Niels ( la, Nicolaus, English

exonym An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...

Nicholas; – 25 June 1134) was the

King of Denmark The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe ...

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 supported the

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

of Canute IV the Holy and supported his son

Magnus I of Sweden Magnus the Strong ( sv, Magnus Nilsson; da, Magnus Nielsen Bricka, Carl Frederik, ''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon'', vol. XI aar – Müllner 1897, pp.45Available online/ref>) (about 1106 – 4 June 1134 in the Battle of Fotevik) was a Danish duke who ...

after he killed his rival for the succession,

Knud 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 ...

. His secular rule was supported by the clergy. Niels was killed in an ensuing

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and succeeded by Eric II Emune.

Early life

Niels was born around 1063, married in 1105, and died in 1134.Stefan Pajung
Niels 1065–1134
,

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

, 22 January 2010 His parents were King Sweyn II Estridson and an unknown

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

. Four of Niels' brothers ascended the throne before him. He is first mentioned in history in 1086 when he was sent to

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

to take the place of his exiled brother, King Olaf I. Bricka, Carl Frederik, ''Dansk Biografisk Lexikon'', vol. XII ünch – Peirup 1898, pp. 199–201
Available online
/ref> When his brother Eric Evergood died in July 1103 during a pilgrimage, Niels, who was the last surviving brother, was elected king the following yearKongerækken
at The Danish Monarchy ahead of Evergood's chosen deputy

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 ...

.Niels, konge af Danmark
at Gyldendals Encyklopædi He married

Margaret Fredkulla Margaret Fredkulla (Swedish: ''Margareta Fredkulla''; Danish: ''Margrete Fredkulla''; Norwegian: ''Margret Fredskolla''; 1080s – 4 November 1130) was a Swedish princess who became successively queen of Norway and Denmark by marriage to kings Ma ...

, the daughter of

Inge I of Sweden Inge the Elder (Swedish: ''Inge Stenkilsson''; Old Norse: ''Ingi Steinkelsson''; died c. 1105–1110) was a king of Sweden. In English literature he has also been called ''Ingold''. While scant sources do not allow us to paint a full picture of hi ...

. She was believed to have wielded considerable influence during his reign.

Policies and patronage

During the majority of Niels' reign, the country had internal peace. The contemporary ''

Chronicon Roskildense ''Chronicon Roskildense'' (Danish: ''Roskildekrøniken'' English: ''Roskilde Chronicle'') is a small Danish historical work, written in Latin. It is one of the oldest known attempts to write a coherent account of Danish history by a Danish aut ...

'' describes him as mild and forthcoming, though not a competent ruler. He carried through reforms of his personal ''

hird The hird (also named "Håndgangne Menn" in Norwegian), in Scandinavian history, was originally an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls, but came to mean not only the nucleus ('Guards') of the royal army, but also d ...

'' retinue, separating it into a military and an administrative branch"Gads Historie Leksikon", 3rd edition, Copenhagen, 2006. Entry: ''Svend Estridsen-sønner'', Paul Ulff-Møller, p.637 responsible for tax collection. He placed family members as his '' jarls'', including his son-in-law Jarl Ubbe and his nephews Eric (Emune) and

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 ...

, who were the sons of Eric Evergood. Niels supported the

of his brother Canute IV the Holy by bestowing gifts on the clergy of

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

as he sought to enlarge the power and influence of the monarchy through the aid of the church. However, it is likely he did not win the full support of the

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

s on

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 ...

. He also campaigned against 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 ...

in alliance with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. In 1125, Niels' son Magnus was named

King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...

as Magnus I.Kings and Queens of Sweden — A thousand year succession
at

Monarchy of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument o ...

