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55-514: He was the youngest son of King Christopher II of Denmark and Euphemia of Pomerania . He spent most of his childhood and youth in exile at the court of Emperor Louis IV in Bavaria , after the defeats of his father and the death and imprisonment, respectively, of his two older brothers, Eric and Otto , at the hand of the Holsteiners. Here he acted as a pretender , waiting for a comeback. Following

110-431: A ghost ship that beached itself on the coast of northern Jutland. Those who went aboard found the dead swollen and black-faced, but stayed long enough to take everything of value from it and thereby introduced the fleas that carried the disease into the population. People began to die by the thousands. During the next two years, plague swept through Denmark like a forest fire. In Ribe twelve parishes ceased to exist in

165-449: A conflict between Counts Gerhard and Johan by joining the latter, but it ended in a clear military defeat at Dannevirke . Under the terms of the settlement between the counts, Christopher was allowed to retain the title of king, but in reality had no power whatsoever. He was given a simple house at Sakskøbing on Lolland , but even that was burned by German mercenaries. Christopher was imprisoned at Ålholm Castle on Lolland where he died

220-546: A fleet and an army to ravage the coasts of Denmark, and they succeeded in capturing and pillaging Copenhagen and parts of Scania. Combined with the rebellious nobles in Jutland, they forced Valdemar out of Denmark at Easter in 1368. In 1363, Valdemar IV renewed his alliance with Poland. He appointed his friend and advisor Henning Podebusk (c. 1350 – c. 1388) to negotiate with the Hanseatic League in his absence. They agreed to

275-426: A kitchen manufacturer. Udbetaling Danmark, a public institution under ARP, has one of its five regional centres in the town. On 1 January 2007, the old Vordingborg municipality was, as the result of Kommunalreformen ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007) , merged with Langebæk , Møn , and Præstø municipalities to form an enlarged Vordingborg municipality. Vordingborg is served by Vordingborg railway station which

330-497: A lady, who according to legend was of the noble family Lunge: [REDACTED] Media related to Christopher II of Denmark at Wikimedia Commons Vordingborg Vordingborg ( Danish pronunciation: [ˌvɒːte̝ŋˈpɒˀ] ) 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

385-687: A member of the Hanseatic League , would have dire consequences later. Valdemar tried to interfere with the succession in Sweden by capturing Countess Elizabeth who was to marry Crown Prince Håkon of Sweden . She was forced into a nunnery and Valdemar convinced King Magnus that his son should marry Valdemar's daughter, Margrethe . The king agreed, but the nobles did not and forced Magnus to abdicate. They elected Albrecht of Mecklenburg , one of Valdemar's sworn enemies, as King of Sweden. Albrecht immediately went to work to stop Valdemar in his tracks. He persuaded

440-452: A peasant uprising in Jutland which was crushed ruthlessly by Count Gerhard, the peasants in Skåne begged King Magnus IV of Sweden to rule them. He readily accepted and Denmark ceased to exist as a united kingdom. Christopher was restored as Danish king in 1329–1330 with the cooperation of Count Johan, but this time he was reduced to the position of a puppet from the start. Most of his country

495-555: A population of 45,751. Vordingborg is situated on the southern coast of the island of Zealand. It lies adjacent to the Storstrømmen , a strait separating the island of Zealand from the island of Falster . It is uncertain when the oldest castle was built on the castle hill in Vordingborg, but King Valdemar the Great built a castle on the site in 1157. From Valdemar the Great's founding of

550-486: A ruined and broken man the next year. He was buried at Sorø Abbey . Upon his death Denmark ceased being a formal kingdom, and for the next eight years it was subdued by various mortgagees to German military rule. History's judgment of Christopher has been extremely hard, and he has often been regarded as a weak, unreliable and incapable tyrant— "the king who mortgaged Denmark to the Germans". He in many ways simply carried on

605-459: A secure base from which to gather taxes on trade through the Sound (the Øresund ). He was the first Danish king to rule from Copenhagen . Valdemar was able to capture or buy other castles and fortresses until he could force the Holsteiners out. When he ran out of money, he tried to take Kalundborg and Søborg Castles by force. While in the midst of that campaign, he went to Estonia to negotiate with

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660-407: A single diocese . A few towns simply died with no one left alive. The general figures for plague in 1349–50 ranged between 33% and 66% of the people of Denmark. City dwellers were often harder hit than farm folk leading many people to abandon towns altogether. Valdemar remained untouched and took advantage of the deaths of his enemies to add to his growing lands and properties. He refused to reduce

