04-10-27-a2-copie 2 copie Fjenneslev (Sorø)

Asser Rig – a.k.a. ''Asser Rig Skjalmsen Hvide'' – (c. 1078–1151) was a jarl and

chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categori ...

from

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, a son of

Skjalm Hvide Skjalm Hvide (before 1045 – c. 1113), was the Earl of Zealand in Denmark in the end of the Viking Age (793–1066) and up to his death. Skjalm's father was Toke Trylle, whose father was ''Slag'' (or ''Slau'', or he may have been called by bo ...

(before 1045 – c. 1113) and ''Signe Asbjørnsdatter'' (c. 1050 – c. 1096). Asser's siblings were (children of Skjalm and Signe) ''Margrethe Skjalmsdatter Hvide (1073–1162); Cecilie Skjalmsdatter Hvide (c. 1084 – 1161); Toke Skjalmsen Hvide (1085–1145); Sune Skjalmsen Hvide (c. 1086 – c. 1140) ; and Ebbe Skjalmsen Hvide af Knardrup (c. 1090 – 1151).''Hvideslægten ''("Hvide family")'', Ebbe Skjalmsen
by Roskildes Historie, roskildehistorie.dk. Asser married

Inger Eriksdotter Inger Eriksdotter (ca. 1100–1157) was the wife of Asser Rig, tribal chief of Zealand (Sjælland) in today's Denmark. Inger's father is said to have been Earl Eric. Her mother was Princess Cecilia Knutsdatter (daughter of Canute IV of Denmark ...

(c. 1100–1157), the daughter of Eric, the Jarl of Falster, and

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

Cecilia Knutsdatter, a daughter of King

Canute IV of Denmark Canute IV ( – 10 July 1086), later known as Canute the Holy ( da, Knud IV den Hellige) or Saint Canute (''Sankt Knud''), was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought to strengthen the Danish monarchy ...

(c. 1042 – 10 July 1086), the first Danish king (1080–1086) to be

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...

, recognized by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Patron Saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

in 1101. Asser and

Inger Inger may refer to: People * Inger (given name), a list of people * Inger, the main character of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale ''The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf'' * Robert F. Inger (1920–2019), American herpetologist * Stella Inger, America ...

settled to live in Fjenneslev,

, where they erected the Fjenneslev Church (''Fjenneslev Kirke'') in

Sorø Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark. The population is 7,999 (2022).

. They gave birth to

Absalon Absalon (21 March 1201) was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Danish Reformation the centre of a gr ...

(c. 1128–1201), who became a powerful warrior leader and main advisor to Danish kings, and also

Bishop of Roskilde The former Diocese of Roskilde () was a diocese within the Roman-Catholic Church which was established in Denmark some time before 1022. The diocese was dissolved with the Reformation of Denmark and replaced by the Protestant Diocese of Zealand ...

and later

Archbishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Danish Reformation the centre of a great Latin (arch)bishopric, Lund has been in Sweden since the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The Diocese of Lund is now one of thirteen in the Church of Sweden. Cathol ...

. The other two children of Asser and Inger were

Esbern Snare Esbern Snare, also known as Esbern the Resolute, (1127–1204) was a '' høvding'', or chieftain, royal chancellor and crusader. His family were members of the powerful Hvide clan. In 1192, during the Crusades and after the fall of Jerusalem, he ...

(c. 1127–1204) and ''Ingefred Assersdatter'' (c. 1130-1160). A period of warfare and Danish expansion was led by Archbishop

and the Kings Valdemar I and

Valdemar II Valdemar (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious (), was the King of Denmark (being Valdemar II) from 1202 until his death in 1241. Background He was the second son of King Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophi ...

. In this era, the Danes were also being threatened by the

Wends Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various peopl ...

who were making raids across the Danish border and by sea. Among other things,

was responsible for Valdemar I winning the over 10 years long Danish civil war. After Valdemar I, Absalon helped his successor, King

Canute VI Canute VI (; c. 1163 – 12 November 1202) was King of Denmark (1182–1202). Contemporary sources describe Canute as an earnest, strongly religious man. Background Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk. H ...

. Later,

led a Danish expedition across the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...

River to invade

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

References

Sources

* *{{citation , last = Westergaard , first = Waldemar , jstor = 1872564 , title = Danish History and Danish Historians , journal = The Journal of Modern History , volume = 24 , number = 2 , date = June 1952 , pages = 167–180 , doi=10.1086/237500 12th-century Danish people Tribal chiefs 11th-century Danish people 11th-century landowners