Niels ( – 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 Is ...

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 Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

of Canute IV the Holy and supported his son

Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...

after he killed his rival for the succession,

Knud Lavard Saint Knud, also known as 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 ...

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

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

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 (, abbreviated AU) is a public research university. Its main campus is located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Group, the Guild, and Ut ...

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

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

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

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-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, la ...

to take the place of his exiled brother, King Olaf I.

Bricka, Carl Frederik Carl Frederik Bricka (10 July 1845 – 23 August 1903) was a Danish archivist, historian and biographer. Biography Carl Bricka was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father, Frederik Vilhelm Theodor Bricka (1809–79), was a medical doctor. He ...

, ''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 (lit. ''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 Den ...

.Niels, konge af Danmark
at Gyldendals Encyklopædi He married

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

, the daughter of

Inge I of Sweden Inge the Elder (Swedish language, 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 a full pictur ...

. 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 ( Danish: 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 author, spanning from the introduction of Chr ...

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

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

'' 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 Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. The institution evolved over time and varied by region. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", specifically one appointed to rule a territory in a king's stea ...

'', including his son-in-law Jarl Ubbe and his nephews Eric (Emune) and

Canute Lavard Saint Knud, also known as 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 ...

, 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 (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

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 term magnate, 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 ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

. He also campaigned against the

Wends Wends is a historical name for Slavs who inhabited present-day northeast Germany. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people, tribes or groups depending on where and when it was used. In the modern day, communities identifying ...

in alliance with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. According to

Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (), 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. He is the author ...

, Niels' son Magnus was elected King of

Geats The Geats ( ; ; ; ), sometimes called ''Geats#Goths, Goths'', were a large North Germanic peoples, North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the Late Middle Ages. They are one of ...

in 1220s.

Civil war

His wife, Margaret, died in 1128 or 1129, and his son, Magnus, was forced from the Swedish throne in 1130.Kings and Queens of Sweden — A thousand year succession
at

Monarchy of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is centred on the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the #IOG, Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. by law a constitutional monarchy, constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parl ...

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 (; ; ; ; ; ) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km (45 mi) south of the current border between Germany and Denmark. The territory has been div ...

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 from Copenhagen. History Ringsted was the site of ''Sjællands Landsting'' (lit. ''Z ...

. 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 (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

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

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

by agreeing to subordinate the Danish

Archdiocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund () 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 Church of Sweden. Th ...

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

to the German

Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen () was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church that after its definitive secularization in 1648 became the hereditary Bremen-Verden, Duchy of ...

, 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 Reformation in Denmark, ...

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

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 () was fought between forces of King Niels of Denmark and his son Magnus Nielsen, 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 two known sons who w ...

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 ( June 1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 be ...

of Germany, but did not make it past the

city of Schleswig Schleswig (, , ; ; South Jutlandic: ''Sljasvig''; ) is a town in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Districts of Germany, Kreis'' (district) Schleswig-Flensburg. It has a population of about 27,000, t ...

. 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 (; ) was twice Queen of Sweden (–25 and –48) and once Queen of Denmark (–34) through her successive marriages to Inge II of Sweden, Niels of Denmark, and Sverker I of Sweden. Ulvhild had an important role in the Nord ...

, who had been married to Inge II of Sweden and later married

Sverker I of Sweden Sverker the Elder (Old Swedish: ''Swærkir konongær gambli''; c. 1100 - 25 December 1156), also known as Sverker I, was King of Sweden from about 1132 until his murder. Of non-royal descent, he founded the House of Sverker, the rulers of which ...

. Niels had two children with Margaret, and one child out of wedlock. # Inge Nielsen, who died as a child. # Magnus Nielsen # Ingerid of Denmark was born out of wedlock, and eventually went on to marry Jarl Ubbe Esbernsen, a descendant of

Canute the Great Cnut ( ; ; – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rul ...

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 Sons of kings