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Battle of Fotevik ( da, Slaget ved Fodevig) was fought between forces of King
Battle of Fotevik ( da, Slaget ved Fodevig) was fought between forces of King Niels of Denmark
Niels ( la, Nicolaus, English exonym Nicholas; – 25 June 1134) was the King of Denmark from 1104 to 1134. Niels succeeded his brother Eric Evergood and is presumed to have been the youngest son of King Sweyn II Estridson. King Niels actively ...
and his son Magnus Nilsson, against those of Erik Emune on 4 June 1134 at the bay of Fotevik in Skåne
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...
.
At his death, King Eric I of Denmark
Eric I ( – 10 July 1103), also known as Eric the Good ( da, Erik Ejegod), was King of Denmark following his brother Olaf I of Denmark, Olaf I Hunger in 1095. He was a son of Sweyn II of Denmark, Sweyn II. His mother's identity is unknown. He ...
had two known sons who were candidates for succession to the throne, Canute Lavard
Canute Lavard ( Danish: Knud Lavard; cognate with English Lord) (12 March 1096 – 7 January 1131) was a Danish prince. Later he was the first Duke of Schleswig and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a German vassal, a position ...
and Erik Emune. Canute, as Eric's only legitimate son, had a particularly strong claim. When King Eric's younger brother Niels was selected instead, becoming King Niels, Canute was forced to flee. In January 1131 he was trapped in a forest near Ringsted
Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name.
Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen.
Tourism and transport
Ringsted is one of Denmark's busiest ...
in 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 ...
, and killed. Some sources consider it to have been a murder committed by Magnus Nilsson, while some attribute it to King Niels himself. The new king and his son soon found themselves in a civil war against Lavard's half-brother Eric Emune. The death of Canute Lavard had provoked a civil war that would last intermittently until 1157.
At the Battle of Fotevik, the forces of King Niels were taken by surprise by a contingent of German soldiers on horses. Cavalry attack on a large scale had previously only rarely been used in Scandinavia. Magnus Nilsson was slain, together with the six (possibly five) bishops and a large number of the priests accompanying the invading army.
After the battle, King Niels fled with the remnants of his fleet to Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...
. During his flight Niels reckoned his nephew Harald Kesja Harald Kesja, ''Harald the Spear'',A ''kesja'' is in fact an unidentified weapon, probably a polearm which may have included some kind of hook in addition to the spear blade. See ''Viking halberd''. (1080–1135) was the son of Eric I of Denmark and ...
as his co-king in Denmark. Niels was murdered in Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...
on 25 June 1134 by the city's burghers.
The battle was a decisive victory for Eric, who became the next King of Denmark as Eric II.References