| Crises and Conflicts
| | The royal power was strengthened in the period with the confiscation of the church´s property at the Reformation in 1536. Class struggle between the king, the nobility and the peasants, which culminated in connection with the Count´s Feud 1534-36, makes the period until around 1550 stagnant. The royal power entrenches itself behind new fortress-like castles, e.g. Malmøhus. |
Deteriorating Conditions for the Productions
Up to the 14th century Europe had experienced a strong upturn with population increase, new cultivations and flourishing trade and shipping. In the 14th century dark clouds gathered and a marked deterioration began. In the end of the 13th century they had terminated new cultivations and it began to become difficult to provide labour for the estates. Reasons for the decline may have been that the exploitation had reached a natural level, because the population was reduced. The market was saturated. In addition it is to be supposed that the great cultivation had brought with it a marked clearing of forest with had resulted in erosion and sand drift.
Climate changes (falling temperatures) also resulted in periods of crop failures. It was a general ecological crisis.
The Political Crisis
The crisis involved a diminishment of the population, changes in the structure of the population, but also changes in the power structure. The king continued to be the head of the realm, but his exertion of power, had to take place in cooperation with the aristocracy. The noble magnates strengthened their position, when the principalities were inherited.
The bishops´ fiefs also wanted sovereignty and the started a number of conflicts especially between the archbishops Jacob Erlandsson and Jens Grand.
Castles
At the same time Erik Menved led a very aggressive policy and he strengthened the fortifications in the kingdom. This was evident in the Sound region, where a number of castles were renovated or built.
The old circular defence tower in Helsingborg was exchanged for the square Kärnan. This tower construction became a massive and impenetrable castle. The walls were more than 4 metres thick and the tower´s height was 30 metres. It had to be able to withstand the art of war of the times. Falsterbohus was also rebuilt and this castle also had a square tower. The rebuilding of these two castles started around 1310. Falsterbohus took over the tasks of the Skanør Castle and Helsingborg and Kärnan developed into the crown’s most important fortification in Scania. Erik Menved also expanded the Lindhold Castle in Southern Scania. This castle also had a square tower.
In Bornholm Hammershus is gradually developed into the largest castle in the North. In Vordingborg a castle complex is built to the defence of the country´s south border and in Kalundborg in in West Zealand the old fortification of Esbern Snare is enlarged. Finally in Valdemar Atterdag´s time (1340-1375) an administrative centre with a central castle is built in Gurre in North Zealand.
Castles | 
Kärnan, Helsingborg | 
Kärnan in Sections | 
The Interior of Kärnan | 
Hammershus |
The Goose Tower | 
Vordinborg Castle | 
The Castle Hill | 
Gurre Castle | 
Gurre |
Gurre Complex | 
Gurre Castle |
Weakened Royal Power
The expansion policy and the military expansion was dearly bought and Erik Menved´s pledging almost led to the dissolution of the kingdom under his successor Christofer II. The royal power weakened and the bad economy and the pledging continued. It went so far that the Holsteiner counts Gerhard of Rendsborg and Johan af Plön had the real power in Denmark. Johan possessed large parts of Zealand, Scania, Blekinge, Halland and Lolland. In Scania the economy was tolerable thanks to the Scanian market, but here they were dissatisfied with Johan of Plön´s pro-German rule. The result was that the archbishop in Lund, Karl Eriksen, began a campaign among the Scanian magnates, which led to the election of the Swedish king Magnus Eriksson as king in Scania at a meeting in Kalmar in 1332.
After this Swedish troops went into Scania and a peace was made with Johan. The Scanian parliament then accepted Magnus as their king and Magnus took over Johan´s pledge, paid 34000 mark in silver and could then call himself king of Sweden, Norway and Scania. 10000 mark of the pledge was for the Helsingborg castle. The pledge included Scania, Blekinge and Ven. These areas were thus united with Sweden from 1332.
In 1341, the year after Valdemar Atterdag had become king of Denmark, even southern Halland was handed over to Sweden.
The Conflict with the Hanseates
Valdemar succeeded in rebuilding Denmark and in 1360 Scania, Halland and Blekinge could be reunited with the Danish kingdom. This took place after a long siege of Helsingborg Castle.
Valdemar thus strengthened the Danish kingdom and the result was that the Hanseatic towns felt threatened. Several Hanseatic towns made an alliance with Sweden and Norway. The Swedish king Albreckt of Mecklenburg and the Hanseatic towns carried out a conquest against Scania in 1368. Peace was made in 1370 and Denmark kept Scania, but the Hanseates took over Falsterbo, Skanör, Malmö and Helsingborg. In addition the Danes were forced to give up 2 thirds of the income from the Scanian market.