715-527: A truce so long as Valdemar acknowledged their right to free trade and fishing rights in the Sound. They took control of several towns on the coast of Scania and the fortress at Helsingborg for 15 years. They also forced the king to grant the Hanseatic League a say in Denmark's succession after Valdemar's death. Valdemar was forced to sign the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370, which acknowledged Hansa's rights to participate in

770-579: Is a famous poem, written by Jens Peter Jacobsen and included in his work Gurresange , about Valdemar's mistress, Tove, who was killed on the orders of Queen Helvig, though that particular legend originally seems to be connected with his ancestor Valdemar I of Denmark . It was later set to music by Arnold Schoenberg from 1900 to 1903 (and 1910) as his Gurre-Lieder . In 1358 Valdemar went back to Funen to try to reconcile with Jutland leader Niels Bugge (c. 1300-c. 1358) and several other nobles and two bishops. The king refused to meet their terms, so they left

825-764: Is located on the South Line which connects Copenhagen with the islands of Falster and Lolland . It offers direct regional rail services to Copenhagen and Nykøbing Falster . From the station there is also bus connection to the towns of Stege , Præstø , Næstved and Maribo , as well as city bus lines. Vordingborg is located on European route E47 connecting Lübeck in Germany to Helsingborg in Sweden via Copenhagen . Danish national road 22 connects Vordingborg with Kalundborg by way of Næstved and Slagelse , and Danish national road 59 connects Vordingborg with Stege on

880-587: Is the reason why three satellite towns (former villages) have emerged around the town. Within the ring of estates, the town has a population of 12,397 (1 January 2024), and a population of 18,286 when including the three satellite towns of Ørslev , Nyråd , and Stensved , situated 1, 3 and 5 kilometres, respectively, from the town of Vordingborg. Vordingborg is located in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Zealand . Vordingborg Municipality (Kommune) has

935-468: The Holsteiners at the siege of Sønderborg Castle on 2 November 1340, but Ebbesen and his men were surrounded and killed by the Germans. Under his father, King Christopher II, Denmark went bankrupt and was mortgaged out in parcels. King Valdemar IV sought to repay the debt and reclaim the lands of Denmark. The first opportunity came with his wife Helvig's dowry. The mortgage on the rest of northern Jutland

990-596: The Lithuanians . However, the crusade against the Lithuanians came to nothing, instead, Valdemar went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem (without Papal permission). He succeeded and was made a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre in honor of his accomplishment. He was censured by Pope Clement VI for not getting prior approval for such a journey. Upon his return, Valdemar gathered an army. In 1346, he took back Vordingborg Castle ,

1045-571: The Teutonic Knights who controlled Estonia. Danes had never migrated there in any numbers, and so for 19,000 marks Valdemar gave up Danish Estonia , a far-off eastern province, which allowed him to pay off mortgages of parts of Denmark that were more important to him. Around 1346 Valdemar IV initiated a crusade against Lithuania . Franciscan chronicler Detmar von Lübeck noted that Valdemar IV traveled to Lübeck in 1346, then turned to Prussia together with Eric II of Saxony in order to fight

1100-483: The Germans and once again Denmark was a nation. With his increased income, Valdemar was able to pay for a larger army and by treachery came into possession of Nyborg Castle and eastern Funen Island and the smaller islands. Valdemar's attention had just turned to Scania , held by Sweden when disaster struck the entire region. In 1349 the Black Death arrived. Tradition has it that bubonic plague came to Denmark on

1155-516: The Hansa states to work with him because Valdemar threatened their access through the Sound and to the lucrative herring trade. Valdemar attacked the Hansa fleet trying to force them out of the Sound fishing grounds. The Hansa member states demanded action. With Lübeck in the lead, they wrote to Valdemar complaining about his interference with trade. In 1362 the Hansa states, Sweden, and Norway allied against Valdemar seeking retribution. The Hansa sent

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1210-541: The King of Denmark rule there. Danish nobleman Knud Porse took Halland for himself for his services to Count Gerhard and Count Johann. The squabbling over who got which pieces of Denmark broke down the alliances which had forced Christopher out of the country. Until 1329 Christopher lived in exile, but a growing chaos in the "magnates’ republic" of Denmark gave him another chance. Frictions developed between Gerhard and his cousin John

