Procrastination Device

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/06/eric-memorable.html

Born c. 1090 to King Eric I and an unknown woman (Eric had a wife, but like his father consorted Wirth other women), he rebelled against his uncle, King Niels, because Niels was considered neglectful as a king, leaving much of the administration to his queen, Margaret Fredkulla. Finally winning against Niels, Eric was made king on 25 June 1134.

Initially losing several battles against his predecessor, he had been name "Harefoot"; it meant "barefoot" and was a derogatory nickname linked to retreating from battle. Once he was elected king, "Harefoot" was replaced with "the Memorable" because of the extremely decisive victory against Niels in the last battle, the Battle of Fotevik, when German mercenaries on horseback took Niels' army by surprise. Denmark had never seen such a large-scale cavalry force.

Eric set about consolidating his power, giving titles and positions to his supporters. His half-brother, Canute Lavard (Eric I's legitimate son) had died in battle, and Eric set about to get him canonized. It is said he wanted to establish in Denmark the notion of the "divine right of kings" and felt making his brother a saint would help link religious loyalty to political loyalty. Canute was canonized in 1170 by Pope Alexander III.

Eric was ruthless to his enemies. He decided to conduct his own Crusade against a non-Christian people living on a Baltic island. He had his men dig a canal near their city that filled with water, draining the aquifer that the city relied on and forcing them to surrender or die from lack of water. He attacked Norway; unsuccessfully, but in the process he burned down Oslo.

His death comes to us in a story by a 16th-century historian, Arild Huitfeldt. At a landsting (meeting of the danish parliament) in 1137, he was approached by Sorte Plov, a local nobleman carrying a spear that had a block of wood stuck on the top to render it harmless. When Sorte Plov got close enough to see that Eric was not wearing armor or chainmail under his clothes, Sorte knock the block of wood off and thrust the spear through the king.

Eric's nephew Erik Håkonssøn was present, and drew his sword to deal with Sorte, but Sorte, knowing that Erik was next in the line of succession, pointed out that "A juicy piece of meat hath fallen in thy bowl!" Erik Håkonssøn was crowned Eric III of Denmark (Sorte escaped). (Eric did have an illegitimate son, Sweyn, who after Erik would become King Sweyn III of Denmark, sharing the reign with two other members of that generation of Sweyn II's descendants.)

I am shocked, I say, shocked to discover that I've never told you about Pope Alexander III, even though he has been mentioned several times in this blog. Let me introduce you tomorrow to the man.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/06/eric-memorable.html

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-children-of-sweyn-part-2.html

The famines were attributed to the unjust murder of Canute, a very saintly man, and helped contribute to his eventual canonization. The contrast between Olaf and his predecessor was noted by the people.

Canute had given Olaf trouble previously. When Canute prepared a fleet to attack England, Olaf was at the assembly point while Canute was delayed. Olaf became the unofficial leader of the waiting Danish fleet, and Canute felt Olaf was taking on too much authority. Olaf in turn was concerned about Canute's son becoming Canute's successor, when Olaf wanted his own chance to be king.

Canute had Olaf arrested by their brother Eric and exiled to Flanders. When news came that Canute had been killed, Olaf was proclaimed king at a council meeting in Denmark, and Olaf was brought back.

When the land was suffering, some religious beliefs held that a sacrifice was needed to turn the tides of their god's favor. Olaf died on 18 August 1095, we do not know how. Saxo Grammaticus (writing decades after the event) reports that Olaf "willingly gave himself to lose the land of its bad luck and begged that all of it (guilt) would fall upon his head alone. So offered he his life for his countrymen." He was a human sacrifice to help Denmark, so Grammaticus believed.

Eric, the brother who was given the responsibility by Canute to get rid of Olaf, became the next king of Denmark. Eric I of Denmark (c.1056 - 1103) was called Eric the Good, or the Evergood. The famines that were such a part of Olaf's reign were over during Eric's.

Saxo Grammaticus records that he was a powerful man who could hold his ground while four men tried to move him, and he was well-liked and a good speaker. He was a man of the people, mixing among them and greeting everyone. He avoided clashing with his nobles, but was ruthless to pirates and robbers.

He managed to get Canute canonized while on a visit to Rome, and achieved his father Sweyn's dream of an archbishopric for Denmark. He traveled to Constantinople where he became ill; he died on Cyprus in July 1103, where he was buried. The illustration is of a memorial stone for Eric in Viborg, Denmark.