Mass Killings | 
Scull Shot |
The Kalmar Union
The daughter of Valdemar Atterdag, Margrethe succeeded in skilfully establishing a three state union between Denmark, Sweden and Norway in 1397. The agreement was signed in Kalmar. The background was that Sweden was dissatisfied with the pro-German policy of Albreckt of Mecklenburg, at the same time as Denmark had great problems with the Hanseates. A strong Nordic union, The Kalmar union, was to become the prescription against these problems.
Søborg Castle | 
Margrehe 1. | 
Gjorslev Castle | 
Erik of Pommern | 
Dalowo |
The Expansion of Market Towns
The Scanian market lost more and more importance and the centre of gravity of the trade was moved from Skanør and Falsterbo to Malmo and Copenhagen. One idea behind of the Kalmar Union was that a united North would better withstand The Hanseates and king Erik of Pommern (1412-39) thus led a policy, which would strengthen the market towns of the Sound region. Several towns were given market towns rights, Helsingborg in 1414 and Elsinore in 1426. In addition Landskrona was founded in 1413, first of all to trade with Holland and England.
The Kalmar Union | 
The coronation of Erik of Pomerania |
Erik of Pommern and the Sound Duty
One idea behind of the Kalmar Union was that a united North would better withstand The Hanseates and king Erik of Pommern (1412-39) thus led a policy, which would strengthen the market towns of the Sound region. Several towns were given market towns rights, Helsingborg in 1414 and Elsinore in 1426. In addition Landskrona was founded in 1414, first of all to trade with Holland and England.
In 1429 the Sound duty was introduced, which was to compensate for the lost income form the Scanian market. It was natural that the charging of the duty was placed in the narrowest part of the Sound and therefore the fortification Krogen was built in Elsinore.
Competition and Conflicts
But it was not only the local trade that was interesting. Even foreign merchants played a big part, especially in Elsinore. The competition with the Hanseatic towns continued, but new players entered the scene, for instance the Dutch, who had the same privileges and the Hanseates in 1490.
The Danish policy of concentrating the efforts on the market towns and trying to outcompete the Hanseatic towns became costly and brought with it increases of taxation among the peasants. Sweden reacted most violently. Here the mountain men (part farmer, part mine owner) lost great income in connection with the boycott of the Hanseates, as the possibilities of the sale of iron products lessened.. The result was that an uprising started under the leadership of the Swede Engelbreckt Engelbrecktsson.
The rebellion spread to large parts of Sweden and Erik of Pommern felt threatened. He sent a Scanian troop against Engelbreckts´s troops in southern Halland. But the Scanians went over to Engelbreckt´s side and made peace with him. In 1436 they refused to pay a tax, which Erik of Pommern demanded. The Scanians once again showed their dissatisfaction by taking the side of the Swedish rebels. This was a contributing cause to the fact that Erik was dethroned as a union king and had to leave the North.
Power Struggle in Denmark – The Count´s Feud
Denmark´s king after the dethronement of Christian 2.s in 1523, Frederik I., had given the growing Lutheranism his cautious support, even though he had promised the Catholic bishops in his strict coronation charter to fight all “heresy”. After the death of Frederik I.s in 1533 the bishops refused to recognize his son, Christian as the king. Mostly because he had openly embraced Lutheranism and had introduced it in the areas in Schleswig, with which his father had endowed him. The citizens of Malmo and Copenhagen wanted to reinstate Christian 2., but the bishops did not want that either, as he, as his cousin Christian, also was an eager follower of the teachings of Luther.
Divisions between the aristocracy and the middle classes led to a violent civil war, the so-called Count´s Feud, where the bourgeoisie and the Jutlandic peasants put Count Christoffer of Oldenburg (hence the name)in charge of Lubeck´s army against the Danish aristocracy. In this situation Sweden supported the Jutlandic aristocracy’s preferred heir to the throne Frederik´s son, Christian. And in 1534 Christian became the king of Denmark under the name Christian 3. In unison with the extremely professional general Johan Rantzau the king defeated the army from Lubeck and slaughtered the Jutlandic peasant army, led by Skipper Clement.
Frederik 1. | 
Christian 3. The Reformation King | 
Johan Rantzau | 
Oversæt |
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