Knud Lavard

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Knud Lavard (medieval painting in the church of Vigersted near Ringsted on Zealand in Denmark)
Knud Lavard's Chapel in Haraldsted in Ringsted Municipality

Knud Lavard , also Knut Laward (* March 12, 1096 in Denmark , † January 7, 1131 in Ringsted , Denmark), was Jarl from 1114 to 1130 and perhaps also the first duke in the later Duchy of Schleswig and the last velvet ruler from 1129 until his death of the West Slavic tribal association of the Abodrites .

Origin and youth

Knud - son of King Erik I. Ejegod and his wife Bodil Thrugotsdatter - was the out of the sex of the Rurik originating Ingeborg of Kiev married. The marriage resulted in the daughters Kristin, Katharina (married to Prislav ) and Margarethe as well as the posthumously born son Waldemar I.

After the death of his father on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1103, Knud was first brought up by the Zeeland great Skjalm Hvide. He then grew up with his cousin Magnus at the court of his uncle Niels , who became king in 1104. Probably out of fear of an attack by his uncle, he escaped when he was still a boy and ended up at the court of the Saxon Duke Lothar von Supplinburg . After coming of age in 1112 or 1113, he returned to Denmark, where he took part in the disputes between his uncle Niels and the Abodritic velvet ruler Heinrich von Alt-Lübeck about his inheritance after his mother Sigrid. During an attack on Wagrien he was seriously wounded in August 1113 in a battle near Lütjenburg .

Jarl of Schleswig

After the defeat at Lütjenburg, Knud had his inheritance handed over to him and received the office of jarl in Schleswig from the king in early 1114 at the latest . In this position he tried to pacify the border area to Wagrien, from which the Abodritic velvet ruler Heinrich repeatedly launched attacks in order to substantiate his claim to the inheritance after his mother. In 1114 Knud dealt a severe blow to Heinrich by destroying one of his castles. As a result, there were apparently negotiations that at least led to Heinrich's recognition of Knud's claim to power in South Jutland . Whether Knud, on the other hand, can actually be addressed as a duke , as later sources report , is uncertain and rather improbable. He was probably only responsible for the territory between the Eider and Danewerk and not for all of Schleswig. In any case, the Jarl's territory legally remained part of the Danish kingdom and was open to the Danish king. Saxo Grammaticus reports that Knud received the dignity of the Jarls as compensation for renouncing his traditional claim to the throne.

Knud promoted the trade and became the elder of the Knudsgilde named after him in his residence town Schleswig , where he had his seat on the Juriansburg. This made him a serious contender for the Danish royal throne. There are also indications that Knud increasingly tried to make himself independent of the Danish crown in his territory. He came into competition with his cousin Magnus, who intended to inherit his father, King Niels. At a meeting of the rivals in the forest of Haraldsted near Ringsted on Zealand, Knud was murdered on January 7, 1131. He is buried in St. Bendts Church in Ringsted. His half-brother Erich II Emune then took up the fight against Magnus . King Niels also died in the course of the conflict in 1134 when he came to the city of Schleswig while fleeing from Erich's supporters and was slain there in revenge by the brothers of the Knudsgilde.

Velvet ruler of the Abodrites

In 1129 Knud succeeded the Abodritic velvet ruler Heinrich von Alt-Lübeck by working with his foster father Lothar III. against payment of a large sum of money achieved the enfeoffment with the land of the Abodrites. Lothar III. conferred on him the abodritic velvet rule ("regnum obotritorum") and placed a crown on him as a sign of his dignity. Knud Lavard immediately ordered the construction of the Siegesburg . He was able to consolidate his rule militarily and was finally recognized by Abodrites , Wagriern and probably by the Polabians .

Memorial plaque to Knud Lavard at Knud-Laward-Strasse in Flensburg

Aftermath

Knud's son Waldemar I was able to assert himself as the sole ruling king in 1157 after civil war-like disputes. In order to justify his claim to the throne, he encouraged the worship of his father, to whom various miracles were attributed. Knud Lavard was venerated as a patron and protector of the church and canonized in 1169. As the patron saint of the mighty Knudsgilde , which was now represented as the protective brotherhood of merchants in many Scandinavian cities, the veneration of the saint became widespread. From the 14th century, however, Knud was increasingly forgotten and was partly ousted by his uncle Knud the saint of the same name .

There are still Knuds guilds, but more in the form of rifle brotherhoods. Streets are named after Knud Lavard in several cities, including Flensburg , Randers , Schleswig and Ystad . The Knud Lavards Kapel stands in Ringsted and has been a memorial since 1902. The Sankt Knud Lavard Kirke is in Kongens Lyngby . In Copenhagen there is the Knud Lavard Gade.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Knud Lavard  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ^ Horst Windmann: Schleswig as territory . Wachholtz, Neumünster 1954, family table section I (1050–1200).
  2. ↑ Hans-Otto Gaethke: Battles and rule of Heinrich of (old) Lübeck and Lothar of Supplingenburg in Slavic land 1093 / 1106-1125. - In: Zeitschrift des Verein für Lübeckische Geschichte und Altertumskunde Vol. 80 (2000) pp. 63–163, here p. 103.
  3. ↑ Hans-Otto Gaethke: Battles and rule of Heinrich of (old) Lübeck and Lothar of Supplingenburg in Slavic land 1093 / 1106-1125. - In: Zeitschrift des Verein für Lübeckische Geschichte und Altertumskunde Vol. 80 (2000) pp. 63–163, here p. 103.
  4. ^ Horst Windmann: Schleswig as territory . Wachholtz, Neumünster 1954, p. 26.
personal data
SURNAME Knud Lavard
SHORT DESCRIPTION first Duke of Schleswig
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1096
PLACE OF BIRTH Denmark
DATE OF DEATH January 7, 1131
Place of death Ringsted , Denmark