Civil war

His wife, Margaret, died in 1128 or 1129, and his son, Magnus, was forced from the Swedish throne in 1130. After 26 years of internal peace, conflict erupted between Magnus and his cousin Canute Lavard. Canute was popular in the

Duchy 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 ( ...

where he was ''jarl'' and was seen as a potential successor to Niels. On 7 January 1131, Magnus slew Canute near Haraldsted just north of

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 ...

. Niels initially condemned Magnus but eventually supported him, and a civil war ensued between Niels and the supporters of Canute's half-brother, Eric (Emune). Niels had his strongest base of support in

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

, and the church also supported him. He secured support from the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

by agreeing to subordinate the Danish

Archdiocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Chu ...

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

to the German

Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (german: Fürsterzbistum Bremen) — not to be confused with the modern Archdiocese of Hamburg, founded in 1994 — was an ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic ...

, which prompted

Archbishop Asser Asser (or Ascer) Thorkilsen ( 1089 – 5 May 1137), a son of Thorkil (Svend) Thrugotsen and his wife Inge, was the Bishop of Lund from 1089, and then the first Archbishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Danish Reformation the ...

Lund Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...

to support Eric. Eric made little progress in Denmark and moved on to the battle for Scania in 1134. Niels and Magnus landed at Fotevik Bay in Scania in June 1134 seeking to deal Eric a decisive defeat. At the

Battle of Fotevik Battle of Fotevik ( da, Slaget ved Fodevig) was fought between forces of King Niels of Denmark and his son Magnus Nilsson, against those of Erik Emune on 4 June 1134 at the bay of Fotevik in Skåne. At his death, King Eric I of Denmark had ...

on 4 June 1134, Niels and Magnus were taken by surprise by a contingent of German soldiers on horses.Krig og krigsteknologi i middelalderen
at "Museer i København – og omegn" Niels escaped, while Magnus was slain. Niels sought refuge with Holy Roman Emperor

Lothar III Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed List of rulers of Saxony, Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected List o ...

of Germany, but did not make it past the

city of Schleswig Schleswig (, , ; da, Slesvig; South Jutlandic: ''Sljasvig''; nds, Sleswig; archaic English: ''Sleswick'') is a town in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Districts of Germany, Kreis'' (district) Sch ...

. Niels ventured into the former city of Canute Lavard on 25 June 1134, despite warnings. "Should I fear tanners and shoemakers?," he supposedly remarked. He was greeted by the clergy, but he and his vanguard were slain before they could reach the royal palace as the townspeople turned against him. The almost sixty-year reign of Sweyn II Estridson's sons ended when Niels fell and Eric II Emune became king.

Issue

Niels married

, daughter of king

. After Margaret's death in either 1128 or 1129, he married

Ulvhild Håkansdotter Ulvhild Håkansdotter (Swedish: ''Ulfhild'', English: ''Wulfhild, Wolfhild''), (c. 1095–c. 1148), was twice Queen of Sweden (c. 1117–25 and c. 1134–48) and once Queen of Denmark (c. 1130–34) through her successive marriages to Inge II of ...

, who had been married to

Inge II of Sweden Inge the Younger was King of Sweden in c. 1110–c. 1125 and probably the youngest son of king Halsten.The article ''Inge d.y.'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1992).The article Inge, section 2. I. den yngre' in '' Nordisk familjebok'' (1910). Accord ...

and later married

Sverker I of Sweden Sverker I or Sverker the Elder (Old Swedish: ''Swærkir konongær gambli''), murdered 25 December 1156, was King of Sweden from about 1132 till his death. Of non-royal descent, he founded the House of Sverker, the rulers of which alternated with ...

. Niels had two children with Margaret, and one child out of wedlock. # Inge Nielsen, who died as a child. #

# Ingerd of Denmark was born out of wedlock, and eventually went on to marry Jarl Ubbe Esbernsen, a descendant of

Canute the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niels, King Of Denmark 1060s births 1134 deaths 12th-century murdered monarchs Danish Roman Catholics House of Estridsen Illegitimate children of Sweyn II 12th-century kings of Denmark