1265-471: The Mild , Count of Schauenburg and Holstein-Plön and Holstein-Kiel who was also Christopher's half-brother through his widowed mother's marriage to Gerhard II, Count of Holstein-Plön . Suddenly, with the help of Henry of Mecklenburg , Christopher stood poised at Vordingborg with 2000 mounted German knights. Unfortunately for Christopher they allowed themselves to be surrounded and were forced to surrender. After

1320-405: The Sound with an army and forced Magnus to give up Helsingborg in 1360. With the taking of Helsingborg, Valdemar for all intents regained Scania. Magnus wasn't strong enough to hold Scania, so it passed back to Danish control. Valdemar captured Halland, Blekinge , and Scania. Valdemar could do little about the increasing power of the Hanseatic League which had already become a major power in

1375-542: The Swedes and Norwegians. He was in the process of taking gradual control of southern Jutland when he fell ill. Valdemar enlisted the help of Pope Gregory XI who agreed to excommunicate rebellious Danes. But before anything along those lines was done, Valdemar died at Gurre Castle in North Zealand on 24 October 1375 and was buried at Sorø Abbey . When Podebusk died, he was buried next to Valdemar at Sorø Abbey. King Valdemar

1430-472: The assassination of Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg , by Niels Ebbesen and his warriors, Valdemar was proclaimed king of Denmark at the Viborg Assembly ( landsting ) on St John's Day (St Hans' Day) on 24 June 1340, led by Ebbesen. Through his marriage with Helvig of Schleswig , the daughter of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig and what he inherited from his father, he controlled about one-quarter of

1485-454: The castle until King Valdemar Atterdag 's death in 1375, the kings often stayed at the castle and Vordingborg was at the center of Denmark's foreign policy. King Valdemar the Great died at his castle in Worthing in 1182. The town of Vordingborg itself probably emerged at the beginning of the 12th century, but only gained significant importance with the construction of the castle. In 1415, during

1540-500: The charter were very hard, because they limited his ability to assess taxes, as well as demanded payments on the mortgages. Christopher could make no decision regarding the realm without the consent of the nobility and the bishops. The privileges of the nobility and the church were included in the charter and new ones were included. No bishop could be imprisoned, exiled, or fined without the pope's approval, no secular court could try any churchman, no church land or property could be taxed,

1595-457: The charter, King Christopher ruled as if it did not exist. Since he could not tax the church or Danish nobles he levied disastrous taxes on the German territories and peasants. During the following years Christopher tried to strengthen his position by reviving Erik's policy of warfare against the duchies, counties, and cities of northern Germany. This resulted in new mortgages and taxes, and very soon he

1650-457: The city fathers that if the barrels weren't filled with silver and gold within three days, he would turn his men loose to pillage the town. To Valdemar's surprise, the barrels were filled before nightfall of the first day passed. The churches were stripped of their valuables and the riches were loaded on Danish ships and carried home to Vordingborg, Valdemar's residence. Valdemar added "King of Gotland" to his title list. But his action against Visby,

1705-513: The following children: Evidence indicated also an illegitimate son, Erik Sjællandsfar , at Orebygård on Zealand , buried in Roskilde Cathedral with a crown. However, other evidence indicates that he was a son of King Eric VI of Denmark . Christopher II of Denmark Christopher II ( Danish : Christoffer 2. ; 29 September 1276 – 2 August 1332) was King of Denmark from 1320 to 1326 and again from 1329 until his death. He

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1760-474: The great landed families of Jutland. He expanded the powers of the king based upon his military prowess and the loyal nobility that became the foundation of Danish rulers until 1440. Many foreigners were appointed as court officials and councilors. The most important of them was the German-Slavic nobleman Henning Podebusk who was drost (prime minister) from 1365 to 1388. Valdemar IV is often regarded as one of

1815-416: The herring trade and tax exemptions for its trading fleet. The king was able to return to Denmark after an absence of four years. Valdemar received Gotland, however, so even in defeat he was able to salvage something for himself and Denmark. Even while dealing with the Hansa states, he was trying to suppress rebellious nobles who tried to assert the rights they had forced Valdemar's father to concede and fight

