| The Magnates
| | The royal power cooperated with a number of magnate families, of which the Hvide family in Zealand was the most noted. The magnates held the highest offices and left their mark in the building of churches. |
The strengthening of the royal power and the ecclesiastical power probably happened at the expense of the magnates´ influence. This led to conflicts and this was especially evident under Knud the Holy (1080-1086 and it ended with the murder of Knud the Holy. Here we can see the dividing line between the interests of the central power and the magnates.
The Magnates Churches
The extensive building of stone churches in Denmark was to a great extent led by local magnates. In some churches magnates´ galleries have been preserved. Magnates who had financed the building of churches could from these galleries attend the services from an elevated position.
Knight´s motif | 
Fjenneslev´s church | 
Kalundborg Church | 
Magnate Gallery | 
Vejby Magnate Church |
Memorial Plaques
Further proof of the importance of the magnate families can be seen in the memorial plaques, which exist in a number of churches in the region. The most well known is perhaps the one in Fjenneslev´s Church, where the plaque represents Asser Rig and Mrs.Inge (Gørlev).
Asser Rig was a son of Skjalm Hvide (dead around 1120), who was the founder of the Hvide dynasty, the most well-known magnate family in Denmark. Asser Rig was the father of Absalon, famous archbishop of Lund and founder of Copenhagen.
Memorial Tablet | 
Ingeborg | 
Esbern Snare | 
Founder Picture | 
The Lord |
The King´s Officials
The long reign of King Niels from 1104-34, marks a consolidation period, where the church and royal power mutually fortify their position in the society. The royal power seems not to challenge the magnates, but extends its positions by appointing officials, among others a chamberlain, who was to take care of the financial circumstances and monetary matters in the realm, and later the king´s chancellor, who was his personal secretary. Incidentally this position was reserved for the bishop in Roskilde.
For the operation of the churches a tithe is introduced on production around 1125, which is allotted to the church and the clergy and this marks a step in the direction of the financial integration of the church into the medieval society, which is taking shape.
The military functions are separated and are transferred to the army and its officers. The duty of the men of the realm to volunteer for the defence of the nation goes back the Viking Age, but the arrangement is now modernised. The king´s housecarls of magnates are changed into a circle of local officials, or ombudsmen, which took care of the local administration. Larger units were managed by the king´s earl, magnates like for instance Skjalm Hvide, who was earl of Zealand. In Scania the king had a special official, or governor, the “gælker”.
The Bastrup Tower |
The Battle of Fotevik
The Battle of Fotevik, June 4th 1134 signified the end of the long reign of King Niels. The battle is described as one of the most bloody in medieval Denmark. The cause was a long conflict between the descendants of Svend Estridsen (1047-74), about who was to succeed King Niels on the throne.
King Niels, who was the son of Sven Estridsen, landed with his son Magnus and a great army in Fotevik in the south-western part of Scania, in order to settle accounts with his closest rival, Erik Emune, who was the son of King Niels´ brother, Erik Ejegod. Erik Emune was supported by the archbishop in Lund, Asser, as well as by a mercenary German army of approximately 300 riders. It is believed that this was the first time a cavalry was used in Denmark.
The result was that King Niels´ army was destroyed, which had catastrophic consequences for the political stability in Denmark. Magnus, the son, fell and King Niels only just escaped. Three weeks later he was murdered by dissatisfied citizens in Slesvig. Among the fallen was a large part of the Danish administration, among them 5 bishops and around 60 clergymen. It is not known how many of the rank and file was killed. The Battle of Fotevik is described as early as 1138 in the Roskilde Chronicle and somewhat later by Saxo.
The Roskilde Chronicle |
Lund, Denmark´s Capital
The victor, Erik Emune, was paid homage to on Sankt Libers Hill in Lund. He settled in the town and made it the capital of Denmark. However, Erik Emune developed into a bloodthirsty tyrant and was murdered in 1137 in Tinget in Ribe by the magnate Sorteplov, who ran through him with his lance. |