Rügen, Principality of
Substate | Defunct
1168 CE to 1325 CE
The Principality of Rügen (German: Fürstentum Rügen) is a Danish principality consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325.
It is governed by a local dynasty of princes of the Wizlawiden (House of Wizlaw) dynasty.
For at least part of this period, Rügen is subject to the Holy Roman Empire.
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Construction begins on a castle in the village of Havn during Valdemar's reign, leading eventually to the foundation of Copenhagen, the modern capital of Denmark.
Valdemar and Absalon build Denmark into a major power in the Baltic Sea, a power that later competes with the Hanseatic League, the counts of Holstein, and the Teutonic Knights for trade, territory, and influence throughout the Baltic.
In 1168, Valdemar and Absalon gain a foothold on the southern shore of the Baltic, when they subdue the Rani stronghold of Arkona.
The rulers of the Rani become vassals of the Danish king, as the Principality of Rügen, and the Slavic population is gradually Christianized.
Mecklenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania come under Danish control, also, in the 1180s.
In the new southern provinces, the Danes promote Christianity (mission of the Rani, monasteries like Eldena Abbey) and settlement (Danish participation in the Ostsiedlung).
The Danes lose most of their southern gains after the Battle of Bornhöved (1227), but the Rugian principality will stay with Denmark until 1325.
Valdemar and Absalon build Denmark into a major power in the Baltic Sea, a power that later competes with the Hanseatic League, the counts of Holstein, and the Teutonic Knights for trade, territory, and influence throughout the Baltic.
In 1168, Valdemar and Absalon gain a foothold on the southern shore of the Baltic, when they subdue the Rani stronghold of Arkona.
The rulers of the Rani become vassals of the Danish king, as the Principality of Rügen, and the Slavic population is gradually Christianized.
Mecklenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania come under Danish control, also, in the 1180s.
In the new southern provinces, the Danes promote Christianity (mission of the Rani, monasteries like Eldena Abbey) and settlement (Danish participation in the Ostsiedlung).
The Danes lose most of their southern gains after the Battle of Bornhöved (1227), but the Rugian principality will stay with Denmark until 1325.
Valdemar II becomes king in 1202 and launches various "crusades" to claim territories, notably modern Estonia.
Legend has it that the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse in Estonia in 1219.
A series of Danish defeats culminating in the Battle of Bornhöved on July 22, 1227, cements the loss of Denmark's north German territories.
Valdemar himself is saved only by the courageous actions of a German knight who carries Valdemar to safety on his horse.
From this time on Valdemar focuses his efforts on domestic affairs.
One of the changes he institutes is the feudal system in which he gives properties to men with the understanding that they owe him service.
This increases the power of the noble families (Danish: højadelen) and gives rise to the lesser nobles (Danish: lavadelen) who control most of Denmark.
Free peasants loss the traditional rights and privileges they have enjoyed since Viking times.
The king of Denmark has difficulty maintaining control of the kingdom in the face of opposition from the nobility and from the Church.
An extended period of strained relations between the crown and the Popes of Rome takes place, known as the "archiepiscopal conflicts".
Legend has it that the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse in Estonia in 1219.
A series of Danish defeats culminating in the Battle of Bornhöved on July 22, 1227, cements the loss of Denmark's north German territories.
Valdemar himself is saved only by the courageous actions of a German knight who carries Valdemar to safety on his horse.
From this time on Valdemar focuses his efforts on domestic affairs.
One of the changes he institutes is the feudal system in which he gives properties to men with the understanding that they owe him service.
This increases the power of the noble families (Danish: højadelen) and gives rise to the lesser nobles (Danish: lavadelen) who control most of Denmark.
Free peasants loss the traditional rights and privileges they have enjoyed since Viking times.
The king of Denmark has difficulty maintaining control of the kingdom in the face of opposition from the nobility and from the Church.
An extended period of strained relations between the crown and the Popes of Rome takes place, known as the "archiepiscopal conflicts".
Danish royal power has waned by the mid-thirteenth century, and the nobility forces the king to grant a charter, considered Denmark's first constitution.
Following the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227, a weakened Denmark provides windows of opportunity to both the Hanseatic League and the Counts of Holstein.
The Holstein Counts gain control of large portions of Denmark because the king will grant them fiefs in exchange for money to finance royal operations.
Valdemar spends the remainder of his life putting together a code of laws for Jutland, Zealand and Skåne.
These codes are used as Denmark's legal code until 1683.
This is a significant change from the local law making at the regional assemblies (Danish: landting), which had been the long-standing tradition.
Several methods of determining guilt or innocence are outlawed, including trial by ordeal and trial by combat.
The Code of Jutland (Danish: Jyske Lov) is approved at meeting of the nobility at Vordingborg in 1241 just prior to Valdemar's death.
Because of his position as "the king of Dannebrog" and as a legislator, Valdemar enjoys a central position in Danish history.
To posterity, the civil wars and dissolution that follow his death make him appear to be the last king of a golden age.
Following the Battle of Bornhöved in 1227, a weakened Denmark provides windows of opportunity to both the Hanseatic League and the Counts of Holstein.
The Holstein Counts gain control of large portions of Denmark because the king will grant them fiefs in exchange for money to finance royal operations.
Valdemar spends the remainder of his life putting together a code of laws for Jutland, Zealand and Skåne.
These codes are used as Denmark's legal code until 1683.
This is a significant change from the local law making at the regional assemblies (Danish: landting), which had been the long-standing tradition.
Several methods of determining guilt or innocence are outlawed, including trial by ordeal and trial by combat.
The Code of Jutland (Danish: Jyske Lov) is approved at meeting of the nobility at Vordingborg in 1241 just prior to Valdemar's death.
Because of his position as "the king of Dannebrog" and as a legislator, Valdemar enjoys a central position in Danish history.
To posterity, the civil wars and dissolution that follow his death make him appear to be the last king of a golden age.