1870-456: The island of Møn . The ruins of Vordingborg Castle , the old royal castle which was built around 1364, is the town's most famous attraction. The only fully remaining part of the castle, the 26 meter tall Goose Tower ( Gåsetårnet ), is the symbol of the city. It is the largest of King Valdemar Atterdag's nine main castle towers. The name comes from the golden goose perched on top of the tower's spire. Legend has it that Valdemar Atterdag used

1925-408: The lands that German counts had pried away from Denmark in the previous years. Rebellion spread quickly through Funen and he ravaged the Holsteiners' remaining territories and took the rest of the island. The charter proved to be useless when the king ignored the terms and the sporadic rebellions continued. That same year there was a monetary crisis which caused panic all over northern Europe. There

1980-527: The main headquarters of the Holsteiners. By the end of the year, Valdemar could claim all of Zealand as his own. He made Vordingborg his personal residence, expanded the castle, and built the Goose Tower which has become the symbol of the town. Valdemar's reputation for ruthlessness against those who opposed him made many think carefully about switching sides. His tax policy crushed the peasants who feared to do anything but pay up. By 1347 Valdemar had thrown out

2035-726: The meeting in disgust. When they reached the town of Middelfart to find a ship to carry them over to Jutland, the fishermen they hired to transport them, murdered them. King Valdemar was blamed and the restive people of Jutland came out in open rebellion once again. They agreed to support each other in their fight to restore the rights the king once again had abrogated. Valdemar turned once again to Scania which still lay under Swedish rule. In 1355, Prince Eric XII of Sweden rebelled against his father, King Magnus IV of Sweden , taking Scania and other parts of Sweden. King Magnus turned to Valdemar and entered into an agreement with him for help with Erik. Erik suddenly died in 1359. Valdemar crossed

2090-467: The most important of all Danish medieval kings. The sources give the impression of an intelligent, cynical, reckless, and clever ruler with a talent for both policies and economy. His grandson Albert by his eldest daughter Ingeborg was offered unsuccessfully by his grandfather Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg as Valdemar's successor. Instead, his grandson Olaf II , the offspring of his daughter Margaret and Haakon VI of Norway , son of Magnus Eriksson ,

2145-425: The nobles could raise fees or rents on peasants, no noble could be forced to fight abroad or forced to pay to outfit soldiers to fight abroad, the king was required to ransom captured noblemen within a year, all taxes imposed since the reign of Valdemar Sejr on nobles or church were to be lifted, but the kingdom's debts were to be paid. This shift of power away from the king would last until 1660. Despite signing

2200-474: The opposition and went into exile at the death of Eric in 1319. The magnates wanted a weak royal power, and Christopher was elected as king in January 1320; in return he signed a contractual håndfæstning , the first time this kind of document was used as a coronation charter . He received a "bankrupt estate" in which entire regions of the kingdom were mortgaged to German and Danish magnates. The conditions of

2255-458: The parties. The terms of the charter said that the Danehof was to meet at least once a year on St. John's Day, 24 June. The old system established in 1282 was reinstated and everyone's rights reverted to the traditional ones from before Christopher II 's charter which gutted the powers of the king. Valdemar responded by raising an army and marching through southern Jutland taking still more pieces of

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2310-454: The policy of his predecessor. The policy of mortgaging parts of Denmark was common practice by nobles and kings alike to raise money. It would be incorrect to call him a passive ruler; the power of the Danish and German high nobility and their co-operation with church establishment undermined his freedom of action. With his wife, Euphemia of Pomerania , whom he wed before 1307: Illegitimate with

2365-586: The region. Even before the conclusion of the small conflict with King Magnus, Valdemar decided to attack the Swedish island of Gotland , specifically the town of Visby . He raised an army, loaded them onto ships, and invaded Gotland in 1361. Valdemar fought the Gotlanders and defeated them in front of the city, killing 1800 men. The city surrendered, and Valdemar tore down part of the wall to make his entry. Once in possession, he set up three huge beer barrels and informed

2420-491: The reign of Eric of Pomerania , Vordingborg was given the status of a market town . Vordingborg is situated 37 km from Nykøbing Falster , roughly 50 km from Gedser , and roughly 100 km from Copenhagen and Odense . The town is situated on the island of Zealand and is linked to the island of Falster with Farø Bridges and Storstrøm Bridge . Vordingborg Municipality is home to 9,500 jobs. Companies headquartered in Vordingborg include Vordingborg Køkkener,

