Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig
Encyclopedia
Valdemar IV Eriksøn (died 1312) was Duke of Schleswig from 1283 until his death in 1312. He was the eldest son of Duke Eric I of Schleswig
Eric I, Duke of Schleswig
Eric I Abelsøn was Duke of Schleswig from 1260 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of King Abel of Denmark, Duke of Schleswig and Mechtild of Holstein.-Early life:...
and Margaret of Rugia.
Early life
At the death of his father Duke Eric IEric I, Duke of Schleswig
Eric I Abelsøn was Duke of Schleswig from 1260 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of King Abel of Denmark, Duke of Schleswig and Mechtild of Holstein.-Early life:...
in 1272, Valdemar was only about 10 years old. For the following ten years, King Eric V of Denmark
Eric V of Denmark
Eric V "Klipping" was King of Denmark and son of Christopher I. Until 1264 he ruled under the auspices of his mother, the competent Queen Dowager Margaret Sambiria. Between 1261 and 1262, Eric was a prisoner in Holstein following a military defeat...
, feudal overlord over the Duchy of Schleswig, refused to install Valdemar in his father's duchy. Only in 1283, at a meeting of the Danehof
Danehof
Danehof was the name of the Danish medieval parliament which played a certain role between c. 1250 and 1413.The precondition of the Danehof – like that of the Håndfæstning - was the growing power and opposition among the Danish magnates after 1250. They wanted limitations of the royal power,...
in the city of Vordingborg
Vordingborg
Vordingborg is a municipality in Region Sjælland on the southeast coast of the island of Zealand in south Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Masnedø, and covers an area of 621 km². It has a total population of 46,600...
, did the Danish magnates force King Eric to install Valdemar as duke. In 1284 he granted city rights to the city of Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
.
Duke of Schleswig and conflict with the King
However, Valdemar was not content and also claimed the island of Als, as well as the Crown lands of Schleswig. When in 1284 a judgment of the Danehof ruled against the claims of Duke Valdemar, he occupied the island of Als by force. However, the military campaign proved disadvantageous for the duke, and as he intended to travel north to gain support in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, he was captured by King Eric and confined at Søborg Castle
Søborg Castle
Søborg Castle , in its heyday, was the strongest castle in Denmark ,and was also used as a prison . It was inhabited until the Count's Feud in 1535, when it is speculated that it was destroyed...
in 1285. He was released the following year on condition that he abandoned almost all of his claims.
Murder of King Eric
Just half a year later, in November 1286, King Eric was assassinated, and Duke Valdemar naturally fell under suspicion. The Queen DowagerQueen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
, Agnes of Brandenburg
Agnes of Brandenburg
Agnes of Brandenburg was a Danish Queen consort, spouse of King Eric V of Denmark. As a widow, she served as the regent of Denmark for her son Eric during his minority from 1286 until 1293.- Biography :...
, apparently shared the suspicion, but feared open aggression with the Duke. Instead, his support was achieved by accepting his claims and appointing him regent of the kingdom during the minority of King Eric's under age son and successor, Eric VI
Eric VI of Denmark
Eric VI Menved was King of Denmark and a son of Eric V and Agnes of Brandenburg.He became king in 1286 at age 12, when his father was murdered 20 November by unknown assailants...
.
Renewed conflict with the King
Already in 1289, the confidence between Duke Valdemar and Dowager Queen Agnes was breached and a clash occurred between the Duke and the followers of the Queen. Shortly after, Duke Valdemar even entered into a league with King Eric II of Norway, then at war with Denmark. Apparently, in 1295 Valdemar suffered a defeat at a naval battle in the channel of GrønsundGrønsund
Grønsund is a strait in Denmark separating the island Falster from the islands Møn and Bogø. Grønsund's maximum depth is at approx. 20 metres and the width is between 1 - 4 km. Storstrømmen channel is situated to the west and Stege Bugt lies to the north between Zealand and Møn. A ferry crosses the...
. In 1297, a final settlement was concluded where Duke Valdemar among other things abandoned his claims to the disputed island of Als.
Minor disputes with King Eric VI continued during the following years. On a whole, however, the Duke was on friendly terms with the King from then on and supported him in his wars in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. In 1311 he participated in the magnificent tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
held by King Eric in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
.
Death
Duke Valdemar died in the spring of 1312. He was succeeded as Duke by his son Eric IIEric II, Duke of Schleswig
Eric II Valdemarsøn was Duke of Schleswig from 1312 until his death in 1325. He was the only son of Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig.-Early life:...
who had already been his father's coruler for several years. Valdemar was buried in the Schleswig Cathedral
Schleswig Cathedral
Schleswig Cathedral , officially the Cathedral of St. Peter at Schleswig , is the main church of Schleswig and was the cathedral of the Bishop of Schleswig until the diocese was dissolved in 1624...
.
Marriage and Issue
In 1287 Duke Valdemar married Elisabeth of Saxe-Lauenburg, a daughter of John I, Duke of SaxonyJohn I, Duke of Saxony
Duke John I of Saxony was the elder son of Duke Albert I of Saxony and his third wife Helen of Brunswick and Lunenburg, a daughter of Otto the Child...
. This marriage produced the only legitimate son of Duke Valdemar:
- Eric IIEric II, Duke of SchleswigEric II Valdemarsøn was Duke of Schleswig from 1312 until his death in 1325. He was the only son of Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig.-Early life:...
(c. 1290 - 1325), Duke of Schleswig 1312-1325
In 1306 he married Anastasia of Schwerin, a daughter of Nicholas V, Count of Schwerin.