Valdemar IV of Denmark
Valdemar IV | |||||
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Olaf II | |||||
Born | 1320 Tikøb, Helsingør, Denmark | ||||
Died | 24 October 1375 Gurre Castle, North Zealand, Denmark | (aged 54–55)||||
Burial | first at Vordingborg Castle, then Sorø Abbey | ||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue among others... |
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House | House of Estridsen | ||||
Father | Christopher II of Denmark | ||||
Mother | Euphemia of Pomerania |
Valdemar IV Atterdag (the
Accession
He was the youngest son of King
Following the assassination of
Reunification of Denmark
Under his father, King Christopher II, Denmark went bankrupt and was mortgaged out in parcels. King Valdemar IV sought to repay the debt and reclaim the lands of Denmark. The first opportunity came with his wife Helvig's dowry. The mortgage on the rest of northern Jutland was paid off by taxes collected from King Valdemar's peasants above the Kongeå. In 1344, he recovered
Valdemar next set his sights on
Around 1346 Valdemar IV initiated a
Upon his return, Valdemar gathered an army. In 1346, he took back Vordingborg Castle, the main headquarters of the Holsteiners. By the end of the year, Valdemar could claim all of Zealand as his own. He made Vordingborg his personal residence, expanded the castle, and built the Goose Tower which has become the symbol of the town. Valdemar's reputation for ruthlessness against those who opposed him made many think carefully about switching sides. His tax policy crushed the peasants who feared to do anything but pay up. By 1347 Valdemar had thrown out the Germans and once again Denmark was a nation.
With his increased income, Valdemar was able to pay for a larger army and by treachery came into possession of
Black Death
In 1349 the Black Death arrived. Tradition has it that bubonic plague came to Denmark on a ghost ship that beached itself on the coast of northern Jutland. Those who went aboard found the dead swollen and black faced, but stayed long enough to take everything of value from it and thereby introduced the fleas that carried the disease into the population. People began to die by the thousands. During the next two years plague swept through Denmark like a forest fire. In Ribe twelve parishes ceased to exist in a single diocese. A few towns simply died with no one left alive. The general figures for plague in 1349–50 ranges between 33% and 66% of the people of Denmark. City dwellers were often harder hit than farm folk leading many people to abandon towns altogether. Valdemar remained untouched and took advantage of the deaths of his enemies to add to his growing lands and properties. He refused to reduce the taxes the following year though fewer peasants farmed less land. Nobles, too, felt their incomes shrink and the tax burdens fell heavier on them as well. Uprisings flared up in the following years.[5]
Final pieces
In 1350, Valdemar IV formed an alliance with Poland against the Teutonic Knights.[6]
In 1354 the King and nobles met together as the Danish Court (Danehof) and worked out a peace settlement among the parties. The terms of the charter said that the Danehof was to meet at least once a year on St. John's Day, 24 June. The old system established in 1282 was reinstated and everyone's rights reverted to the traditional ones from before Christopher II's charter which gutted the powers of the king.[7]
Valdemar responded by raising an army and marching through southern Jutland taking still more pieces of the lands that German counts had pried away from Denmark in the previous years. Rebellion spread quickly through Funen and he ravaged the Holsteiners' remaining territories and took the rest of the island. The charter proved to be useless when the king ignored the terms and the sporadic rebellions continued. That same year there was a monetary crisis which caused panic all over northern Europe.[5]
There is a famous poem, written by Jens Peter Jacobsen and included in his work Gurresange, about Valdemar's mistress, Tove, who was killed on the orders of Queen Helvig,[8][9] though that particular legend originally seems to be connected with his ancestor Valdemar I of Denmark. It was later set to music by Arnold Schoenberg from 1900 to 1903 (and 1910) as his Gurre-Lieder.
In 1358 Valdemar went back to Funen to try to reconcile with Jutland leader Niels Bugge (c. 1300-c. 1358) and several other nobles and two bishops. The king refused to meet their terms, so they left the meeting in disgust. When they reached the town of Middelfart to find a ship to carry them over to Jutland, the fishermen they hired to transport them, murdered them. King Valdemar was blamed and the restive people of Jutland came out in open rebellion once again. They agreed to support each other in their fight to restore the rights the king once again had abrogated.[10]
Valdemar turned once again to Skåne which still lay under Swedish rule. In 1355, Prince Eric XII of Sweden had rebelled against his father, King Magnus IV of Sweden, taking Skåne and other parts of Sweden. King Magnus turned to Valdemar and entered into an agreement with him for help with Erik. [11] Erik suddenly died in 1359. Valdemar crossed the Sound with an army and forced Magnus to give up Helsingborg in 1360. With the taking of Helsingborg, Valdemar for all intents regained Skåne. Magnus wasn't strong enough to hold Skåne, so it passed back to Danish control. [12] Valdemar captured Halland, Blekinge, and Skåne.[13]
Foreign policy after 1360
Valdemar could do little about the increasing power of the Hanseatic League which had already become a major power in the region. Even before the conclusion of the small conflict with King Magnus, Valdemar decided to attack the Swedish island of Gotland, specifically the town of Visby. He raised an army, loaded them onto ships and invaded Gotland in 1361. Valdemar fought the Gotlanders and defeated them in front of the city, killing 1800 men. The city surrendered, and Valdemar tore down part of the wall to make his entry. Once in possession, he set up three huge beer barrels and informed the city fathers that if the barrels weren't filled with silver and gold within three days, he would turn his men loose to pillage the town. To Valdemar's surprise the barrels were filled before nightfall of the first day passed. The churches were stripped of their valuables and the riches were loaded on Danish ships and carried home to Vordingborg, Valdemar's residence. Valdemar added "King of Gotland" to his title list. But his action against Visby, a member of the Hanseatic League, would have dire consequences later.
