and was buried on the Mount of Olives or at its foot in the Valley of Josaphat.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Autoren der Wikimedia-Projekte. (2005). König von Dänemark. Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_I._(D%C3%A4nemark)
  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2002). Konge af Danmark (1059-1103). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Ejegod
  • Erik Ejegod – heimskringla.no. (2025). Heimskringla.no. https://heimskringla.no/wiki/Erik_Ejegod
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-ii-estridsson-king-of-denmark/
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Boedil Thurgotsdatter. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Canute Lavard. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2025). Eric I of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.

Olaf I, King of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025

1685 engraving depicting King Olaf I of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1050, Olaf I, King of Denmark, from 1086 to 1095, was the third of five illegitimate sons of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark to become King of Denmark. Olaf’s father Sweyn II married twice. His first marriage was childless. According to the chronicle “Jerusalem History”, Sweyn the Crusader, the legitimate son of a King of Denmark, took part in the First Crusade, dying in battle in 1097. Some researchers believe that he was the son of Sweyn II from his second marriage, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of Sweyn the Crusader. Sweyn the Crusader would have been living when Sweyn II died in 1076. It would seem logical that a legitimate son of Sweyn II would have been considered a candidate to be his successor. However, only his illegitimate sons Harald III, Sweyn II’s successor, and Cnut IV, who succeeded Harald III, were considered.

Portrait of King Sweyn II that marks his place of burial in Roskilde Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least twenty children. The identity of the mothers of his illegitimate children is uncertain. Sweyn II’s illegitimate children listed below are either Olaf’s full siblings or half-siblings. “Brother” will be used when discussing Sweyn’s male siblings, but it is unknown whether they were full brothers or half-brothers.

Around 1067, Olaf married Ingegerd Haraldsdotter, the daughter of King Harald III Hardrada of Norway. The marriage was part of the peace treaty between Denmark and Norway to strengthen their alliance. There are no known children from this marriage.

When Olaf’s father, Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark, died in 1076, there were two candidates for the Danish throne, Harald, Sweyn II’s eldest illegitimate son, and Cnut, Sweyn II’s second illegitimate son. An assembly of Danish nobles had to choose between the two candidates. Harald was seen as more peaceful, while Cnut wanted to reconquer England. To convince the nobles to vote for him, Harald took the vows called Harald’s Laws, declaring that he would uphold the existing rule of law. Cnut was sent into exile and did not return until his brother King Harald III of Denmark died in 1080, when Cnut succeeded his childless brother as King Cnut IV of Denmark.

As the great-grandson of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, King Cnut IV believed he was entitled to the English crown and saw William the Conqueror, now King William I of England, as a usurper. In 1085, Cnut planned an invasion of England with the support of his father-in-law Robert I, Count of Flanders and King Olaf III of Norway. However, the invasion never happened because Cnut feared an invasion of Denmark’s southern border by Heinrich IV, Holy Roman Emperor.

The Danish fleet with the Danish army aboard the ships remained in Danish ports. Supplies were running low, and the harvest was approaching. A council was held, and Olaf was sent to ask his brother King Cnut IV to begin the English campaign or send the army home. Cnut feared Olaf’s support among the nobles. Olaf had concerns about Cnut’s ambitions and saw Cnut’s young son Carl, born the previous year, as a future rival for power. Cnut blamed Olaf for stirring up trouble, and Olaf was imprisoned by their brother Eric, the future King Eric I of Denmark. Olaf was banished to Flanders, under the supervision of Robert I, Count of Flanders, Cnut’s father-in-law.

Cnut’s actions resulted in open rebellion. He had to flee from the royal estate in Børglum and continued to flee to Aggersborg and on to Viborg and Schleswig, finally ending up in Odense. On July 10, 1086, Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and seventeen of their followers took refuge in the wooden, Viking Age St. Alban’s Priory Church (link in Danish) at St. Alban’s Priory in Odense. The rebels stormed into the church and killed Cnut, his brother Benedikt, and their seventeen followers before the altar. The Benedictine monks of St. Alban’s Priory buried Cnut and his brother Benedikt in front of the main altar of the St. Alban’s Priory Church.

Olaf, still imprisoned in Flanders, was proclaimed King of Denmark. An arrangement was made to exchange Olaf for his younger brother Niels, a future King of Denmark. When Olaf returned to Denmark as King Olaf I, his brother Eric, who had imprisoned him, fled to Scania, now in Sweden.

During the reign of King Olaf I, Denmark suffered from crop failure, and Olaf was given the nickname “Hunger”. The crop failure was seen as divine retribution for Cnut’s murder. There were reports of miracles occurring at Cnut’s burial site, and his canonization was already being sought during King Olaf I’s reign. In 1101, persuaded by envoys from King Eric I of Denmark (reigned 1095 – 1103), brother of King Cnut IV and successor of their brother King Olaf I of Denmark, Pope Paschal II canonized King Cnut IV as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

King Olaf I of Denmark died on August 18, 1095, aged about 45, under uncertain circumstances. His burial site is unknown. The Danish historian, theologian and author Saxo Grammaticus (circa 1150 – circa 1220) in his Chronicle of Denmark says, he “willingly gave himself to lose the land of its bad luck and begged that all of the guilt would fall upon his head alone. So he offered his life for his countrymen.” Some historians speculate that Olaf killed himself over the guilt of the murder of his brother King Cnut IV and the famines in Denmark.

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Works Cited

  • Bidragsydere til Wikimedia-projekter. (2003). Konge af Danmark (1050-1095). Wikipedia.org; Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oluf_Hunger
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Saint Cnut IV of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/saint-cnut-iv-king-of-denmark/
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2025). Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-ii-estridsson-king-of-denmark/
  • Olaf Hunger – heimskringla.no. (2025). Heimskringla.no. https://www.heimskringla.no/wiki/Olaf_Hunger
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Olaf I of Denmark. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.