Eric I Abelsøn ( da, Erik 1. Abelsøn af Danmark) (died 27 May 1272) was a Danish nobleman. He was the ruling

Duke of Schleswig The following is a list of jarls and dukes, who ruled over Schleswig respectively Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland). First jarls/dukes Houses of Estridsen and Schauenburg (1080–1460) House of Oldenburg In 1864, following the Second Sch ...

from 1260 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of King Abel of Denmark, Duke of Schleswig and

Mechtild of Holstein Matilda of Holstein or Mechthild (1220 or 1225 – 1288 in Kiel) was a Danish queen consort, married to King Abel of Denmark and later to Birger Jarl, Regent of Sweden. Life Matilda was the daughter of Adolf IV, Count of Holstein, and Hei ...

Early life

After the death of his elder brother Duke Valdemar III in 1257, Eric inherited the claim to the Duchy of Schleswig. However, his uncle and potential feudal overlord King Christopher I of Denmark refused to install him as duke. Subsequently, Eric participated in the coalition of Bishop Peder Bang of Roskilde and Prince Jaromar II of Rugia against King Christopher. He took part in the military campaign of 1259 which resulted in the conquest of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Duke of Schleswig

After the death of Christopher in 1259, he was created Duke of Schleswig by the new king Eric V in 1260. Already the following year, fighting with the king broke out anew. The Queen Dowager,

Margaret Sambiria Margaret Sambiria (in Danish: ''Margrethe Sambiria'', ''Sambirsdatter'' or ''Margrethe Sprænghest''; c. 1230 – December 1282) was Queen of Denmark by marriage to King Christopher I, and regent during the minority of her son, King Eric V fro ...

, acting as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

for her under age son, feared aggression from the Duke. However, Duke Eric was able to defeat the royal army at the Battle of Lohede and capture the young King Eric and his mother. As a result, he was able to obtain huge advantages for his duchy at the subsequent treaty in 1264. In 1268, he acquired

Gottorp Castle Gottorf Castle (german: Schloss Gottorf, da, Gottorp Slot, Low German: ''Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and ...

from Bishop Bonde of

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 ...

, who then moved his residence to Schwabstedt. Duke Eric died 27 May 1272.

Marriage and issue

Eric married Margaret of Rugia, a daughter of Jaromar II, Prince of Rugia in 1259 or 1260. They had the following children: * Margaret (died after 1313), married

Helmold III, Count of Schwerin Helmhold III, Count of Schwerin (died 1295) was a German nobleman. He was a son of Count Gunzelin III of Schwerin-Boizenburg and Margaret of Mecklenburg. Helmhold III was the ruling Count of Schwerin-Neustadt and Marnitz from 1274 until his deat ...

Valdemar IV, Duke of Schleswig Valdemar IV Eriksøn (born c. 1262, died 1312) was Duke of Schleswig from 1283 until his death in 1312. He was the eldest son of Duke Eric I of Schleswig and Margaret of Rugia. Early life At the death of his father Duke Eric I in 1272, Valdemar ...

(app. 1265–1312) * Eric (Longbone), from 1295 Lord of

Langeland Langeland (, ) is a Danish island located between the Great Belt and Bay of Kiel. The island measures 285 km2 (c. 110 square miles) and, as of 1 January 2018, has a population of 12,446.

(1272–1310), married Sophia Burghardsdatter (died 1325), daughter of Queen dowager Jutta of Denmark and Count Burchard VIII of

Querfurt Querfurt () is a town in the Saalekreis district, or ''Kreis'', in southern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located in a fertile area on the Querne, west from Merseburg. In 2020, the town had a population of 10,454. The town Querfurt consists of ...

Rosenburg Rosenburg is a castle in the municipality Rosenburg-Mold, Lower Austria, Austria. Rosenburg is on a cliff above the valley of the River Kamp at an elevation of above sea level. It is one of Austria's most visited Renaissance castles. It is si ...

Burgrave Burgrave, also rendered as burggrave (from german: Burggraf, la, burgravius, burggravius, burcgravius, burgicomes, also praefectus), was since the medieval period in Europe (mainly Germany) the official title for the ruler of a castle, especia ...

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

Ancestry

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eric 01, Duke of Schleswig Eric 01 1242 births 1272 deaths Eric 01 Sons of kings