Svend Aggesen (or "Sven"; also known as ''Aggessøn'', ''Aggesøn'' or ''Aagesen'', in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''Sveno Aggonis''; born around 1140 to 1150, death unknown) is the author of ''
Brevis historia regum Dacie'', one of the first attempts to write a coherent history of Denmark covering the period 300AD-1185AD. Only the ''
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 ...
'' may precede Aggesen's efforts.
Family
Sven Aggesen was born into a
magnate family which had several well-known members.
The earliest known family member that we know of with some certainty is Sven's great-grandfather, Thrugot, who was married to Thorgunna, daughter of Vagn Aggesøn, a grandson of the legendary
Palne Toke. Thrugot and Thorgunna had two sons, Sven and Vagn.
Sven Thrugotsøn (or Thorgunnasøn) had four sons. One, probably the eldest,
Asser
Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join the circle of learned men whom Alfred was recruiting for his ...
, was the first
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.
Catho ...
(1104–1137) and also the first Archbishop of
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
. Another, probably the youngest, Sven, was a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
in Lund, later in
Viborg and even later (1132),
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
in Viborg. The third, Eskil, according to Eric Christiansen
Eskil, and the last Christiern Svensøn, is Svend Aagesen’s grandfather.
Christiern Svensøn and his son Agge, who was Svend Aggesen’s father, fought during the civil war following
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 ...
’s murder, on King
Erik II Emune's side and Svend writes in ''Historia brevis regum Dacie,'' about their participating in these battles.
Life and education
It is likely that Sven was educated at a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
in Denmark, but given the knowledge of
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
that he portrays through his writings, there is little doubt he received a more comprehensive education elsewhere, probably in one of the big Church-schools in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Notable in the preface of ''Historia brevis regum Dacie,'' he mentions that reading the works of Latin historians was something that took up much of his time. On that note he writes, with sadness, that similar works did not exist for Danish kings, notable persons and events.
Like his forefathers, he joined King
Valdemar I’s
housecarl
A housecarl ( on, húskarl; oe, huscarl) was a non- servile manservant or household bodyguard in medieval Northern Europe.
The institution originated amongst the Norsemen of Scandinavia, and was brought to Anglo-Saxon England by the Danish con ...
s, known as ''
Thinglid'' – who, it is said, had originated with King
Canute the Great's corps. As a ''Thinglid'', he was with King Valdemar I and later with 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 ...
during their numerous war expeditions, of which he mentions a few personal details in ''Historia brevis regum Dacie.''
Because of his comment about
Valdemar I’s Queen, Sophia, it seems that he might have been close to the King's court. Whether that was because of personal status or because of his forefathers' status, is unknown.
Writing
His service with the King does not seem to have diminished his desire to write.
''Witherlogh (Lex Castrensis)''
The first work we know he wrote is a retelling of ''
Witherlogh'' (known today in
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
as ''Lejrloven'' or ''Krigerloven'' or in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as ''Lejrlaw'' or ''Warriorlaw''). It is also called ''
Lex Castrensis
Lex or LEX may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lex'', a daily featured column in the ''Financial Times''
Games
* Lex, the mascot of the word-forming puzzle video game ''Bookworm''
* Lex, the protagonist of the word-forming puzzle video ga ...
'', which is an old punishment and compensation law mostly applied to soldiers in the King's service.
This work was probably written in 1181–1182, and we read in the preface of this little work that Aggesen was already considering much bigger projects, because he mentioned his desire to write a list of the
Kings of Denmark
This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the kings and queens regnant of Denmark. This includes:
* The Kingdom of Denmark (up to 1397)
** Personal union of Denmark and Norway (1380–1397)
* The Kalmar Union (1397–1536)
** Union of Denmark ...
. It is thought that he did do this work, a necessary work in writing the history of Denmark, because a 13th-century writer used this list, called ''Genealogia Regum Daniae''. Today the original list exists only as fragments.
''Brevis Historia Regum Dacie''
However his most famous work is ''Brevis Historia Regum Dacie'', entitled ''Compendiosa regum Daniæ historia'' in one manuscript, thought to have been finished in 1186 or 1187 (the last event is described in 1185), a work covering Danish history beginning with the legendary
King Skjold
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...
from around 300 to 1185.
[Inge Skovgaard-Petersen, in Knut Helle, ed. ''The Cambridge History of Scandinavia'', vol. I p. 355.]
Relationship between Svend Aagesen and Saxo Grammaticus
Whether Svend knew
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark ...
by more than name, is an often discussed subject. Some comments in ''Brevis Historia Regum Daniae'' can be interpreted to support this view. Some researchers go as far as to say that they might have gone to school in France together, they both served various Kings of Denmark simultaneously, went on those Kings' many war expeditions and, as such, some of their writings are firsthand accounts. That is likely to be the case for Sven, but there is very little evidence to back this connection up for Saxo. There exists no direct evidence that they knew each other than by name.
Notes
References
* Paul Læssøe Muller, ''Sven Aggesøn: Kortfattet historie om Danmarks Konger''. Copenhagen: Det Berlingske Bogtrykkeri, 1944.
* M.CL. Gertz, ''Sven Aggesøns Historiske Skrifter''. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1967 (Re-print).
* M.CL. Gertz, ''Scriptores Minores Historiæ Danice''. G.E.C. Gad> Kristiana, 1917–1918.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aagesen, Svend
12th-century Danish historians
12th-century births
Year of death unknown
12th-century Latin writers