Valdemar IV Eriksøn (born c. 1262, died 1312) was

Duke of Schleswig The following is a list of earl, jarls and dukes, who ruled over Schleswig respectively Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland). First jarls/dukes House of Estridsen (1080–1375) House of Schauenburg (1325-1459) Under domain of Oldenburg In ...

from 1283 until his death in 1312. He was the eldest son of Duke Eric I of Schleswig and

Margaret of Rugia Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Old Iranian. It has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular throughout the Middle Ages. It became le ...

Early life

At the death of his father

Duke Eric I Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

in 1272, Valdemar was only about 10 years old. For the following ten years, King

Eric V of Denmark Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, ...

, feudal overlord over 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 ...

, refused to install Valdemar in his father's duchy. Only in 1283, at a meeting of the

Danehof Danehof ("Danish Court") was the name of the Danish medieval parliament which played a certain role between c. 1250 and 1413. The precondition of the Danehof – like that of the Håndfæstning - was the growing power and opposition among Danis ...

in the city of

Vordingborg Vordingborg () is a market town and old ferry town on the south coast of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Because of three large estates surrounding the town, a coherent urban development has not been possible, which is the reason why three sat ...

, did the Danish magnates force King Eric to install Valdemar as duke. In 1284 he granted city rights to the city of

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

Duke of Schleswig and conflict with the King

However, Valdemar was not content and also claimed the island of

Als Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

, as well as the

Crown lands Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

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 di ...

. When in 1284 a judgment of the Danehof ruled against the claims of Duke Valdemar, he occupied the island of Als by force. However, the military campaign proved disadvantageous for the duke, and as he intended to travel north to gain support in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, he was captured by King Eric and confined at

Søborg Castle Søborg Castle (, ) is a ruined castle south of Gilleleje in North Zealand, Denmark. It was one of the strongest castles in Denmark and was also used as a prison. It was inhabited until the Count's Feud in 1535, when it is speculated that it was ...

in 1285. He was released the following year on condition that he abandoned almost all of his claims.

Murder of King Eric

Just half a year later, in November 1286, King Eric was assassinated, and Duke Valdemar naturally fell under suspicion. The

Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...

Agnes of Brandenburg Agnes of Brandenburg (c. 1257 – 29 September 1304) was the Queen consort of Denmark and Duchy of Estonia (1219–1346), Duchess Regnant of Estonia by marriage to King Eric V of Denmark. As a widow, she served as the regent of Denmark for her s ...

, apparently shared the suspicion, but feared open aggression with the Duke. Instead, his support was achieved by accepting his claims and appointing him regent of the kingdom during the minority of King Eric's under age son and successor, Eric VI.

Renewed conflict with the King

Already in 1289, the confidence between Duke Valdemar and Dowager Queen Agnes was breached and a clash occurred between the Duke and the followers of the Queen. Shortly after, Duke Valdemar even entered into a league with King

Eric II of Norway Eric Magnusson (1268 – 15 July 1299) (Old Norse: ''Eiríkr Magnússon''; Norwegian: ''Eirik Magnusson'') was the King of Norway from 1280 until 1299. Background Eirik was the eldest surviving son of King Magnus the Lawmender of Norway, and h ...

, then at war with Denmark. Apparently, in 1295 Valdemar suffered a defeat at a naval battle in the channel of

Grønsund Grønsund is a strait in Denmark separating the island Falster from the smaller islands of Møn and Bogø. Grønsund Færgegård, Grønsund is also the name of a locality on the northeast coast of Falster from where the ferries to Møn used to ...

. In 1297, a final settlement was concluded where Duke Valdemar among other things abandoned his claims to the disputed island of Als. Minor disputes with King Eric VI continued during the following years. On a whole, however, the Duke was hence on friendly terms with the King and supported him in his wars in

and 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 ...

. In 1311 he participated in the magnificent

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

held by King Eric in

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

Death

Duke Valdemar died in the spring of 1312. He was succeeded as Duke by his son Eric II who had already been his father's coruler for several years. Valdemar was buried in the

Schleswig Cathedral Schleswig Cathedral (, ) officially the Cathedral of St. Peter at Schleswig (), is the main church of the city of Schleswig and was the cathedral of the Bishop of Schleswig until the diocese was dissolved in 1624. It is now a church of the Nor ...

Marriage and issue

In 1287 Duke Valdemar married Elisabeth of Saxe-Lauenburg, a daughter of

John I, Duke of Saxony John I (1249 – 30 July 1285) ruled as duke of Saxony from 1260 until 1282. John was the elder son of Duke Albert I of Saxony and his third wife Helen, a daughter of Otto the Child. John and his younger brother Albert II jointly ruled th ...

. This marriage produced the only legitimate son of Duke Valdemar: * Eric II (c. 1290 – 1325),

1312–1325 In 1306 he married Anastasia of Schwerin, a daughter of

Niklot I, Count of Schwerin Niklot I, Count of Schwerin (1250–1323) was the ruling Count of Schwerin-Wittenburg from 1299 until his death. He was a son of Count Gunzelin III of Schwerin and his wife, Margaret of Mecklenburg. Niklot married twice: * Elisabeth, the da ...

Ancestry

References

Biography
in ''

Dansk Biografisk Leksikon ''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon'' (usually abbreviated DBL; title of first edition written ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon'') is a Danish biographical dictionary that has been published in three editions. The first edition, ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon, til ...

'' 1. ed. {{DEFAULTSORT:Valdemar 04 Of Schleswig Dukes of Schleswig House of Estridsen 1312 deaths 1260s births