Valdemar tried to interfere with the succession in Sweden by capturing Countess Elizabeth who was to marry Crown Prince
Valdemar attacked the Hansa fleet trying force them out of the Sound fishing grounds. The Hansa member states demanded action. With Lübeck in the lead, they wrote to Valdemar complaining about his interference with trade. In 1362 the Hansa states, Sweden, and Norway allied against Valdemar seeking retribution. The Hansa sent a fleet and an army to ravage the coasts of Denmark, and they succeeded in capturing and pillaging Copenhagen and parts of Skåne. Combined with the rebellious nobles in Jutland, they forced Valdemar out of Denmark at Easter in 1368.
In 1363, Valdemar IV renewed his alliance with Poland.[14]
He appointed his friend and advisor Henning Podebusk (c. 1350 – c. 1388) to negotiate with the Hanseatic League in his absence. They agreed to a truce so long as Valdemar acknowledged their right to free trade and fishing rights in the Sound. They took control of several towns on the coast of Skåne and the fortress at Helsingborg for 15 years. They also forced the king to grant the Hanseatic League a say in Denmark's succession after Valdemar's death. Valdemar was forced to sign the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370, which acknowledged Hansa rights to participate in the herring trade and tax exemptions for its trading fleet. The king was able to return to Denmark after an absence of four years. Valdemar received Gotland, however, so even in defeat he was able to salvage something for himself and Denmark. [15] [16]
Death
Even while dealing with the Hansa states, he was trying to suppress rebellious nobles who tried to assert the rights they had forced Valdemar's father to concede, and fight the Swedes and Norwegians. He was in the process of taking gradual control of southern Jutland when he fell ill. Valdemar enlisted the help of Pope Gregory XI who agreed to excommunicate rebellious Danes. But before anything along those lines was done, Valdemar died at Gurre Castle in north Zealand on 24 October 1375 and was buried at Sorø Abbey. When Podebusk died, he was buried next to Valdemar at Sorø Abbey. [17]
Legacy
King Valdemar was a pivotal figure in Danish history; he gradually reacquired the lost territories that had been added to Denmark over the centuries. His heavy-handed methods, endless taxation, and usurpation of rights long held by noble families led to uprisings throughout Valdemar's reign. His attempt to recreate Denmark as a power in northern Europe was welcomed by the Danes in the beginning, but Valdemar's policies met with bitter opposition by the great landed families of Jutland. He expanded the powers of the king based upon his military prowess and the loyal nobility that became the foundation of Danish rulers until 1440. Many foreigners were appointed as court officials and councillors. The most important of them was the German-Slavic nobleman Henning Podebusk who was drost (prime minister) from 1365 to 1388.
Valdemar IV is often regarded as one of the most important of all Danish medieval kings. The sources give the impression of an intelligent, cynical, reckless and clever ruler with a talent for both policies and economy. His grandson
His nickname "Atterdag" is usually interpreted as "day again" (its literal meaning in Danish), indicating that he brought new hope to the realm after a dark period of bad kingship. The epithet has also been suggested as a misinterpretation of the Middle Low German phrase "ter tage" ("these days"), which can best be interpreted as "what times we live in!" In his biography of Valdemar, Fletcher Pratt stated it meant "another day", that is, whatever happened today, good or bad, tomorrow would be another day.
Many stories, ballads, and poems have been made about Valdemar. He was "reinvented' as one of the Danish hero kings during the mid-19th century when Denmark was fighting Germany for its traditional southern Jutland region.
Issue
In the 1330s,
- Christopher of Denmark, Duke of Lolland (1341–1363)
- Margaret of Denmark (1345–1350), betrothed to Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg, died young.
- Ingeborg of Denmark (1347–1370), married Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg, and was the maternal grandmother of King Eric VII of Denmark.
- Catherine of Denmark (1349), died young.
- Valdemar of Denmark (1350 – 11 June 1363), died young.
- Haakon VI of Norway, and was Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Evidence indicated also an illegitimate son,
Distinctions
- Knight of the Holy Sepulchre
References
- ^ "Valdemar Atterdag −1375". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Valdemar Atterdag −1375". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Valdemar Atterdag og genopbygning af kongemagten 1340–75". danmarkshistorie (Aarhus University). Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ Janus Møller Jensen. Denmark and the Crusades. 2007 p.41
- ^ a b Danmarks Historie II www.perbenny.dk
- ^ "Kalendarz dat: 1350". Dzieje.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ^ "Danehof". danmarkshistorie (Aarhus University). Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ Tunbridge, Laura (2010). The Song Cycle. Cambridge University Press. p. 113.
- ^ "Leo Hussain, eroul serii la Gurre-Lieder". Adevărul. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ "Niels Bugge, approx. 1300–1358". danmarkshistorien.dk. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Magnus Eriksson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Erik Magnusson". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Chronology of Sweden". worldtimeline.info. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "13 grudnia 1363 roku król Polski Kazimierz III Wielki podpisał sojusz z królem duńskim Waldemarem IV". Historykon.pl (in Polish). 12 December 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ^ "Podebusk, Erik −1573". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "A Medieval battle in Visby, Gotland". visbysweden.com. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Valdemar Atterdag, ca. 1321–1375". danmarkshistorien.dk. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ Alf Henrikson: Dansk historia (Danish history) (1989) (Swedish)
- ^ "Erik Sjællandsfar Prins af Danmark". toveogflemming.dk. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
Other sources
- ISBN 978-1299313118
- Peter Lundbye (1939) Valdemar Atterdag: Danmarks Riges Genopretter, skildret i ny historisk Belysning efter de samtidige Kilders Beretning, Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard.
External links
- Media related to Valdemar IV of Denmark at Wikimedia Commons
- Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). pp. 842–843.