Sweyn III of Denmark

Sweyn III Grathe
Sweyn III Grathe
	Eric II the Memorable
Mother	Thunna

Sweyn III Grathe

Canute V and his own cousin Valdemar I. In 1157, the three agreed to a tripartition of Denmark. Sweyn attempted to kill his rivals at the peace banquet, and was subsequently defeated by Valdemar I at the Battle of Grathe Heath

and killed.

Early life

Sweyn was the illegitimate son of King

Frederick.^[2]

Sweyn travelled to Denmark, where he and his cousin

Zealand while Canute V was crowned by their counterparts in Jutland.^[3]

Civil war

For the next years, Sweyn fought a

Archbishop of Lund land holdings in Scania and Bornholm. Sweyn subsequently defeated Canute on Zealand, to confine him to Jutland. In 1147, Sweyn and Canute united to support the Wendish Crusade. As Sweyn engaged the Wends in naval battle, he received little support from Canute, and lost his flagship. The civil war was soon re-ignited.^[2]

After several battles, Sweyn conquered

King of Germany, and he brokered a deal in Merseburg later that year.^[2] The deal made Sweyn "premier king", with Canute eligible to receive a substantial portion of Denmark, and Valdemar keeping the Duchy of Schleswig.^[3] However, Sweyn only granted Canute small holdings, breaking the agreement, and Sweyn's position in Denmark was further undermined by his alleged tyrant manners and his pro-German behaviour.^[2]

Tripartition

In 1154, Sweyn was overthrown by an alliance between Canute and Valdemar, who was crowned Canute's co-ruler as Valdemar I.^[3] Eskil and the majority of Sweyn's other supporters deserted him, and he went into exile in Germany. Sweyn spent three years seeking support for a reconquest, and returned to Denmark in 1157 with the support of German duke Henry the Lion.^[2] This prompted the Danish magnates to force through a tripartition of the kingdom into Jutland, Zealand, and Scania.^[3] Sweyn chose first, and was made the ruler of Scania. At the peace banquet in Roskilde on 9 August 1157, Sweyn planned on killing his two co-rulers, and succeeded in having Canute killed. The incident became known as the Bloodfeast of Roskilde.^[2]

Valdemar escaped to Jutland, and on 23 October 1157, Sweyn and his army faced and met him at the Battle of Grathe Heath, which gave him his nickname Grathe. Sweyn's army was defeated, and he was killed by peasants who caught him when his horse was sucked into a bog while he fled from the battle.^[2]

Marriage and issue

In 1152, Sweyn married Adela of Meissen, daughter of Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, and Luitgard of Ravenstein. They had a short-lived son, possibly named Eric, and a daughter, Luitgard, who married Berthold I of Istria.^[2]

Notes

^ For the significance of the epithet, see § Tripartition

References

Media related to Sweyn III of Denmark at Wikimedia Commons

^ Monarkiet i Danmark – Kongerækken Archived 18 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine at The Danish Monarchy
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Bricka, Carl Frederik (ed.), Dansk Biografisk Lexikon, vol. XVII [Svend Tveskjæg – Tøxen], 1903. "Svend Grade", Hans Olrik, pp. 5–7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Svend 3. Grathe at Gyldendals Åbne Encyklopædi

Regnal titles
Sweyn Grathe House of Estridsen Born: c. 1125 Died: 23 October 1157
Preceded by Eric Lamb	King of Denmark 1146–1157 with Canute V & Valdemar the Great	Succeeded by Valdemar the Great

[3] For the significance of the epithet, see § Tripartition

[kongehuset-1] Monarkiet i Danmark – Kongerækken Archived 18 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine at The Danish Monarchy

[bricka-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Bricka, Carl Frederik (ed.), Dansk Biografisk Lexikon, vol. XVII [Svend Tveskjæg – Tøxen], 1903. "Svend Grade", Hans Olrik, pp. 5–7.

[gyldendal-4] Svend 3. Grathe at Gyldendals Åbne Encyklopædi

[2]

[3]

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Germany
People	Deutsche Biographie