Fortunately for Denmark, there were still plenty of Sweyn's illegitimate sons left who could be king, and the crown passed to Niels, who reigned for 30 years. He will be tomorrow's story.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-children-of-sweyn-part-2.html

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/06/sweyns-reign-and-religion.html

The war with Norway had been devastating economically for Denmark, and recovery was slow. Sweyn's reputation for kindness and generosity went a long way toward keeping the loyalty of his people during difficult times, however. He also created close ties to the Church, reaching out to popes for support and friendship. He tried to get his great-grandfather, the first Christian King of Denmark Harold Bluetooth, canonized as a saint.

He divided Denmark into eight dioceses with papal support, and brought Anglo-Dane clerics from England to prevent the expansion of German influence on Danish churches. Bishop Adalbert of Hamburg (with jurisdiction over Denmark's Christian population) was trying to extend more influence of the German-based Holy Roman Empire to the Scandinavian countries. Sweyn requested of Pope Leo IX to have an archbishop for Denmark to stave off Adalbert. The request was not fulfilled before Leo died in 1054.

Churches were built throughout Denmark with the king's support. The German chronicler Adam of Bremen visited Denmark and wrote about how impressed he was with Sweyn's wisdom and how astounded he was at the hundreds of churches he saw. Originally wooden, hundreds of churches were re-built with stone in the 12th century.

Adam of Bremen interviewed Sweyn, who told him much about his family and life. Much of what we know about Denmark in the 9th and 10th centuries comes from Adam's work, Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum ("Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church").

Sweyn tried his own hand at taking over England, the land of his birth, after William of Normandy had conquered it. He allied with Edgar Ætheling to challenge William, but after managing only to conquer York, William bribed him to desert Edgar.

Sweyn had two wives, and numerous mistresses. He fathered at least 20 children, many of whom went on to make names for themselves. Perhaps tomorrow we'll visit a selection of his children and their accomplishments.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/06/sweyns-reign-and-religion.html

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/sweyn-ii-of-denmark.html

Born c.1019, he was raised in England where his parents lived under the reign of his uncle, King Cnut. He was raised as a warrior and eventual king, but he also knew how to read and write. Pope Gregory VII, who became a personal friend of Sweyn, described him as an exceptionally educated monarch.

What we know of him (and much of this era in Denmark) we learned from Adam of Bremen and his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum ("Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church"). As king of Denmark, Sweyn invited scholars from all over to make sure Danes were educated in Latin so they could communicate with the rest of the world. We also know that he was of above average height, based on examination of his skeleton (entombed in Roskilde Cathedral).

King of Denmark Harthacnut, Sweyn's cousin, made him a jarl, and for Harthacnut he started an unsuccessful war against king of Norway Magnus I. Magnus claimed the throne of Denmark at Harthacnut's death in 1042, and Sweyn fought on Magnus' behalf, where he had some success and was proclaimed king by the Danish nobles. He could not formally take the reign from Magnus, however, and fled to Sweden for a time.

Harald Hardrada, Magnus' uncle, had been exiled. He returned and joined Sweyn to challenge Magnus. Magnus chose to share Norway with Harald. Magnus died in 1047, declaring that Harald would rule Norway and Sweyn II could be king in Denmark.

Harald, accustomed to sharing Denmark with Magnus, did not want to give it up to Sweyn. The two sides fought for years. In one notable skirmish, Harald attacked and plundered the coast of Jutland, taking goods and prisoners. Sweyn's ships approached, whereupon Harald had his men throw the plunder overboard to delay his pursuers.

Sweyn ordered his people to ignore the floating wares and keep sailing after Harald's ship. Then Harald had the captives thrown overboard. Sweyn ordered the captives to be rescued, knowing that Harald would escape.

At another encounter at sea, Sweyn almost lost his life. I'll tell you that story tomorrow.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/sweyn-ii-of-denmark.html

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/sweyn-invades.html

According to John of Wallingford, a Benedictine monk in the early 13th century, Sweyn was behind invasions between 1002 and 1012, many of which were commanded by Thorkell the Tall. Despite the massacre, an apparent arrangement between Sweyn and Duke Richard II of Normandy to sell Sweyn's plunder in Normandy suggests that one reason for invasion was, as always, loot. Of course the Danes were often bought off with Danegeld, and Sweyn accumulated a lot of it in those invasion years.

