Middle ages history of Denmark: 13th to 16th century

Leading up to and beginning what could be termed as the Middle Ages history of Denmark, was a period that saw economic expansion through herring-trade, close cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church - and thousands of churches springing up across Denmark, and a temporary collapse of royal authority in the 13th century.

Difficulties for the kings – and Denmark’s first constitution
Opposition from the nobility and Church challenging their authority proved troublesome for the kings of Denmark, with an extended period of difficult relations between kings and the Popes in Rome, known as the "archiepiscopal conflicts". As royal power waned, in the late 13th century pressure from the nobility lead to the granting of a charter by the king, today when looking at the history of Denmark, considered as Denmark's first constitution.

Following the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227 which weakened Denmark considerably, The Holstein Counts gained control of large portions of Denmark thanks to the willingness of the king to grant fiefs in exchange for money - needed to finance his operations. During the reign of Christopher II (1319-1332), most of the country was pawned off to the counts in this manner (except Skane, which went to Sweden).

1332-1340: A kingless kingdom
Following Christopher's death, Denmark had no king for 8 years, and was instead controlled by the counts until, following an assassinated of a count in 1340, Christopher's son Valdemar was chosen as king. He gradually recovered much of the pawned territories over the next 20 years, which has been said to have been aided by the prevalence of the plague (‘Black Death’).

Expansion continues…the Hanseatic league opposes
Efforts to expand the kingdom after 1360 brought Valdemar into open conflict with the Hanseatic League, especially following the conquest of Gotland, including Visby, an important trading town.

A Hanseatic alliance attack on Denmark initially proved disastrous with Danish forces capturing a large hanseatic fleet, then ransoming it back for a vast amount. Fortunately for the League, nobles in Jutland openly revolted against heavy taxes levied to support Baltic expansion through war, resulting in the the two forces joining to work against the king, leading to his exile in 1370, and handing control of the fortresses on "the sound" between Skåne and Zealand to the Hanseatic league.

The beginning …and ending… of the Kalmar Union
No middle ages history of Denmark would be complete without mention of the ill-fated Kalmas Union.

In an attempt to join the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, Margaret I, daughter of Valdemar Atterdag, was married off to Håkon VI of Norway, who had family ties to the Swedish royal family. Her son, Olaf II, was to rule the three kingdoms. However, Olaf II's death in 1387 resulted in Margaret I taking on the role herself from 1387 - 1412.

Thus in 1397, under her rule, the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included the Faroe Islands, as well as Iceland, Greenland, and present-day Finland) were officially linked - in what became known as the Kalmar Union.

Her successor, Eric of Pomerania, ruled from 1396 to 1439, and his lack of skill has been attributed to the breakup of the Kalmar Union. As a result of his foreign policy, Denmark battled a string of wars with the Holstein counts and the city of Lubeck. A trade embargo on Scandinavia by the Hanseatic League caused Sweden, whose mining industry was adversely affected, to revolt.

The three countries comprising the Kalmar Union deposed Eric in 1439, however, support for the principle of regional cooperation continued.

The kingdom was briefly reunited from 1442-1448 when Eric's nephew Christopher of Bavaria, who took over the throne in 1440, managed to get himself elected in all three kingdoms. The union soon dissolved into a mere legal formality, thanks to the discontent of the Swedish nobility with Danish rule.

...and finally the Kalmas Union ends
Growing tensions during the reigns of Christian I (1450-1481) and Hans (1481-1513) resulted in several wars between Sweden and Denmark. During the reign of Christian II from 1513-1523, an attempt to reinforce the union saw the conquest of Sweden. Some 100 leaders of the Swedish anti-unionist forces were killed in the ‘Stockholm Bloodbath’ in November 1520, which ended any hope of a rejuvenated Scandinavian union. Sweden formally seceded from the Kalmar Union in 1521.

Following this, civil war and Protestant Reformation in Denmark and Norway saw the Privy Council of Denmark losing influence, while Norway effectively ceased to exist.

Denmark-Norway as (almost) one
Instead, the kingdoms, known as Denmark-Norway, operated under a single monarch, with Norway keeping its separate laws and some institutions (including royal chancellor, coins and an army). Because it was an hereditary kingdom, Norway's independent status ensured its royal dynasty, and its efforts to win elections as kings of Denmark. The two kingdoms remained tied through to 1814.

So that is a quick overview of the middle ages history of Denmark.

Click here to read about the Ancient history of Denmark.

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