| The Central Power
| | The building of a central power took place in close cooperation between the royal power and the church. This alliance was formed early, which Harald Blåtand´s text on the great Jelling stone indicates: Won all of Denmark and christianized the Danes”. The alliance was to be exposed to pressure. |
Harald Blåtand (Blue Tooth) (dead 985) saw the connection between a strong central power and the introduction of Christianity. The inscription on the famous Jelling stone states: “He won Denmark and Norway and Christianized the Danes.”
Jellingestenene |
Military installations and money
That some sort of central power was establishing itself was also evident when they began to coin money and build large military installations like Trelleborg in west Zealand.
The Coins Works in Lund | 
Knuds mønt | 
Knud the Holy |
Christianity
Perhaps it was an exaggeration when Harald Bluetooth claimed that the Danes became Christian before the year 1000, but it is obvious that the royal power very early aimed at introducing and strenghten Christianity. As early as 1027 Knud the Great went to Rome, where he participated in the ceremonious crowning of a new German-Roman emperor on Easter Day. This crowning was a Christian act and Knud wanted to present himself as a great Christian prince.
Boundary Stones
Further signs that a Danish kingdom was beginning to establish itself was that they began to put up boundary stones. Five stones in Halland and one in Blekinge marked the border to Sweden. In north Scania no boundary stones were needed as the forest made out a natural border.
Border Stone |
Adam of Bremens Depiction
At this time Adam of Bremen wrote his depiction of the North. This depiction was not only built on his own experiences, but also other sources like statements from the Danish king Svend Estridsen (1047-1076).
In Adam of Bremen you can see where the most important areas of the central power were. That Jutland did not seem very important to Adam of Bremen is apparent from his depiction of the area: ”There is almost no agriculture and is unfit for human settlement”.....”it is without doubt the most terrible part of the country and it is best to avoid the area; on land because of lack of seed, at sea because of the pirates”.
His depictions of Zealand on the other hand, are full of superlatives: ”The island Zealand, which is centrally situated in the Baltic, is great in size. Zealand, which is famous for the bravery of its inhabitants and its rich harvest, is two day´s journey long and almost as wide. The largest city is Roskilde – Denmark´s royal seat.
The Sound Region – The Centre of Power
Scania Adam of Bremen described as ”the loveliest region in Denmark” and that it ”is heavily armed with men, fertile in seeds and trade goods.”
It is obvious that the chief area was east towards the Sound region and that was applied to the ecclesiastical as well as the secular power. The king Svend Estridsen built around 1060 a royal farm and a church in the Dalby (outside Lund).
Bishops
Dalby became Episcopal residence in 1060, but was joined with Lund in 1066, when the Dalby bishop Egino moved to Lund and succeeded the former Lund Bishop Henrik. The Lund diocese thus included Blekinge, Halland and Bornholm. Sven Estridsen also worked to make Lund archbishopric. The royal power had its centre in Roskilde in Zeland and the ecclesiastical power had been attached to Lund in Scania. These two power institutions had thus been located in the Sound region.
Dalby Church | 
Basilica | 
Portal | 
The Crypt | 
The Baptismal Font |
Egino | 
The Dalby Book | 
Oversæt |
Influence from England and Germany
The Dalby book is a gospel book and the oldest known Nordic book. It is thought that the ornamentation points toward an Anglo-Saxon influence.
But the archbishopric had connections to Hamburg-Bremen. |