2475-405: The symbol to taunt the Hanseatic League . The current goose was put there in 1871. It is not certain what was on top of the tower before 1871 and maybe it was just a weather vane made of gold. The tower was transferred into the national trust on 24 December 1808 and is thus the first protected historic monument in Denmark. A historic garden is also located on the site of the ruin. Vordingborg

2530-519: The taxes the following year though fewer peasants farmed less land. Nobles, too, felt their incomes shrink and the tax burdens fell heavier on them as well. Uprisings flared up in the following years. In 1350, Valdemar IV formed an alliance with Poland against the Teutonic Knights. In 1354 the King and nobles met together as the Danish Court ( Danehof ) and worked out a peace settlement among

2585-519: The territory of Jutland north of the Kongeå river. He was not compelled to sign a charter as his father had done, probably because Denmark had been without a king for years, and no one expected the twenty-year-old king to be any more trouble to the great nobles than his father had been. But Valdemar was a clever and determined man and realized that the only way to rule Denmark was to get control of its territory. Ebbesen attempted to liberate central Jutland from

2640-434: Was "reinvented' as one of the Danish hero kings during the mid-19th century when Denmark was fighting Germany for its traditional southern Jutland region . In the 1330s, Valdemar V, Duke of Schleswig (previous king of Denmark as Valdemar III) made an alliance with Valdemar IV against his uncle, Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg , and arranged a marriage between Valdemar IV and his sister, Helvig of Schleswig . She

2695-491: Was a pivotal figure in Danish history; he gradually reacquired the lost territories that had been added to Denmark over the centuries. His heavy-handed methods, endless taxation, and usurpation of rights long held by noble families led to uprisings throughout Valdemar's reign. His attempt to recreate Denmark as a power in northern Europe was welcomed by the Danes in the beginning, but Valdemar's policies were met with bitter opposition by

2750-448: Was a younger son of Eric V . His name is connected with national disaster, as his rule ended in a near-total dissolution of the Danish state. Being the brother of King Eric VI who reigned from 1286 until 1319, Christopher was a possible heir to the throne. As a young man with the title of Duke of Estonia , he supported the politics of his brother. Among other things he arrested Archbishop Jens Grand in 1294. But later on he joined

2805-722: Was elected as his successor. His nickname "Atterdag" is usually interpreted as "day again" (its literal meaning in Danish), indicating that he brought new hope to the realm after a dark period of bad kingship. The epithet has also been suggested as a misinterpretation of the Middle Low German phrase "ter tage" ("these days"), which can best be interpreted as "what times we live in!" In his biography of Valdemar, Fletcher Pratt stated it meant "another day", that is, whatever happened today, good or bad, tomorrow would be another day. Many stories, ballads, and poems have been made about Valdemar. He

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2860-540: Was in conflict with both the church and the magnates. During a rebellion in 1326 he was overthrown by an alliance between Danish magnates and Gerhard III , Count of Holstein-Rendsburg and John I, Count of Holstein-Kiel , son of Adolf IV of Holstein ). Christopher was forced into abdication and exile, while the 12-year-old Duke Valdemar of Southern Jutland was made king of Denmark, with Count Gerhard as regent. They forced Valdemar in his coronation charter to separate southern Jutland from Denmark so that never again would

2915-413: Was mortgaged, and he had no chance of holding real royal power. Jutland for example was mortgaged for 100,000 silver marks which had to be "laid on the table all at once" or the mortgage was not redeemed. It was an enormous mortgage and impossible to pay. Count Gerhard took all of Jutland as his personal property. Count Johan did the same on Funen and Zealand . In 1331 Christopher attempted to exploit

2970-476: Was paid off by taxes collected from King Valdemar's peasants above the Kongeå. In 1344, he recovered North Friesland , which he immediately taxed to pay off the debt on southern Jutland (7,000 silver marks). The over-taxed peasants grew restive under the constant demands for money. Valdemar next set his sights on Zealand . The bishop of Roskilde , who owned Copenhagen Castle and town, gave both to Valdemar, providing

3025-399: Was to bring the pawned province of Nørrejylland , one-quarter of the territory of Jutland, as a dowry . The wedding took place at Sønderborg Castle in 1340. Helvig was the daughter of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig and Adelaide of Holstein-Rendsburg . After the wedding, the couple traveled to Viborg to be officially greeted as king and queen of Denmark. With his wife Helvig, Valdemar IV had

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