Sweyn is said to have personally led an invasion force in 1013, accompanied by Cnut. According to the Peterborough Chronicle:

before the month of August came king Swein with his fleet to Sandwich. He went very quickly about East Anglia into the Humber's mouth, and so upward along the Trent till he came to Gainsborough. Earl Uchtred and all Northumbria quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of the Kingdom of Lindsey, then the people of the Five Boroughs. He was given hostages from each shire. When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. After he came over Watling Street, they went to Oxford, and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. From there they went to Winchester, and the people did the same, then eastward to London.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/sweyn-invades.html

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-oxford-massacre.html

The sad part of the situation in Oxford was that the Danes there saw it coming and decided to take advantage of sanctuary. Sanctuary allowed anyone to take refuge in a church. Sanctuary had a time limit of 40 days, but in that time the refugee could get aid from outside to create a defense on their behalf against the persecutors.

The Danes in Oxford went to St Frideswide's Church (now Christ Church Cathedral), which Æthelred's charter tells:

For it is fully agreed that to all dwelling in this country it will be well known that, since a decree was sent out by me with the counsel of my leading men and magnates, to the effect that all the Danes who had sprung up in this island, sprouting like cockle amongst the wheat, were to be destroyed by a most just extermination, and thus this decree was to be put into effect even as far as death, those Danes who dwelt in the afore-mentioned town, striving to escape death, entered this sanctuary of Christ, having broken by force the doors and bolts, and resolved to make refuge and defense for themselves therein against the people of the town and the suburbs;

This should have been recognized as a safe haven for them,

...but when all the people in pursuit strove, forced by necessity, to drive them out, and could not, they set fire to the planks and burnt, as it seems, this church with its ornaments and its books. Afterwards, with God's aid, it was renewed by me.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-oxford-massacre.html

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/sweyn-forkbeard.html

Sveinn, king of the Danes, was, I declare, as I have ascertained from truthful report, practically the most fortune of all kings of his time, ... The Divine Power granted him such great favor that even as a boy he was held by all in close affection, and was hated only by his own father. No fault of the boy deserved this: it was due only to envy. When he grew to be a young man, he increased daily in the love of the people, and accordingly, his father's envy increased more and more, so that he wished not in secret, but openly, to cast him out, affirming by oath that he should not rule after him.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/sweyn-forkbeard.html

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http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/thorkell-tall.html

Legend says Thorkell helped raise the young Cnut, taking him on raids and teaching him warfare. The Encomium Emmae Reginae ("Encomium of Queen Emma"), about Emma of Normandy, tells us he was a great leader and warrior.

Landing with an army on the shores of Sandwich in the south-east in 1009, he began a progress through southern England either destroying or getting paid off. Canterbury initially gave them 3000 pounds of silver, which assuaged the Danes and sent them to London for their next attacks.

London's defenses and people were too much, however, and the Danes' siege failed to defeat the city, so they returned to Canterbury. Canterbury was besieged for two weeks. It finally fell due to treachery by Ælfmaer, Abbot of St Augustine's, who (according to William of Malmesbury and others) let the Danes into the city. (Cnut made him Bishop of Sherborne in 1023.) Canterbury Cathedral was burned, and the archbishop of Canterbury, Ælfheah, was captured for ransom. The Danes demanded an additional 3000 pounds of silver to let the captives go.

Ælfheah refused to be ransomed, and over seven months took the opportunity to speak to his captors and persuade many of them to convert to Christianity. On 19 April, during a feast in which the Danes got very drunk, they decided to kill Ælfheah.

Thorkell tried to save the archbishop. He begged the Danes to let Ælfheah live, offering them all that he possessed except his ship. The crowd would not be stopped. Ælfheah was pelted with stones and bones and finally beheaded by one impatient man.

More attacks across southern England produced a total of 48,000 pounds of silver, but Thorkell and men loyal to him split from the other Danes. Thorkell and 45 ships defected and offered themselves to King Æthelred as mercenaries.

This would mean that Thorkell would ultimately wind up on the other side of a battle with his own king and the son of that king, Cnut, whom Thorkell helped raise. I'll tell you how that went tomorrow.

http://dailymedieval.blogspot.com/2026/05/thorkell-tall.html